Soft Matter Seminar: Nicole L. Fonger

The Syracuse University Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Nicole L. Fonger, associate professor of mathematics and mathematics education, Meaningful Mathematics Research Group Principal Investigator, Data Warriors Co-Founder and SU Leader, Syracuse University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Mathematics, School of Education for this week’s Soft Matter Seminar.

“Making Math Meaningful: Research, Practice, and Community Engagement”

Abstract:

Disparity in access to meaningful math learning for historically marginalized students is a perennial issue in our society that shapes who pursues STEM fields. There is an urgent need to “do math differently” in school, university, and community spaces. In this talk, Professor Fonger will share how community engaged research and public scholarship intersect with teaching of undergraduate mathematics, research on students’ meaningful learning of mathematics, and her service to the broader Syracuse community. She will showcase the Data Warriors, a project she co-founded in 2022 with Ken Keech, a local high school math teacher. In the words of one Data Warrior student, “Data warriors is an after-school club that deals with social issues inside of [the city] and we figure out ways to solve them or educate people on them.” She will share examples of how my leadership for the Data Warriors is a synergistic activity that informs and is shaped by: (a) teaching and curricular innovations including social justice mathematics lessons, (b) research on college students’ meaningful math learning, and (c) service to the public through creating zines and hosting community events.