Master of School Mathematics Faculty
Heather (Thompson) Bolles
Heather Bolles is a member of the Department of Mathematics and is the program director of the MSM program. She completed a B.S. in mathematics with secondary certification from ISU and a PhD in mathematics from ISU while working under B. Keller, a former director of the MSM program. With an interest in developing students' conceptual understanding of mathematics, Dr. Bolles has written and implemented experientially based explorations in calculus courses and in courses for elementary and secondary pre-service teachers. Previous research has emphasized the development of the inquiry process in mathematics classrooms and the relationship between this process and the concepts which resonate in students. She is interested in developing and applying methods to actively engage students in the learning of mathematics, to build understanding of the underlying concepts of mathematics, to incorporate technology appropriately in the teaching and learning of mathematics, and to establish connections within mathematics, between mathematics and other subject areas, and with prior knowledge.
Dr. Bolles is the current coordinator for the mathematics courses for education majors and advisor for mathematics majors pursuing secondary certification. She is actively involved in establishing a community of college instructors of mathematics courses for future teachers to bring continuity to the field and to advance the mathematical preparation of future and current teachers.
Irvin Hentzel's main interest is computer algorithms in algebra. His work involves extensive programming as well as the underlying theory. His research involves genetic algorithms, number theory, game theory, combinatorics, and representation theory. His goal in the MSM program is to provide the participants with new techniques and skills. He provides interesting, concrete, and non-trivial example problems that the teachers may use in their own classrooms.
He believes that the world is full of everyday applications of the material that he is teaching. If he can bring the student to relate the classroom topics to things they themselves have experienced, then they will learn it. The fundamental ideas can often be said very concisely and eloquently. Yet, the only way that a student can absorb an abstract idea is by first looking for an application of the idea in the realm of the student's own experiences.
Leslie Hogben received her Ph. D. from Yale in mathematics under Nathan Jacobson in nonassociative ring theory and now does research in the area of linear algebra, specializing in combinatorial matrix theory. She is the co-director of the ISU Mathematics Department's NSF sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.
Dr. Hogben became interested in the mathematics preparation of teachers through her involvement in her daughter's school. (The daughter is now in college!) She was a member of the Ames Community Schools Mathematics Cabinet for 8 years. She and 3 colleagues redesigned the mathematics curriculum for pre-service elementary teachers, supported by a Miller Faculty Fellowship, and she was the course coordinator for those courses for several years. She has two current MSM students and two current Ph. D. students, and has supervised 3 MSM recipients, 4 Masters graduates, and one Ph.D. recipient, as of spring 2006.
When not glued to her laptop she likes to sail.
Elgin Johnston earned his doctorate at the University of Illinois (Urbana) in complex analysis and approximation
theory. In recent years he has been interested in the role of writing and technology in teaching mathematics. He recently authored a calculus text with Jerry Mathews, and had written several student projects for technology enhanced calculus.
Professor Johnston has also had a long interest in recreational problem solving. He has been very active on the Committee on American Mathematics Competitions. For six years he chaired the committee charged with writing the American Invitational Mathematics Exam, and is serving a three year term as Chair of the MAA Committee on American Mathematics Competitions. He is also Problems Editor for
Mathematics Magazine.
Yiu Tung Poon's research interests include matrix analysis, operator theory and operator algebras. In recent years, he is interested in the role of problem solving in the preparation of teachers in mathematics. His goal in joining the MSM program is to
1) show teachers that interesting problems can be found at each level of the curriculum;
2) train teachers to develop and use problem solving pedagogy;
3) instill in teachers a flexibility that will allow them to create their own problems in the area of their own interest;
4) help teachers learn how to use computer software in the teaching of problem solving.
Clifford Bergman is an algebraist with an interest in algorithmic aspects of computer science. In 1997 he developed a graduate-level course in cryptography that has proved to be very popular. This course tries to balance the theoretical underpinnings of cryptography (number theory and combinatorics) with the practical aspects of what can be computed and what can't.
Dr. Bergman is a member of both the Department of Computer Science and the Information Assurance Center at Iowa State. The Center has been designated a "center of excellence in information assurance education" by the National Security Agency. Bergman is currently engaged in research in cryptography and steganography. He has a B.S. from Brown University (1975) and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Amy Froelich is a member of the Department of Statistics. She completed a B.S. in Secondary Mathematics Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and taught high school mathematics at United Township High School in East Moline, Illinois. She completed her Ph.D. in Statistics also from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has been an Assistant Professor at Iowa State University since August 2000.
Dr. Froelich is heavily involved in teaching in the Department of Statistics. She regularly teaches the introductory course in applied statistics and the two course calculus-based sequence in probability and mathematical statistics for undergraduates. As a result, a large component of her research is dedicated to statistics education. Her other research areas include educational measurement and psychometrics. As part of this research, Dr. Froelich is the statistical consultant for the Psychology in Education Research Laboratory (PERL) at Iowa State University. She is also currently working with high school mathematics teachers to develop modules in Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II with the goal of enhancing learning transfer to downstream mathematics and science courses, both in the high schools and colleges.
Christian Roettger is a member of the Department of Mathematics. He completed a first degree in Mathematics in 1988 at the University of Augsburg, a 'Licence de Mathematiques' at the University of Paris VI (Paris-Jussieu) in 1989, a 'Diploma' in Mathematics at the University of Augsburg in 1996 (equivalent to a Masters) and got his PhD at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK in 2000. He has been involved in Undergraduate teaching since 1996, at ISU since 2002. His research areas include Number Theory and Cryptography, as well as Algebra and Logic. Dr Roettger enjoys teaching Mathematics for pre-service teachers, since we have a curriculum that tries to engage students in mathematical thinking, each at their personal level.
