CURRICULUM VITAE

Dr. Maria G. Gargova Fung 

Department of Mathematics

Western Oregon University

Office Number: (503) 838-8871

Monmouth, OR 97361

Education

Ph. D. in Mathematics, Cornell University (August 1999)

M.S. in Mathematics, Cornell University (January 1996)

B. A. Summa Cum Laude with Highest Honors in Mathematics, Clark University (May 1993)

Minor Subject: Mathematics Education, Cornell University (1996-1999) 

Research and Scholarly Interests

Mathematics Education, Teacher Preparation and Development, Pedagogy, Curricular Development, Gender Issues

Representation Theory of Lie Groups, Algebra, Geometry, Expository Mathematics 

Professional and Honorary Society Memberships

Mathematical Association of America (MAA)

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM)

Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)

American Mathematical Society (AMS)

Phi Beta Kappa

Phi Sigma Tau (Philosophy Honor Society)  

Teaching Experience

·        Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Western Oregon University, 2001-present Courses taught:

§         Mathematics for Elementary Teachers Sequence (Math 211, 212, 213)

§         Calculus 1 (Math 251)

§         Calculus 2 (Math 252)

§         Calculus 3 (Math 253)

§         Geometry for Middle School Teachers (Math 494/594)

§         Manipulatives in Mathematics (Math 391)

§         Elementary Problem Solving (Math 396)

§         Probability and Statistics for Teachers (Math 393)

§         Calculus for Middle School Teachers (Math 495/595)

§         Visual Methods I and II for Teachers (Math 490/590): co-taught with Dr. Burton

·        Assistant Professor of Mathematics at UW-Stout, 2000-2001 (Courses taught: College Algebra, Calculus 1, Calculus 2)

·        Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Cornell University for the academic year 1999-2000 (Courses taught: Calculus 1, Calculus 2)

·        Sole instructor of a section of first or second semester calculus at Cornell University for six semesters

·        Participated in developing and applying a new projects-oriented curriculum for second-semester calculus; among the first group of instructors to teach calculator-based calculus at Cornell

·        Recitation instructor for first and second semester engineering calculus

·        Teaching assistant for linear algebra, applicable algebra and non-commutative algebra

·        Tutor for multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and automata theory (academic year 1992-1993)

Conference Presentations

“A Glimpse at Some Cooperative Learning Strategies,” Annual ORMATYC Meeting, Lincoln City, OR, April 2003

“Enhancing the Use of Technology in the College Mathematics Classroom for K-8 Education Majors at Western Oregon University,” PT3 Showcase at WOU, February 2003 (together with Dr. Laurie Burton, Dr. Leon Roland, and Dr. Adele Schepige)

“Western Oregon University’s Successful Teacher Preparation Program,” National Joint Mathematics Meetings, Baltimore, MD, January 2003 (together with Dr. Laurie Burton)

“Cooperative Learning Strategies,” New Teacher Institute at the Northwest Mathematics Conference in Portland, OR, October 2002

“Active Student Strategies in College Mathematics,” Poster presented at Celebrate Teaching Day, UW-Stout, April 2001 

“On the Vanishing of the Eta Invariant on Compact Locally Symmetric Spaces,” Poster presented at Research Day, UW-Stout, November 2000

 “On the Vanishing of Analytic Twisted Torsion on Compact Hyperbolic Spaces,” Poster presented at the Project NExT-YMN Session, Washington, D.C., January 2000

 “Twisted Torsion on Compact Hyperbolic Spaces,” Poster presented at AWM Workshop, San Antonio, TX, January 1999

Invited Lectures

·        “Zeno’s Paradoxes Revisited, ” Philosophy Club Lecture Series at Western Oregon University, May 2003

·        “Representations of an Extension of SL(3,R) by an Outer Automorphism,” AMS Special Session on Lie Groups and Their Representations in Madison, WI, October 2002

·        “Going in Circles,” Mathematics Colloquium at Shippensburg University, February 2000, and Mathematics Colloquium at UW-Stout, October 2000

·        “On the History of the Circle,” Mathematics Colloquium at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, February 2000

·         “A Vanishing Theorem for Twisted Analytic Torsion,” Lie Groups Seminar, Spring 1999 and AMS Special Session on Representation Theory of Reductive Groups in Providence, RI, October 1999

·        “Twisted Torsion on Compact Hyperbolic Spaces,” Park City/IAS Mentoring Program for Women in Mathematics, Princeton, NJ, May 1998

Lectures

·        “The Online Mentoring Project,” Math Fest Summer MAA Meeting, Boulder, CO, August 2003, and TOTOM Annual Meeting, Pendleton, OR, September 2003

·        “A Capstone Experience for a Problem Solving Class for Pre-service K-8 Teachers,” Pacific Northwest Annual Regional Meeting of the MAA , Walla Walla, WA,  June 2003

·        “What’s in a Number… Tales Rational, Irrational, and Transcendental,” Mathematics Club at WOU, November 2002

·        “College Mathematics: What Can We Do With This Course,” MAA Service Courses of Service to Mathematics Session, Madison, WI, August 2001

·        “A Glimpse at Weyl’s Unitary Trick,” MAA Great Theorems of Mathematics Session, New Orleans, LA, January 2001

·        “Tackling a Strange-Looking Binomial Identity Using Generating Functions,” MAA Seaway sectional meeting, Fredonia, NY, Fall 1999

·        “A Progress Report on Project Math 112,” Occasional Teaching Seminar, Spring 1998 and MAA Seaway sectional meeting, Spring 1998 (jointly with Bob Milnikel)

·        “Unitary Matrices, the Riemann Sphere, and the Borel-Weil Theorem,” Olivetti Club, Fall 1997

·        “A Glimpse into the History of p,” Hobart and William Smith College, Ithaca College, Wells College, and Mathematics Club at Cornell University, Spring 1997

·        “Graphing Calculators in First-Semester Calculus,” Occasional Teaching Seminar, Fall 1996 (jointly with Cathy Stenson)

·        “An Introduction to Modular Forms,” Olivetti Club, Fall 1996

·        “Representing Rings by Integral Domains,” MAA Northeast sectional meeting, Dartmouth, MA, Summer 1993  

Activities and Training in Mathematics Education

  • Mathematics Education Specialist at the Mathematics Department at WOU, 2002-present
  • Co-organized and co-led a national MAA PREP Workshop with Dr. Laurie Burton, “Active Learning Approaches to Teaching Mathematics Content Courses for Elementary and Middle School Teachers, ” July 7-11 2003, Western Oregon University
  • Consultant on Prof. Donald Platz’ (Department of Human Development, Family Living and Community Educational Services)  Eisenhower Grant for Professional Development of Elementary Teachers Using a Reform Curriculum, UW-Stout, Summer 2001
  • Training instructor for Mathematics Lab Tutors, UW-Stout, Spring 2001
  • Active Participant in Fall College Teaching Seminars, UW-Stout, Fall 2000
  • Training instructor for incoming Mathematics department TA's, Cornell University, Fall 1998
  • Organizer of Undergraduate Math Table, Cornell University, 1994-1995
  • Active participant in Cornell's Seminar on Undergraduate Teaching and Seminar on Educational Issues in Mathematics, 1993-2000
  • Elementary and middle school teacher in Bulgaria, 1988-1989

Professional Activities

  • Co-founder, Club Advisor, and Web Master of the Mathematics Club at Western Oregon University (Fall 2002-present)
  • Co-organizer of Family Issues Panel, Project NExT Session at the Pacific Northwest Meeting of MAA in Walla Walla, WA, June 2003
  • Co-organizer of Courses and Projects Addressing the Shortage of Teachers, MAA Session at the National Joint Meeting in Baltimore, MD, January 2003
  • Co-organizer of Motivating Students, Project NExT session at Mathematics Fest Meeting, Madison, WI, August 2001
  • Co-organizer of Advising Students Based on Their Career Goals, Project NExT session at Joint Mathematics Meeting, New Orleans, LA, January 2001
  • Organizer of the Olivetti Club, Spring 1996; the Olivetti Club is the weekly department-wide graduate student seminar at Cornell University
  • Co-creator and leader of a workshop for 6th to 8th grade girls, “Smart Bubbles,” at Expanding Your Horizons, Fall 1994 and Fall 1995, Ithaca, NY
  • Coordinator for the “Professors for the Future” program, Fall 1996 to 1998, Ithaca, NY
  • Participant at the IAS/Park City Summer Institute on Representation Theory of Lie Groups, Summer 1998, Park City, UT
  • Member of graduate student committee for design of project-based calculus syllabus, 1993-1995; implemented this curriculum 1996-1997 at Cornell University  

Professional Service

§         Reviewer for Mathematics Magazine, Mathematical Reviews, The Mathematics Teacher, and PRIMUS

§         Reviewer for the MAA Online Book Review

§         Solicited text reviewer for Brooks/Cole

Honors

National MAA Project NExT Fellow, 2000-2001 (gold dot)

OCEPT Fellow, 2001-2002

Seaway and Wisconsin MAA Sections Project NExT Fellow

First Alternate for AWM Workshop at AMS-MAA Joint Mathematical Meetings, 2000

Summer Dissertation Fellowship, Cornell University, 1999

Nominated for Clark Teaching Award, Cornell University, 1999

Outstanding Mathematics Major Award, Clark University, 1993 

Publications

“Twisted Torsion on Compact Hyperbolic Spaces,” Twisted Torsion on Compact Hyperbolic Spaces: A Representation-theoretic Approach, Asian Journal of Mathematics, Vol. 6, No. 1, March 2002

 

“Old Grandpa’s Check,” TOMT: The Oregon Mathematics Teacher, December 2002

 

“Factorial Fun,” TOMT: The Oregon Mathematics Teacher, December 2003

 

Review of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, in the MAA Online Book review column, http://www.maa.org/reviews/dogincident.html

 

Review of Basic Linear Algebra by T.S. Blyth and E.F. Robertson, in the MAA Online Book review column,  http://www.maa.org/reviews/basicLA.html

 

 “A Note of the Vanishing of the Eta Invariant on Compact Locally Symmetric Spaces,” to appear in The Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics

 “Online Mentoring with the Math Forum: A Capstone Experience for Pre-Service K-8 Teachers in a Mathematics Content Problem Solving Class,” joint work with Mary De Young from Hope College MI, submitted to Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Journal

“Writing, Reading and Assessing in an Elementary Problem Solving Class,” joint work with Leon Roland, submitted to PRIMUS

 

 

References

Laurie Burton, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Western Oregon University

Mike Ward, Professor of Mathematics, Western Oregon University

Leon Roland, Professor of Mathematics, Western Oregon University

Birgit Speh, Professor, Dept. of Mathematics, Cornell University

Additional Information

US Citizen

 Languages: Bulgarian, Russian, written French