Oct. 13, 2009 issue
I came to the United States from China in 1997 to pursue a doctorate
degree in mathematics at Wayne State University. My research field is
variational analysis, which is a rather new branch of mathematics that
involves optimal control, optimization, sensitivity analysis and economics.
After graduating in 2002, I began teaching at Eastern Michigan University.
I liked this area very much, especially its diverse culture.
When I first joined the math department, I learned a lot from the other
faculty. They were mentors to me and now I have the opportunity to return
the favor and be a mentor to other new faculty members. We support each
other in our teaching and research. Right now, I'm the chair of the pre-calculus
course committee. We work together to determine what teaching methods
and books work best for the students. I'm also graduate coordinator of
the mathematics department.
I have a great relationship with my students. I see them equally. They
are my friends and I learn English and other important things from them.
Sometimes, I'm their teacher and sometimes they're mine. You have to have
a good relationship with your students in order to help them learn.
In my undergraduate and graduate math courses, I want my students to
learn math, of course. But, I also want to provide them with the methodology
of problem solving and the ability to do reasoning and rigorous thinking.
Math is a way of thinking that helps people solve all kinds of problems.
To make learning math more interesting, I have coached EMU's team for
the annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
for the past two years. This is a very famous international
competition that takes place on the first Saturday of December
on college campuses all over the world. I work with the
students in the fall semester to get them ready. Every
year, our team obtains satisfactory results. For the last
two years, I've also organized the Math Gems lecture series.
I want to provide students with more chances to see the
beautiful realm of mathematics. — Contributed by Lisa Donovan
