faculty

Janice Sklensky

Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Coordinator of Peer Tutoring

Programs

Mathematics

Personal Website

Contact

Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center 1306

(508) 286-3973

About

Main Interests

Exploring geometry. Learning connections between math and other fields, especially art, and having “that is so cool!” moments. Learning how people learn. Volunteering as a tutor. Talking about things mathematical and  not-mathematical with my husband.  Reading (mostly mysteries), gardening, exercising.

Degrees

Ph.D., M.S., Northwestern University
A.B., University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests

For my dissertation, I studied Commutative Ring Theory and Homological Algebra. Now, I’m spending time learning non-Euclidean geometry, and exploring the connections between math and art, as I mentioned earlier.

Teaching Interests

Teaching my students how to read, learn, and do mathematics. I try to have them actually do some math during nearly every class meeting, rather than simply listening to me lecturing the whole time. I also often have the students solve relatively realistic, open-ended problems and describe their solutions in everyday language.

Student Projects

In Fall 2018, I am advising a student’s Honors Thesis, on the connection between gerrymandering and math: not at all in my area, but I hope to learn it with them.

I assign projects in many of my classes. In Math and Art, the students choose between a number of projects: some involve creating art using mathematical concepts, others involve analyzing existing art mathematically, and a few involve writing reaction papers to articles or books. In Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometry, students have individual extended projects working through a geometric topic, writing a paper and presenting on it at the end of the term. In Abstract Algebra, the students have individual semester-long projects to help make the material more concrete.