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Mathematics Education Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Rigorous Verification of Stability of Ideal Gas Layers , Damian Anderson

Documentation of Norm Negotiation in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom , Michelle R. Bagley

New Mathematics Teachers' Goals, Orientations, and Resources that Influence Implementation of Principles Learned in Brigham Young University's Teacher Preparation Program , Caroline S. Gneiting

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Impact of Applying Visual Design Principles to Boardwork in a Mathematics Classroom , Jennifer Rose Canizales

Practicing Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives of Public Records in Their Classrooms , Sini Nicole White Graff

Parents' Perceptions of the Importance of Teaching Mathematics: A Q-Study , Ashlynn M. Holley

Engagement in Secondary Mathematics Group Work: A Student Perspective , Rachel H. Jorgenson

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Understanding College Students' Use of Written Feedback in Mathematics , Erin Loraine Carroll

Identity Work to Teach Mathematics for Social Justice , Navy B. Dixon

Developing a Quantitative Understanding of U-Substitution in First-Semester Calculus , Leilani Camille Heaton Fonbuena

The Perception of At-Risk Students on Caring Student-Teacher Relationships and Its Impact on Their Productive Disposition , Brittany Hopper

Variational and Covariational Reasoning of Students with Disabilities , Lauren Rigby

Structural Reasoning with Rational Expressions , Dana Steinhorst

Student-Created Learning Objects for Mathematics Renewable Assignments: The Potential Value They Bring to the Broader Community , Webster Wong

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Emotional Geographies of Beginning and Veteran Reformed Teachers in Mentor/Mentee Relationships , Emily Joan Adams

You Do Math Like a Girl: How Women Reason Mathematically Outside of Formal and School Mathematics Contexts , Katelyn C. Pyfer

Developing the Definite Integral and Accumulation Function Through Adding Up Pieces: A Hypothetical Learning Trajectory , Brinley Nichole Stevens

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Mathematical Identities of Students with Mathematics Learning Dis/abilities , Emma Lynn Holdaway

Teachers' Mathematical Meanings: Decisions for Teaching Geometric Reflections and Orientation of Figures , Porter Peterson Nielsen

Student Use of Mathematical Content Knowledge During Proof Production , Chelsey Lynn Van de Merwe

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Making Sense of the Equal Sign in Middle School Mathematics , Chelsea Lynn Dickson

Developing Understanding of the Chain Rule, Implicit Differentiation, and Related Rates: Towards a Hypothetical Learning Trajectory Rooted in Nested Multivariation , Haley Paige Jeppson

Secondary Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Curricular Reasoning , Kimber Anne Mathis

“Don’t Say Gay. We Say Dumb or Stupid”: Queering ProspectiveMathematics Teachers’ Discussions , Amy Saunders Ross

Aspects of Engaging Problem Contexts From Students' Perspectives , Tamara Kay Stark

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Addressing Pre-Service Teachers' Misconceptions About Confidence Intervals , Kiya Lynn Eliason

How Teacher Questions Affect the Development of a Potential Hybrid Space in a Classroom with Latina/o Students , Casandra Helen Job

Teacher Graphing Practices for Linear Functions in a Covariation-Based College Algebra Classroom , Konda Jo Luckau

Principles of Productivity Revealed from Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Discussions Around the Productiveness of Teacher Moves in Response to Teachable Moments , Kylie Victoria Palsky

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Curriculum Decisions and Reasoning of Middle School Teachers , Anand Mikel Bernard

Teacher Response to Instances of Student Thinking During Whole Class Discussion , Rachel Marie Bernard

Kyozaikenkyu: An In-Depth Look into Japanese Educators' Daily Planning Practices , Matthew David Melville

Analysis of Differential Equations Applications from the Coordination Class Perspective , Omar Antonio Naranjo Mayorga

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Principles of Effective Teaching Student Teachershave the Opportunity to Learn in an AlternativeStudent Teaching Structure , Danielle Rose Divis

Insight into Student Conceptions of Proof , Steven Daniel Lauzon

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Teacher Participation and Motivation inProfessional Development , Krystal A. Hill

Student Evaluation of Mathematical Explanations in anInquiry-Based Mathematics Classroom , Ashley Burgess Hulet

English Learners' Participation in Mathematical Discourse , Lindsay Marie Merrill

Mathematical Interactions between Teachers and Students in the Finnish Mathematics Classroom , Paula Jeffery Prestwich

Parents and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics , Rebecca Anne Roberts

Examining the Effects of College Algebra on Students' Mathematical Dispositions , Kevin Lee Watson

Problems Faced by Reform Oriented Novice Mathematics Teachers Utilizing a Traditional Curriculum , Tyler Joseph Winiecke

Academic and Peer Status in the Mathematical Life Stories of Students , Carol Ann Wise

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

The Effect of Students' Mathematical Beliefs on Knowledge Transfer , Kristen Adams

Language Use in Mathematics Textbooks Written in English and Spanish , Kailie Ann Bertoch

Teachers' Curricular Reasoning and MKT in the Context of Algebra and Statistics , Kolby J. Gadd

Mathematical Telling in the Context of Teacher Interventions with Collaborative Groups , Brandon Kyle Singleton

An Investigation of How Preservice Teachers Design Mathematical Tasks , Elizabeth Karen Zwahlen

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Student Understanding of Limit and Continuity at a Point: A Look into Four Potentially Problematic Conceptions , Miriam Lynne Amatangelo

Exploring the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching of Japanese Teachers , Ratu Jared R. T. Bukarau

Comparing Two Different Student Teaching Structures by Analyzing Conversations Between Student Teachers and Their Cooperating Teachers , Niccole Suzette Franc

Professional Development as a Community of Practice and Its Associated Influence on the Induction of a Beginning Mathematics Teacher , Savannah O. Steele

Types of Questions that Comprise a Teacher's Questioning Discourse in a Conceptually-Oriented Classroom , Keilani Stolk

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Student Teachers' Interactive Decisions with Respect to Student Mathematics Thinking , Jonathan J. Call

Manipulatives and the Growth of Mathematical Understanding , Stacie Joyce Gibbons

Learning Within a Computer-Assisted Instructional Environment: Effects on Multiplication Math Fact Mastery and Self-Efficacy in Elementary-Age Students , Loraine Jones Hanson

Mathematics Teacher Time Allocation , Ashley Martin Jones

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

How Student Positioning Can Lead to Failure in Inquiry-based Classrooms , Kelly Beatrice Campbell

Teachers' Decisions to Use Student Input During Class Discussion , Heather Taylor Toponce

A Conceptual Framework for Student Understanding of Logarithms , Heather Rebecca Ambler Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Growth in Students' Conceptions of Mathematical Induction , John David Gruver

Contextualized Motivation Theory (CMT): Intellectual Passion, Mathematical Need, Social Responsibility, and Personal Agency in Learning Mathematics , Janelle Marie Hart

Thinking on the Brink: Facilitating Student Teachers' Learning Through In-the-Moment Interjections , Travis L. Lemon

Understanding Teachers' Change Towards a Reform-Oriented Mathematics Classroom , Linnae Denise Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

A Comparison of Mathematical Discourse in Online and Face-to-Face Environments , Shawn D. Broderick

The Influence of Risk Taking on Student Creation of Mathematical Meaning: Contextual Risk Theory , Erin Nicole Houghtaling

Uncovering Transformative Experiences: A Case Study of the Transformations Made by one Teacher in a Mathematics Professional Development Program , Rachelle Myler Orsak

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Student Teacher Knowledge and Its Impact on Task Design , Tenille Cannon

How Eighth-Grade Students Estimate with Fractions , Audrey Linford Hanks

Similar but Different: The Complexities of Students' Mathematical Identities , Diane Skillicorn Hill

Choose Your Words: Refining What Counts as Mathematical Discourse in Students' Negotiation of Meaning for Rate of Change of Volume , Christine Johnson

Mathematics Student Teaching in Japan: A Multi-Case Study , Allison Turley Shwalb

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Applying Toulmin's Argumentation Framework to Explanations in a Reform Oriented Mathematics Class , Jennifer Alder Brinkerhoff

What Are Some of the Common Traits in the Thought Processes of Undergraduate Students Capable of Creating Proof? , Karen Malina Duff

Probing for Reasons: Presentations, Questions, Phases , Kellyn Nicole Farlow

One Problem, Two Contexts , Danielle L. Gigger

The Main Challenges that a Teacher-in-Transition Faces When Teaching a High School Geometry Class , Greg Brough Henry

Discovering the Derivative Can Be "Invigorating:" Mark's Journey to Understanding Instantaneous Velocity , Charity Ann Gardner Hyer

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

How a Master Teacher Uses Questioning Within a Mathematical Discourse Community , Omel Angel Contreras

Determining High School Geometry Students' Geometric Understanding Using van Hiele Levels: Is There a Difference Between Standards-based Curriculum Students and NonStandards-based Curriculum Students? , Rebekah Loraine Genz

The Nature and Frequency of Mathematical Discussion During Lesson Study That Implemented the CMI Framework , Andrew Ray Glaze

Second Graders' Solution Strategies and Understanding of a Combination Problem , Tiffany Marie Hessing

What Does It Mean To Preservice Mathematics Teachers To Anticipate Student Responses? , Matthew M. Webb

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Fraction Multiplication and Division Image Change in Pre-Service Elementary Teachers , Jennifer J. Cluff

An Examination of the Role of Writing in Mathematics Instruction , Amy Jeppsen

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

Reasoning About Motion: A Case Study , Tiffini Lynn Glaze

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

An Analysis of the Influence of Lesson Study on Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers' View of Self-As Mathematics Expert , Julie Stafford

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Learning strategies in mathematics education : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Mathematics Education at Massey University

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Future themes of mathematics education research: an international survey before and during the pandemic

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• Published: 06 April 2021
• Volume 107 , pages 1–24, ( 2021 )

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• Arthur Bakker   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9604-3448 1 ,
• Jinfa Cai   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0501-3826 2 &
• Linda Zenger 1  

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Before the pandemic (2019), we asked: On what themes should research in mathematics education focus in the coming decade? The 229 responses from 44 countries led to eight themes plus considerations about mathematics education research itself. The themes can be summarized as teaching approaches, goals, relations to practices outside mathematics education, teacher professional development, technology, affect, equity, and assessment. During the pandemic (November 2020), we asked respondents: Has the pandemic changed your view on the themes of mathematics education research for the coming decade? If so, how? Many of the 108 respondents saw the importance of their original themes reinforced (45), specified their initial responses (43), and/or added themes (35) (these categories were not mutually exclusive). Overall, they seemed to agree that the pandemic functions as a magnifying glass on issues that were already known, and several respondents pointed to the need to think ahead on how to organize education when it does not need to be online anymore. We end with a list of research challenges that are informed by the themes and respondents’ reflections on mathematics education research.

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1 An international survey in two rounds

Around the time when Educational Studies in Mathematics (ESM) and the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME) were celebrating their 50th anniversaries, Arthur Bakker (editor of ESM) and Jinfa Cai (editor of JRME) saw a need to raise the following future-oriented question for the field of mathematics education research:

Q2019: On what themes should research in mathematics education focus in the coming decade?

To that end, we administered a survey with just this one question between June 17 and October 16, 2019.

When we were almost ready with the analysis, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and we were not able to present the results at the conferences we had planned to attend (NCTM and ICME in 2020). Moreover, with the world shaken up by the crisis, we wondered if colleagues in our field might think differently about the themes formulated for the future due to the pandemic. Hence, on November 26, 2020, we asked a follow-up question to those respondents who in 2019 had given us permission to approach them for elaboration by email:

Q2020: Has the pandemic changed your view on the themes of mathematics education research for the coming decade? If so, how?

In this paper, we summarize the responses to these two questions. Similar to Sfard’s ( 2005 ) approach, we start by synthesizing the voices of the respondents before formulating our own views. Some colleagues put forward the idea of formulating a list of key themes or questions, similar to the 23 unsolved mathematical problems that David Hilbert published around 1900 (cf. Schoenfeld, 1999 ). However, mathematics and mathematics education are very different disciplines, and very few people share Hilbert’s formalist view on mathematics; hence, we do not want to suggest that we could capture the key themes of mathematics education in a similar way. Rather, our overview of themes drawn from the survey responses is intended to summarize what is valued in our global community at the time of the surveys. Reasoning from these themes, we end with a list of research challenges that we see worth addressing in the future (cf. Stephan et al., 2015 ).

2 Methodological approach

2.1 themes for the coming decade (2019).

We administered the 1-question survey through email lists that we were aware of (e.g., Becker, ICME, PME) and asked mathematics education researchers to spread it in their national networks. By October 16, 2019, we had received 229 responses from 44 countries across 6 continents (Table 1 ). Although we were happy with the larger response than Sfard ( 2005 ) received (74, with 28 from Europe), we do not know how well we have reached particular regions, and if potential respondents might have faced language or other barriers. We did offer a few Chinese respondents the option to write in Chinese because the second author offered to translate their emails into English. We also received responses in Spanish, which were translated for us.

Ethical approval was given by the Ethical Review Board of the Faculties of Science and Geo-science of Utrecht University (Bèta L-19247). We asked respondents to indicate if they were willing to be quoted by name and if we were allowed to approach them for subsequent information. If they preferred to be named, we mention their name and country; otherwise, we write “anonymous.” In our selection of quotes, we have focused on content, not on where the response came from. On March 2, 2021, we approached all respondents who were quoted to double-check if they agreed to be quoted and named. One colleague preferred the quote and name to be deleted; three suggested small changes in wording; the others approved.

On September 20, 2019, the three authors met physically at Utrecht University to analyze the responses. After each individual proposal, we settled on a joint list of seven main themes (the first seven in Table 2 ), which were neither mutually exclusive nor exhaustive. The third author (Zenger, then still a student in educational science) next color coded all parts of responses belonging to a category. These formed the basis for the frequencies and percentages presented in the tables and text. The first author (Bakker) then read all responses categorized by a particular code to identify and synthesize the main topics addressed within each code. The second author (Cai) read all of the survey responses and the response categories, and commented. After the initial round of analysis, we realized it was useful to add an eighth theme: assessment (including evaluation).

Moreover, given that a large number of respondents made comments about mathematics education research itself, we decided to summarize these separately. For analyzing this category of research, we used the following four labels to distinguish types of comments on our discipline of mathematics education research: theory, methodology, self-reflection (including ethical considerations), interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity. We then summarized the responses per type of comment.

It has been a daunting and humbling experience to study the huge coverage and diversity of topics that our colleagues care about. Any categorization felt like a reduction of the wealth of ideas, and we are aware of the risks of “sorting things out” (Bowker & Star, 2000 ), which come with foregrounding particular challenges rather than others (Stephan et al., 2015 ). Yet the best way to summarize the bigger picture seemed by means of clustering themes and pointing to their relationships. As we identified these eight themes of mathematics education research for the future, a recurring question during the analysis was how to represent them. A list such as Table 2 does not do justice to the interrelations between the themes. Some relationships are very clear, for example, educational approaches (theme 2) working toward educational or societal goals (theme 1). Some themes are pervasive; for example, equity and (positive) affect are both things that educators want to achieve but also phenomena that are at stake during every single moment of learning and teaching. Diagrams we considered to represent such interrelationships were either too specific (limiting the many relevant options, e.g., a star with eight vertices that only link pairs of themes) or not specific enough (e.g., a Venn diagram with eight leaves such as the iPhone symbol for photos). In the end, we decided to use an image and collaborated with Elisabeth Angerer (student assistant in an educational sciences program), who eventually made the drawing in Fig. 1 to capture themes in their relationships.

Artistic impression of the future themes

2.2 Has the pandemic changed your view? (2020)

On November 26, 2020, we sent an email to the colleagues who responded to the initial question and who gave permission to be approached by email. We cited their initial response and asked: “Has the pandemic changed your view on the themes of mathematics education research for the coming decade? If so, how?” We received 108 responses by January 12, 2021. The countries from which the responses came included China, Italy, and other places that were hit early by the COVID-19 virus. The length of responses varied from a single word response (“no”) to elaborate texts of up to 2215 words. Some people attached relevant publications. The median length of the responses was 87 words, with a mean length of 148 words and SD = 242. Zenger and Bakker classified them as “no changes” (9 responses) or “clearly different views” (8); the rest of the responses saw the importance of their initial themes reinforced (45), specified their initial responses (43), or added new questions or themes (35). These last categories were not mutually exclusive, because respondents could first state that they thought the initial themes were even more relevant than before and provide additional, more specified themes. We then used the same themes that had been identified in the first round and identified what was stressed or added in the 2020 responses.

3 The themes

The most frequently mentioned theme was what we labeled approaches to teaching (64% of the respondents, see Table 2 ). Next was the theme of goals of mathematics education on which research should shed more light in the coming decade (54%). These goals ranged from specific educational goals to very broad societal ones. Many colleagues referred to mathematics education’s relationships with other practices (communities, institutions…) such as home, continuing education, and work. Teacher professional development is a key area for research in which the other themes return (what should students learn, how, how to assess that, how to use technology and ensure that students are interested?). Technology constitutes its own theme but also plays a key role in many other themes, just like affect. Another theme permeating other ones is what can be summarized as equity, diversity, and inclusion (also social justice, anti-racism, democratic values, and several other values were mentioned). These values are not just societal and educational goals but also drivers for redesigning teaching approaches, using technology, working on more just assessment, and helping learners gain access, become confident, develop interest, or even love for mathematics. To evaluate if approaches are successful and if goals have been achieved, assessment (including evaluation) is also mentioned as a key topic of research.

In the 2020 responses, many wise and general remarks were made. The general gist is that the pandemic (like earlier crises such as the economic crisis around 2008–2010) functioned as a magnifying glass on themes that were already considered important. Due to the pandemic, however, systemic societal and educational problems were said to have become better visible to a wider community, and urge us to think about the potential of a “new normal.”

3.1 Approaches to teaching

We distinguish specific teaching strategies from broader curricular topics.

3.1.1 Teaching strategies

There is a widely recognized need to further design and evaluate various teaching approaches. Among the teaching strategies and types of learning to be promoted that were mentioned in the survey responses are collaborative learning, critical mathematics education, dialogic teaching, modeling, personalized learning, problem-based learning, cross-curricular themes addressing the bigger themes in the world, embodied design, visualization, and interleaved learning. Note, however, that students can also enhance their mathematical knowledge independently from teachers or parents through web tutorials and YouTube videos.

Many respondents emphasized that teaching approaches should do more than promote cognitive development. How can teaching be entertaining or engaging? How can it contribute to the broader educational goals of developing students’ identity, contribute to their empowerment, and help them see the value of mathematics in their everyday life and work? We return to affect in Section 3.7 .

In the 2020 responses, we saw more emphasis on approaches that address modeling, critical thinking, and mathematical or statistical literacy. Moreover, respondents stressed the importance of promoting interaction, collaboration, and higher order thinking, which are generally considered to be more challenging in distance education. One approach worth highlighting is challenge-based education (cf. Johnson et al. 2009 ), because it takes big societal challenges as mentioned in the previous section as its motivation and orientation.

3.1.2 Curriculum

Approaches by which mathematics education can contribute to the aforementioned goals can be distinguished at various levels. Several respondents mentioned challenges around developing a coherent mathematics curriculum, smoothing transitions to higher school levels, and balancing topics, and also the typical overload of topics, the influence of assessment on what is taught, and what teachers can teach. For example, it was mentioned that mathematics teachers are often not prepared to teach statistics. There seems to be little research that helps curriculum authors tackle some of these hard questions as well as how to monitor reform (cf. Shimizu & Vithal, 2019 ). Textbook analysis is mentioned as a necessary research endeavor. But even if curricula within one educational system are reasonably coherent, how can continuity between educational systems be ensured (cf. Jansen et al., 2012 )?

In the 2020 responses, some respondents called for free high-quality curriculum resources. In several countries where Internet access is a problem in rural areas, a shift can be observed from online resources to other types of media such as radio and TV.

3.2 Goals of mathematics education

The theme of approaches is closely linked to that of the theme of goals. For example, as Fulvia Furinghetti (Italy) wrote: “It is widely recognized that critical thinking is a fundamental goal in math teaching. Nevertheless it is still not clear how it is pursued in practice.” We distinguish broad societal and more specific educational goals. These are often related, as Jane Watson (Australia) wrote: “If Education is to solve the social, cultural, economic, and environmental problems of today’s data-driven world, attention must be given to preparing students to interpret the data that are presented to them in these fields.”

3.2.1 Societal goals

Respondents alluded to the need for students to learn to function in the economy and in society more broadly. Apart from instrumental goals of mathematics education, some emphasized goals related to developing as a human being, for instance learning to see the mathematics in the world and develop a relation with the world. Mathematics education in these views should empower students to combat anti-expertise and post-fact tendencies. Several respondents mentioned even larger societal goals such as avoiding extinction as a human species and toxic nationalism, resolving climate change, and building a sustainable future.

In the second round of responses (2020), we saw much more emphasis on these bigger societal issues. The urgency to orient mathematics education (and its research) toward resolving these seemed to be felt more than before. In short, it was stressed that our planet needs to be saved. The big question is what role mathematics education can play in meeting these challenges.

3.2.2 Educational goals

Several respondents expressed a concern that the current goals of mathematics education do not reflect humanity’s and societies’ needs and interests well. Educational goals to be stressed more were mathematical literacy, numeracy, critical, and creative thinking—often with reference to the changing world and the planet being at risk. In particular, the impact of technology was frequently stressed, as this may have an impact on what people need to learn (cf. Gravemeijer et al., 2017 ). If computers can do particular things much better than people, what is it that students need to learn?

Among the most frequently mentioned educational goals for mathematics education were statistical literacy, computational and algorithmic thinking, artificial intelligence, modeling, and data science. More generally, respondents expressed that mathematics education should help learners deploy evidence, reasoning, argumentation, and proof. For example, Michelle Stephan (USA) asked:

What mathematics content should be taught today to prepare students for jobs of the future, especially given growth of the digital world and its impact on a global economy? All of the mathematics content in K-12 can be accomplished by computers, so what mathematical procedures become less important and what domains need to be explored more fully (e.g., statistics and big data, spatial geometry, functional reasoning, etc.)?

One challenge for research is that there is no clear methodology to arrive at relevant and feasible learning goals. Yet there is a need to choose and formulate such goals on the basis of research (cf. Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, 2005 ).

Several of the 2020 responses mentioned the sometimes problematic way in which numbers, data, and graphs are used in the public sphere (e.g., Ernest, 2020 ; Kwon et al., 2021 ; Yoon et al., 2021 ). Many respondents saw their emphasis on relevant educational goals reinforced, for example, statistical and data literacy, modeling, critical thinking, and public communication. A few pandemic-specific topics were mentioned, such as exponential growth.

3.3 Relation of mathematics education to other practices

Many responses can be characterized as highlighting boundary crossing (Akkerman & Bakker, 2011 ) with disciplines or communities outside mathematics education, such as in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics education (STEM or STEAM); parents or families; the workplace; and leisure (e.g., drama, music, sports). An interesting example was the educational potential of mathematical memes—“humorous digital objects created by web users copying an existing image and overlaying a personal caption” (Bini et al., 2020 , p. 2). These boundary crossing-related responses thus emphasize the movements and connections between mathematics education and other practices.

In the 2020 responses, we saw that during the pandemic, the relationship between school and home has become much more important, because most students were (and perhaps still are) learning at home. Earlier research on parental involvement and homework (Civil & Bernier, 2006 ; de Abreu et al., 2006 ; Jackson, 2011 ) proves relevant in the current situation where many countries are still or again in lockdown. Respondents pointed to the need to monitor students and their work and to promote self-regulation. They also put more stress on the political, economic, and financial contexts in which mathematics education functions (or malfunctions, in many respondents’ views).

3.4 Teacher professional development

Respondents explicitly mentioned teacher professional development as an important domain of mathematics education research (including teacher educators’ development). For example, Loide Kapenda (Namibia) wrote, “I am supporting UNESCO whose idea is to focus on how we prepare teachers for the future we want.” (e.g., UNESCO, 2015 ) And, Francisco Rojas (Chile) wrote:

Although the field of mathematics education is broad and each time faced with new challenges (socio-political demands, new intercultural contexts, digital environments, etc.), all of them will be handled at school by the mathematics teacher, both in primary as well as in secondary education. Therefore, from my point of view, pre-service teacher education is one of the most relevant fields of research for the next decade, especially in developing countries.

It is evident from the responses that teaching mathematics is done by a large variety of people, not only by people who are trained as primary school teachers, secondary school mathematics teachers, or mathematicians but also parents, out-of-field teachers, and scientists whose primary discipline is not mathematics but who do use mathematics or statistics. How teachers of mathematics are trained varies accordingly. Respondents frequently pointed to the importance of subject-matter knowledge and particularly noted that many teachers seem ill-prepared to teach statistics (e.g., Lonneke Boels, the Netherlands).

Key questions were raised by several colleagues: “How to train mathematics teachers with a solid foundation in mathematics, positive attitudes towards mathematics teaching and learning, and wide knowledge base linking to STEM?” (anonymous); “What professional development, particularly at the post-secondary level, motivates changes in teaching practices in order to provide students the opportunities to engage with mathematics and be successful?” (Laura Watkins, USA); “How can mathematics educators equip students for sustainable, equitable citizenship? And how can mathematics education equip teachers to support students in this?” (David Wagner, Canada)

In the 2020 responses, it was clear that teachers are incredibly important, especially in the pandemic era. The sudden change to online teaching means that

higher requirements are put forward for teachers’ educational and teaching ability, especially the ability to carry out education and teaching by using information technology should be strengthened. Secondly, teachers’ ability to communicate and cooperate has been injected with new connotation. (Guangming Wang, China)

It is broadly assumed that education will stay partly online, though more so in higher levels of education than in primary education. This has implications for teachers, for instance, they will have to think through how they intend to coordinate teaching on location and online. Hence, one important focus for professional development is the use of technology.

3.5 Technology

Technology deserves to be called a theme in itself, but we want to emphasize that it ran through most of the other themes. First of all, some respondents argued that, due to technological advances in society, the societal and educational goals of mathematics education need to be changed (e.g., computational thinking to ensure employability in a technological society). Second, responses indicated that the changed goals have implications for the approaches in mathematics education. Consider the required curriculum reform and the digital tools to be used in it. Students do not only need to learn to use technology; the technology can also be used to learn mathematics (e.g., visualization, embodied design, statistical thinking). New technologies such as 3D printing, photo math, and augmented and virtual reality offer new opportunities for learning. Society has changed very fast in this respect. Third, technology is suggested to assist in establishing connections with other practices , such as between school and home, or vocational education and work, even though there is a great disparity in how successful these connections are.

In the 2020 responses, there was great concern about the current digital divide (cf. Hodgen et al., 2020 ). The COVID-19 pandemic has thus given cause for mathematics education research to understand better how connections across educational and other practices can be improved with the help of technology. Given the unequal distribution of help by parents or guardians, it becomes all the more important to think through how teachers can use videos and quizzes, how they can monitor their students, how they can assess them (while respecting privacy), and how one can compensate for the lack of social, gestural, and embodied interaction that is possible when being together physically.

Where mobile technology was considered very innovative before 2010, smartphones have become central devices in mathematics education in the pandemic with its reliance on distance learning. Our direct experience showed that phone applications such as WhatsApp and WeChat have become key tools in teaching and learning mathematics in many rural areas in various continents where few people have computers (for a report on podcasts distributed through WhatsApp, community loudspeakers, and local radio stations in Colombia, see Saenz et al., 2020 ).

3.6 Equity, diversity, and inclusion

Another cross-cutting theme can be labeled “equity, diversity, and inclusion.” We use this triplet to cover any topic that highlights these and related human values such as equality, social and racial justice, social emancipation, and democracy that were also mentioned by respondents (cf. Dobie & Sherin, 2021 ). In terms of educational goals , many respondents stressed that mathematics education should be for all students, including those who have special needs, who live in poverty, who are learning the instruction language, who have a migration background, who consider themselves LGBTQ+, have a traumatic or violent history, or are in whatever way marginalized. There is broad consensus that everyone should have access to high-quality mathematics education. However, as Niral Shah (USA) notes, less attention has been paid to “how phenomena related to social markers (e.g., race, class, gender) interact with phenomena related to the teaching and learning of mathematical content.”

In terms of teaching approaches , mathematics education is characterized by some respondents from particular countries as predominantly a white space where some groups feel or are excluded (cf. Battey, 2013 ). There is a general concern that current practices of teaching mathematics may perpetuate inequality, in particular in the current pandemic. In terms of assessment , mathematics is too often used or experienced as a gatekeeper rather than as a powerful resource (cf. Martin et al., 2010 ). Steve Lerman (UK) “indicates that understanding how educational opportunities are distributed inequitably, and in particular how that manifests in each end every classroom, is a prerequisite to making changes that can make some impact on redistribution.” A key research aim therefore is to understand what excludes students from learning mathematics and what would make mathematics education more inclusive (cf. Roos, 2019 ). And, what does professional development of teachers that promotes equity look like?

In 2020, many respondents saw their emphasis on equity and related values reinforced in the current pandemic with its risks of a digital divide, unequal access to high-quality mathematics education, and unfair distribution of resources. A related future research theme is how the so-called widening achievement gaps can be remedied (cf. Bawa, 2020 ). However, warnings were also formulated that thinking in such deficit terms can perpetuate inequality (cf. Svensson et al., 2014 ). A question raised by Dor Abrahamson (USA) is, “What roles could digital technology play, and in what forms, in restoring justice and celebrating diversity?”

Though entangled with many other themes, affect is also worth highlighting as a theme in itself. We use the term affect in a very broad sense to point to psychological-social phenomena such as emotion, love, belief, attitudes, interest, curiosity, fun, engagement, joy, involvement, motivation, self-esteem, identity, anxiety, alienation, and feeling of safety (cf. Cobb et al., 2009 ; Darragh, 2016 ; Hannula, 2019 ; Schukajlow et al., 2017 ). Many respondents emphasized the importance of studying these constructs in relation to (and not separate from) what is characterized as cognition. Some respondents pointed out that affect is not just an individual but also a social phenomenon, just like learning (cf. Chronaki, 2019 ; de Freitas et al., 2019 ; Schindler & Bakker, 2020 ).

Among the educational goals of mathematics education, several participants mentioned the need to generate and foster interest in mathematics. In terms of approaches , much emphasis was put on the need to avoid anxiety and alienation and to engage students in mathematical activity.

In the 2020 responses, more emphasis was put on the concern about alienation, which seems to be of special concern when students are socially distanced from peers and teachers as to when teaching takes place only through technology . What was reiterated in the 2020 responses was the importance of students’ sense of belonging in a mathematics classroom (cf. Horn, 2017 )—a topic closely related to the theme of equity, diversity, and inclusion discussed before.

3.8 Assessment

Assessment and evaluation were not often mentioned explicitly, but they do not seem less important than the other related themes. A key challenge is to assess what we value rather than valuing what we assess. In previous research, the assessment of individual students has received much attention, but what seems to be neglected is the evaluation of curricula. As Chongyang Wang (China) wrote, “How to evaluate the curriculum reforms. When we pay much energy in reforming our education and curriculum, do we imagine how to ensure it will work and there will be pieces of evidence found after the new curricula are carried out? How to prove the reforms work and matter?” (cf. Shimizu & Vithal, 2019 )

In the 2020 responses, there was an emphasis on assessment at a distance. Distance education generally is faced with the challenge of evaluating student work, both formatively and summatively. We predict that so-called e-assessment, along with its privacy challenges, will generate much research interest in the near future (cf. Bickerton & Sangwin, 2020 ).

4 Mathematics education research itself

Although we only asked for future themes, many respondents made interesting comments about research in mathematics education and its connections with other disciplines and practices (such as educational practice, policy, home settings). We have grouped these considerations under the subheadings of theory, methodology, reflection on our discipline, and interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity. As with the previous categorization into themes, we stress that these four types are not mutually exclusive as theoretical and methodological considerations can be intricately intertwined (Radford, 2008 ).

Several respondents expressed their concern about the fragmentation and diversity of theories used in mathematics education research (cf. Bikner-Ahsbahs & Prediger, 2014 ). The question was raised how mathematics educators can “work together to obtain valid, reliable, replicable, and useful findings in our field” and “How, as a discipline, can we encourage sustained research on core questions using commensurable perspectives and methods?” (Keith Weber, USA). One wish was “comparing theoretical perspectives for explanatory power” (K. Subramaniam, India). At the same time, it was stressed that “we cannot continue to pretend that there is just one culture in the field of mathematics education, that all the theoretical framework may be applied in whichever culture and that results are universal” (Mariolina Bartolini Bussi, Italy). In addition, the wish was expressed to deepen theoretical notions such as numeracy, equity, and justice as they play out in mathematics education.

4.2 Methodology

Many methodological approaches were mentioned as potentially useful in mathematics education research: randomized studies, experimental studies, replication, case studies, and so forth. Particular attention was paid to “complementary methodologies that bridge the ‘gap’ between mathematics education research and research on mathematical cognition” (Christian Bokhove, UK), as, for example, done in Gilmore et al. ( 2018 ). Also, approaches were mentioned that intend to bridge the so-called gap between educational practice and research, such as lesson study and design research. For example, Kay Owens (Australia) pointed to the challenge of studying cultural context and identity: “Such research requires a multi-faceted research methodology that may need to be further teased out from our current qualitative (e.g., ethnographic) and quantitative approaches (‘paper and pencil’ (including computing) testing). Design research may provide further possibilities.”

Francisco Rojas (Chile) highlighted the need for more longitudinal and cross-sectional research, in particular in the context of teacher professional development:

It is not enough to investigate what happens in pre-service teacher education but understand what effects this training has in the first years of the professional career of the new teachers of mathematics, both in primary and secondary education. Therefore, increasingly more longitudinal and cross-sectional studies will be required to understand the complexity of the practice of mathematics teachers, how the professional knowledge that articulates the practice evolves, and what effects have the practice of teachers on the students’ learning of mathematics.

4.3 Reflection on our discipline

Calls were made for critical reflection on our discipline. One anonymous appeal was for more self-criticism and scientific modesty: Is research delivering, or is it drawing away good teachers from teaching? Do we do research primarily to help improve mathematics education or to better understand phenomena? (cf. Proulx & Maheux, 2019 ) The general gist of the responses was a sincere wish to be of value to the world and mathematics education more specifically and not only do “research for the sake of research” (Zahra Gooya, Iran). David Bowers (USA) expressed several reflection-inviting views about the nature of our discipline, for example:

We must normalize (and expect) the full taking up the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of all of our work (even work that is not considered “philosophical”). Not doing so leads to uncritical analysis and implications.

We must develop norms wherein it is considered embarrassing to do “uncritical” research.

There is no such thing as “neutral.” Amongst other things, this means that we should be cultivating norms that recognize the inherent political nature of all work, and norms that acknowledge how superficially “neutral” work tends to empower the oppressor.

We must recognize the existence of but not cater to the fragility of privilege.

In terms of what is studied, some respondents felt that the mathematics education research “literature has been moving away from the original goals of mathematics education. We seem to have been investigating everything but the actual learning of important mathematics topics.” (Lyn English, Australia) In terms of the nature of our discipline, Taro Fujita (UK) argued that our discipline can be characterized as a design science, with designing mathematical learning environments as the core of research activities (cf. Wittmann, 1995 ).

A tension that we observe in different views is the following: On the one hand, mathematics education research has its origin in helping teachers teach particular content better. The need for such so-called didactical, topic-specific research is not less important today but perhaps less fashionable for funding schemes that promote innovative, ground-breaking research. On the other hand, over time it has become clear that mathematics education is a multi-faceted socio-cultural and political endeavor under the influence of many local and global powers. It is therefore not surprising that the field of mathematics education research has expanded so as to include an increasingly wide scope of themes that are at stake, such as the marginalization of particular groups. We therefore highlight Niral Shah’s (USA) response that “historically, these domains of research [content-specific vs socio-political] have been decoupled. The field would get closer to understanding the experiences of minoritized students if we could connect these lines of inquiry.”

Another interesting reflective theme was raised by Nouzha El Yacoubi (Morocco): To what extent can we transpose “research questions from developed to developing countries”? As members of the plenary panel at PME 2019 (e.g., Kazima, 2019 ; Kim, 2019 ; Li, 2019 ) conveyed well, adopting interventions that were successful in one place in another place is far from trivial (cf. Gorard, 2020 ).

Juan L. Piñeiro (Spain in 2019, Chile in 2020) highlighted that “mathematical concepts and processes have different natures. Therefore, can it be characterized using the same theoretical and methodological tools?” More generally, one may ask if our theories and methodologies—often borrowed from other disciplines—are well suited to the ontology of our own discipline. A discussion started by Niss ( 2019 ) on the nature of our discipline, responded to by Bakker ( 2019 ) and Cai and Hwang ( 2019 ), seems worth continuing.

An important question raised in several comments is how close research should be to existing curricula. One respondent (Benjamin Rott, Germany) noted that research on problem posing often does “not fit into school curricula.” This makes the application of research ideas and findings problematic. However, one could argue that research need not always be tied to existing (local) educational contexts. It can also be inspirational, seeking principles of what is possible (and how) with a longer-term view on how curricula may change in the future. One option is, as Simon Zell (Germany) suggests, to test designs that cover a longer timeframe than typically done. Another way to bridge these two extremes is “collaboration between teachers and researchers in designing and publishing research” (K. Subramaniam, India) as is promoted by facilitating teachers to do PhD research (Bakx et al., 2016 ).

One of the responding teacher-researchers (Lonneke Boels, the Netherlands) expressed the wish that research would become available “in a more accessible form.” This wish raises the more general questions of whose responsibility it is to do such translation work and how to communicate with non-researchers. Do we need a particular type of communication research within mathematics education to learn how to convey particular key ideas or solid findings? (cf. Bosch et al., 2017 )

4.4 Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity

Many respondents mentioned disciplines which mathematics education research can learn from or should collaborate with (cf. Suazo-Flores et al., 2021 ). Examples are history, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, psychometry, pedagogy, educational science, value education (social, emotional), race theory, urban education, neuroscience/brain research, cognitive science, and computer science didactics. “A big challenge here is how to make diverse experts approach and talk to one another in a productive way.” (David Gómez, Chile)

One of the most frequently mentioned disciplines in relation to our field is history. It is a common complaint in, for instance, the history of medicine that historians accuse medical experts of not knowing historical research and that medical experts accuse historians of not understanding the medical discipline well enough (Beckers & Beckers, 2019 ). This tension raises the question who does and should do research into the history of mathematics or of mathematics education and to what broader purpose.

Some responses go beyond interdisciplinarity, because resolving the bigger issues such as climate change and a more equitable society require collaboration with non-researchers (transdisciplinarity). A typical example is the involvement of educational practice and policy when improving mathematics education (e.g., Potari et al., 2019 ).

Let us end this section with a word of hope, from an anonymous respondent: “I still believe (or hope?) that the pandemic, with this making-inequities-explicit, would help mathematics educators to look at persistent and systemic inequalities more consistently in the coming years.” Having learned so much in the past year could indeed provide an opportunity to establish a more equitable “new normal,” rather than a reversion to the old normal, which one reviewer worried about.

5 The themes in their coherence: an artistic impression

As described above, we identified eight themes of mathematics education research for the future, which we discussed one by one. The disadvantage of this list-wise discussion is that the entanglement of the themes is backgrounded. To compensate for that drawback, we here render a brief interpretation of the drawing of Fig. 1 . While doing so, we invite readers to use their own creative imagination and perhaps use the drawing for other purposes (e.g., ask researchers, students, or teachers: Where would you like to be in this landscape? What mathematical ideas do you spot?). The drawing mainly focuses on the themes that emerged from the first round of responses but also hints at experiences from the time of the pandemic, for instance distance education. In Appendix 1 , we specify more of the details in the drawing and we provide a link to an annotated image (available at https://www.fisme.science.uu.nl/toepassingen/28937/ ).

The boat on the river aims to represent teaching approaches. The hand drawing of the boat hints at the importance of educational design: A particular approach is being worked out. On the boat, a teacher and students work together toward educational and societal goals, further down the river. The graduation bridge is an intermediate educational goal to pass, after which there are many paths leading to other goals such as higher education, citizenship, and work in society. Relations to practices outside mathematics education are also shown. In the left bottom corner, the house and parents working and playing with children represent the link of education with the home situation and leisure activity.

The teacher, represented by the captain in the foreground of the ship, is engaged in professional development, consulting a book, but also learning by doing (cf. Bakkenes et al., 2010 , on experimenting, using resources, etc.). Apart from graduation, there are other types of goals for teachers and students alike, such as equity, positive affect, and fluent use of technology. During their journey (and partially at home, shown in the left bottom corner), students learn to orient themselves in the world mathematically (e.g., fractal tree, elliptical lake, a parabolic mountain, and various platonic solids). On their way toward various goals, both teacher and students use particular technology (e.g., compass, binoculars, tablet, laptop). The magnifying glass (representing research) zooms in on a laptop screen that portrays distance education, hinting at the consensus that the pandemic magnifies some issues that education was already facing (e.g., the digital divide).

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are represented with the rainbow, overarching everything. On the boat, students are treated equally and the sailing practice is inclusive in the sense that all perform at their own level—getting the support they need while contributing meaningfully to the shared activity. This is at least what we read into the image. Affect is visible in various ways. First of all, the weather represents moods in general (rainy and dark side on the left; sunny bright side on the right). Second, the individual students (e.g., in the crow’s nest) are interested in, anxious about, and attentive to the things coming up during their journey. They are motivated to engage in all kinds of tasks (handling the sails, playing a game of chance with a die, standing guard in the crow’s nest, etc.). On the bridge, the graduates’ pride and happiness hints at positive affect as an educational goal but also represents the exam part of the assessment. The assessment also happens in terms of checks and feedback on the boat. The two people next to the house (one with a camera, one measuring) can be seen as assessors or researchers observing and evaluating the progress on the ship or the ship’s progress.

More generally, the three types of boats in the drawing represent three different spaces, which Hannah Arendt ( 1958 ) would characterize as private (paper-folded boat near the boy and a small toy boat next to the girl with her father at home), public/political (ships at the horizon), and the in-between space of education (the boat with the teacher and students). The students and teacher on the boat illustrate school as a special pedagogic form. Masschelein and Simons ( 2019 ) argue that the ancient Greek idea behind school (σχολή, scholè , free time) is that students should all be treated as equal and should all get equal opportunities. At school, their descent does not matter. At school, there is time to study, to make mistakes, without having to work for a living. At school, they learn to collaborate with others from diverse backgrounds, in preparation for future life in the public space. One challenge of the lockdown situation as a consequence of the pandemic is how to organize this in-between space in a way that upholds its special pedagogic form.

6 Research challenges

Based on the eight themes and considerations about mathematics education research itself, we formulate a set of research challenges that strike us as deserving further discussion (cf. Stephan et al., 2015 ). We do not intend to suggest these are more important than others or that some other themes are less worthy of investigation, nor do we suggest that they entail a research agenda (cf. English, 2008 ).

6.1 Aligning new goals, curricula, and teaching approaches

There seems to be relatively little attention within mathematics education research for curricular issues, including topics such as learning goals, curriculum standards, syllabi, learning progressions, textbook analysis, curricular coherence, and alignment with other curricula. Yet we feel that we as mathematics education researchers should care about these topics as they may not necessarily be covered by other disciplines. For example, judging from Deng’s ( 2018 ) complaint about the trends in the discipline of curriculum studies, we cannot assume scholars in that field to address issues specific to the mathematics-focused curriculum (e.g., the Journal of Curriculum Studies and Curriculum Inquiry have published only a limited number of studies on mathematics curricula).

Learning goals form an important element of curricula or standards. It is relatively easy to formulate important goals in general terms (e.g., critical thinking or problem solving). As a specific example, consider mathematical problem posing (Cai & Leikin, 2020 ), which curriculum standards have specifically pointed out as an important educational goal—developing students’ problem-posing skills. Students should be provided opportunities to formulate their own problems based on situations. However, there are few problem-posing activities in current mathematics textbooks and classroom instruction (Cai & Jiang, 2017 ). A similar observation can be made about problem solving in Dutch primary textbooks (Kolovou et al., 2009 ). Hence, there is a need for researchers and educators to align problem posing in curriculum standards, textbooks, classroom instruction, and students’ learning.

The challenge we see for mathematics education researchers is to collaborate with scholars from other disciplines (interdisciplinarity) and with non-researchers (transdisciplinarity) in figuring out how the desired societal and educational goals can be shaped in mathematics education. Our discipline has developed several methodological approaches that may help in formulating learning goals and accompanying teaching approaches (cf. Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, 2005 ), including epistemological analyses (Sierpinska, 1990 ), historical and didactical phenomenology (Bakker & Gravemeijer, 2006 ; Freudenthal, 1986 ), and workplace studies (Bessot & Ridgway, 2000 ; Hoyles et al., 2001 ). However, how should the outcomes of such research approaches be weighed against each other and combined to formulate learning goals for a balanced, coherent curriculum? What is the role of mathematics education researchers in relation to teachers, policymakers, and other stakeholders (Potari et al., 2019 )? In our discipline, we seem to lack a research-informed way of arriving at the formulation of suitable educational goals without overloading the curricula.

6.2 Researching mathematics education across contexts

Though methodologically and theoretically challenging, it is of great importance to study learning and teaching mathematics across contexts. After all, students do not just learn at school; they can also participate in informal settings (Nemirovsky et al., 2017 ), online forums, or affinity networks (Ito et al., 2018 ) where they may share for instance mathematical memes (Bini et al., 2020 ). Moreover, teachers are not the only ones teaching mathematics: Private tutors, friends, parents, siblings, or other relatives can also be involved in helping children with their mathematics. Mathematics learning could also be situated on streets or in museums, homes, and other informal settings. This was already acknowledged before 2020, but the pandemic has scattered learners and teachers away from the typical central school locations and thus shifted the distribution of labor.

In particular, physical and virtual spaces of learning have been reconfigured due to the pandemic. Issues of timing also work differently online, for example, if students can watch online lectures or videos whenever they like (asynchronously). Such reconfigurations of space and time also have an effect on the rhythm of education and hence on people’s energy levels (cf. Lefebvre, 2004 ). More specifically, the reconfiguration of the situation has affected many students’ levels of motivation and concentration (e.g., Meeter et al., 2020 ). As Engelbrecht et al. ( 2020 ) acknowledged, the pandemic has drastically changed the teaching and learning model as we knew it. It is quite possible that some existing theories about teaching and learning no longer apply in the same way. An interesting question is whether and how existing theoretical frameworks can be adjusted or whether new theoretical orientations need to be developed to better understand and promote productive ways of blended or online teaching, across contexts.

6.3 Focusing teacher professional development

Professional development of teachers and teacher educators stands out from the survey as being in need of serious investment. How can teachers be prepared for the unpredictable, both in terms of beliefs and actions? During the pandemic, teachers have been under enormous pressure to make quick decisions in redesigning their courses, to learn to use new technological tools, to invent creative ways of assessment, and to do what was within their capacity to provide opportunities to their students for learning mathematics—even if technological tools were limited (e.g., if students had little or no computer or internet access at home). The pressure required both emotional adaption and instructional adjustment. Teachers quickly needed to find useful information, which raises questions about the accessibility of research insights. Given the new situation, limited resources, and the uncertain unfolding of education after lockdowns, focusing teacher professional development on necessary and useful topics will need much attention. In particular, there is a need for longitudinal studies to investigate how teachers’ learning actually affects teachers’ classroom instruction and students’ learning.

In the surveys, respondents mainly referred to teachers as K-12 school mathematics teachers, but some also stressed the importance of mathematics teacher educators (MTEs). In addition to conducting research in mathematics education, MTEs are acting in both the role of teacher educators and of mathematics teachers. There has been increased research on MTEs as requiring professional development (Goos & Beswick, 2021 ). Within the field of mathematics education, there is an emerging need and interest in how mathematics teacher educators themselves learn and develop. In fact, the changing situation also provides an opportunity to scrutinize our habitual ways of thinking and become aware of what Jullien ( 2018 ) calls the “un-thought”: What is it that we as educators and researchers have not seen or thought about so much about that the sudden reconfiguration of education forces us to reflect upon?

6.4 Using low-tech resources

Particular strands of research focus on innovative tools and their applications in education, even if they are at the time too expensive (even too labor intensive) to use at large scale. Such future-oriented studies can be very interesting given the rapid advances in technology and attractive to funding bodies focusing on innovation. Digital technology has become ubiquitous, both in schools and in everyday life, and there is already a significant body of work capitalizing on aspects of technology for research and practice in mathematics education.

However, as Cai et al. ( 2020 ) indicated, technology advances so quickly that addressing research problems may not depend so much on developing a new technological capability as on helping researchers and practitioners learn about new technologies and imagine effective ways to use them. Moreover, given the millions of students in rural areas who during the pandemic have only had access to low-tech resources such as podcasts, radio, TV, and perhaps WhatsApp through their parents’ phones, we would like to see more research on what learning, teaching, and assessing mathematics through limited tools such as Whatsapp or WeChat look like and how they can be improved. In fact, in China, a series of WeChat-based mini-lessons has been developed and delivered through the WeChat video function during the pandemic. Even when the pandemic is under control, mini-lessons are still developed and circulated through WeChat. We therefore think it is important to study the use and influence of low-tech resources in mathematics education.

6.5 Staying in touch online

With the majority of students learning at home, a major ongoing challenge for everyone has been how to stay in touch with each other and with mathematics. With less social interaction, without joint attention in the same physical space and at the same time, and with the collective only mediated by technology, becoming and staying motivated to learn has been a widely felt challenge. It is generally expected that in the higher levels of education, more blended or distant learning elements will be built into education. Careful research on the affective, embodied, and collective aspects of learning and teaching mathematics is required to overcome eventually the distance and alienation so widely experienced in online education. That is, we not only need to rethink social interactions between students and/or teachers in different settings but must also rethink how to engage and motivate students in online settings.

6.6 Studying and improving equity without perpetuating inequality

Several colleagues have warned, for a long time, that one risk of studying achievement gaps, differences between majority and minority groups, and so forth can also perpetuate inequity. Admittedly, pinpointing injustice and the need to invest in particular less privileged parts of education is necessary to redirect policymakers’ and teachers’ attention and gain funding. However, how can one reorient resources without stigmatizing? For example, Svensson et al. ( 2014 ) pointed out that research findings can fuel political debates about groups of people (e.g., parents with a migration background), who then may feel insecure about their own capacities. A challenge that we see is to identify and understand problematic situations without legitimizing problematic stereotyping (Hilt, 2015 ).

Furthermore, the field of mathematics education research does not have a consistent conceptualization of equity. There also seem to be regional differences: It struck us that equity is the more common term in the responses from the Americas, whereas inclusion and diversity were more often mentioned in the European responses. Future research will need to focus on both the conceptualization of equity and on improving equity and related values such as inclusion.

6.7 Assessing online

A key challenge is how to assess online and to do so more effectively. This challenge is related to both privacy, ethics, and performance issues. It is clear that online assessment may have significant advantages to assess student mathematics learning, such as more flexibility in test-taking and fast scoring. However, many teachers have faced privacy concerns, and we also have the impression that in an online environment it is even more challenging to successfully assess what we value rather than merely assessing what is relatively easy to assess. In particular, we need to systematically investigate any possible effect of administering assessments online as researchers have found a differential effect of online assessment versus paper-and-pencil assessment (Backes & Cowan, 2019 ). What further deserves careful ethical attention is what happens to learning analytics data that can and are collected when students work online.

6.8 Doing and publishing interdisciplinary research

When analyzing the responses, we were struck by a discrepancy between what respondents care about and what is typically researched and published in our monodisciplinary journals. Most of the challenges mentioned in this section require interdisciplinary or even transdisciplinary approaches (see also Burkhardt, 2019 ).

An overarching key question is: What role does mathematics education research play in addressing the bigger and more general challenges mentioned by our respondents? The importance of interdisciplinarity also raises a question about the scope of journals that focus on mathematics education research. Do we need to broaden the scope of monodisciplinary journals so that they can publish important research that combines mathematics education research with another disciplinary perspective? As editors, we see a place for interdisciplinary studies as long as there is one strong anchor in mathematics education research. In fact, there are many researchers who do not identify themselves as mathematics education researchers but who are currently doing high-quality work related to mathematics education in fields such as educational psychology and the cognitive and learning sciences. Encouraging the reporting of high-quality mathematics education research from a broader spectrum of researchers would serve to increase the impact of the mathematics education research journals in the wider educational arena. This, in turn, would serve to encourage further collaboration around mathematics education issues from various disciplines. Ultimately, mathematics education research journals could act as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration to address the pressing questions of how mathematics is learned and taught.

7 Concluding remarks

In this paper, based on a survey conducted before and during the pandemic, we have examined how scholars in the field of mathematics education view the future of mathematics education research. On the one hand, there are no major surprises about the areas we need to focus on in the future; the themes are not new. On the other hand, the responses also show that the areas we have highlighted still persist and need further investigation (cf. OECD, 2020 ). But, there are a few areas, based on both the responses of the scholars and our own discussions and views, that stand out as requiring more attention. For example, we hope that these survey results will serve as propelling conversation about mathematics education research regarding online assessment and pedagogical considerations for virtual teaching.

The survey results are limited in two ways. The set of respondents to the survey is probably not representative of all mathematics education researchers in the world. In that regard, perhaps scholars in each country could use the same survey questions to survey representative samples within each country to understand how the scholars in that country view future research with respect to regional needs. The second limitation is related to the fact that mathematics education is a very culturally dependent field. Cultural differences in the teaching and learning of mathematics are well documented. Given the small numbers of responses from some continents, we did not break down the analysis for regional comparison. Representative samples from each country would help us see how scholars from different countries view research in mathematics education; they will add another layer of insights about mathematics education research to complement the results of the survey presented here. Nevertheless, we sincerely hope that the findings from the surveys will serve as a discussion point for the field of mathematics education to pursue continuous improvement.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Anna Sfard for her advice on the survey, based on her own survey published in Sfard ( 2005 ). We are grateful for Stephen Hwang’s careful copyediting for an earlier version of the manuscript. Thanks also to Elisabeth Angerer, Elske de Waal, Paul Ernest, Vilma Mesa, Michelle Stephan, David Wagner, and anonymous reviewers for their feedback on earlier drafts.

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Appendix 1: Explanation of Fig. 1

We have divided Fig. 1 in 12 rectangles called A1 (bottom left) up to C4 (top right) to explain the details (for image annotation go to https://www.fisme.science.uu.nl/toepassingen/28937 )

4	- Dark clouds: Negative affect - Parabola mountain	Rainbow: equity, diversity, inclusion Ships in the distance Bell curve volcano	Sun: positive affect, energy source
3	- Pyramids, one with Pascal’s triangle - Elliptic lake with triangle - Shinto temple resembling Pi - Platonic solids - Climbers: ambition, curiosity	- Gherkin (London) - NEMO science museum (Amsterdam) - Cube houses (Rotterdam) - Hundertwasser waste incineration (Vienna) - Los Manantiales restaurant (Mexico City) - The sign post “this way” pointing two ways signifies the challenge for students to find their way in society - Series of prime numbers. 43*47 = 2021, the year in which Lizzy Angerer made this drawing - Students in the crow’s nest: interest, attention, anticipation, technology use - The picnic scene refers to the video (Eames & Eames, )	- Bridge with graduates happy with their diplomas - Vienna University building representing higher education
2	- Fractal tree - Pythagoras’ theorem at the house wall	- Lady with camera and man measuring, recording, and discussing: research and assessment	The drawing hand represents design (inspired by M. C. Escher’s 1948 drawing hands lithograph)
1	Home setting: - Rodin’s thinker sitting on hyperboloid stool, pondering how to save the earth - Boy drawing the fractal tree; mother providing support with tablet showing fractal - Paper-folded boat - Möbius strips as scaffolds for the tree - Football (sphere) - Ripples on the water connecting the home scene with the teaching boat	School setting: - Child’s small toy boat in the river - Larger boat with students and a teacher - Technology: compass, laptop (distance education) - Magnifying glass represents research into online and offline learning - Students in a circle throwing dice (learning about probability) - Teacher with book: professional self-development	Sunflowers hinting at Fibonacci sequence and Fermat’s spiral, and culture/art (e.g., Van Gogh)

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Bakker, A., Cai, J. & Zenger, L. Future themes of mathematics education research: an international survey before and during the pandemic. Educ Stud Math 107 , 1–24 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-021-10049-w

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Determining Aspects of Excellence in Teaching Undergraduate Mathematics: Unpacking Practicing Educators' Specialized Knowledge

This dissertation explores the intricate dynamics between the self-perceptions of undergraduate mathematics (UM) educators and their conceptions of excellent teaching practices conducive to student learning. Employing a sequential mixed methods approach, the study addresses two primary research questions. First, it investigates educators' self-perceptions within the realm of UM teaching, examining potential variances based on educators' Professional Status and Educational Institution (PSEI) affiliations and experience levels. Second, it delves into educators' perspectives on aspects of excellent UM teaching, scrutinizing potential disparities rooted in PSEI affiliations and experience levels, while also exploring the manifestations of Mathematics Teachers' Specialized Knowledge (MTSK) and teaching self-concept within these descriptors.

Drawing upon Shavelson's self-concept (1976) framework and Carrillo and colleagues' (2018) MTSK framework, data collection involved a Likert-style questionnaire augmented by open-ended inquiries, followed by qualitative case studies featuring eight participants from diverse Carnegie classifications. Findings demonstrate educators' overall confidence in their teaching abilities, with notable discrepancies observed among educators from associate's colleges and doctoral universities. Through thematic analysis, key dimensions of excellent teaching emerged, including active learning, student engagement, problem-solving, and positive learning environments.

This study yields implications for educational practice and institutional policy. Educators can leverage identified themes to inform professional development initiatives tailored to enhance UM teaching effectiveness. Furthermore, the validated instrument offers institutions a means to assess educators' confidence levels, facilitating targeted support within mathematics departments.

In conclusion, this dissertation contributes valuable insights into the multifaceted interplay between educators' self-perceptions, teaching practices, and student learning outcomes within the context of UM instruction.

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Ayah Almousa Thesis: Combinatorial characterizations of polarizations of powers of the graded maximal ideal Advisor: Irena Peeva First position: RTG Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota

Jose Bastidas Thesis: Species and hyperplane arrangements Advisor: Marcelo Aguiar First position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Université du Québec à Montréal

Zaoli Chen Thesis: Clustered Behaviors of Extreme Values Advisor: Gennady Samorodnitsky First Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of and Statistics, University of Ottawa

Ivan Geffner Thesis: Implementing Mediators with Cheap Talk Advisor: Joe Halpern First Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Ryan McDermott Thesis: Phase Transitions and Near-Critical Phenomena in the Abelian Sandpile Model Advisor: Lionel Levine

Aleksandra Niepla Thesis:  Iterated Fractional Integrals and Applications to Fourier Integrals with Rational Symbol Advisor: Camil Muscalu First Position: Visiting Assistant Professor, College of the Holy Cross

Dylan Peifer Thesis: Reinforcement Learning in Buchberger's Algorithm Advisor: Michael Stillman First Position: Quantitative Researcher, Susquehanna International Group

Rakvi Thesis: A Classification of Genus 0 Modular Curves with Rational Points Advisor: David Zywina First Position: Hans Rademacher Instructor, University of Pennsylvania

Ana Smaranda Sandu Thesis: Knowledge of counterfactuals Advisor: Anil Nerode First Position: Instructor in Science Laboratory, Computer Science Department, Wellesley College

Maru Sarazola Thesis: Constructing K-theory spectra from algebraic structures with a class of acyclic objects Advisor: Inna Zakharevich First Position: J.J. Sylvester Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University

Abigail Turner Thesis: L2 Minimal Algorithms Advisor: Steven Strogatz

Yuwen Wang Thesis: Long-jump random walks on finite groups Advisor: Laurent Saloff-Coste First Position: Postdoc, University of Innsbruck, Austria

Beihui Yuan Thesis:  Applications of commutative algebra to spline theory and string theory Advisor: Michael Stillman First Position: Research Fellow, Swansea University

Elliot Cartee Thesis: Topics in Optimal Control and Game Theory Advisor: Alexander Vladimirsky First Position: L.E. Dickson Instructor, Department of , University of Chicago

Frederik de Keersmaeker Thesis: Displaceability in Symplectic Geometry Advisor: Tara Holm First Position: Consultant, Addestino Innovation Management

Lila Greco Thesis: Locally Markov Walks and Branching Processes Advisor: Lionel Levine First Position: Actuarial Assistant, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

Benjamin Hoffman Thesis: Polytopes And Hamiltonian Geometry: Stacks, Toric Degenerations, And Partial Advisor: Reyer Sjamaar First Position: Teaching Associate, Department of , Cornell University

Daoji Huang Thesis: A Bruhat Atlas on the Wonderful Compactification of PS O(2 n )/ SO (2 n -1) and A Kazhdan-Lusztig Atlas on G/P Advisor: Allen Knutson First Position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Minnesota

Pak-Hin Li Thesis: A Hopf Algebra from Preprojective Modules Advisor: Allen Knutson First position: Associate, Goldman Sachs

Anwesh Ray Thesis: Lifting Reducible Galois Representations Advisor: Ravi Ramakrishna First Position: Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of British Columbia

Avery St. Dizier Thesis: Combinatorics of Schubert Polynomials Advisor: Karola Meszaros First Position: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Shihao Xiong Thesis: Forcing Axioms For Sigma-Closed Posets And Their Consequences Advisor: Justin Moore First Position: Algorithm Developer, Hudson River Trading

Swee Hong Chan Thesis: Nonhalting abelian networks Advisor: Lionel Levine First Position: Hedrick Adjunct Assistant Professor, UCLA

Joseph Gallagher Thesis: On conjectures related to character varieties of knots and Jones polynomials Advisor: Yuri Berest First Position: Data Scientist, Capital One

Jun Le Goh Thesis: Measuring the Relative Complexity of Mathematical Constructions and Theorems Advisor: Richard Shore First Position: Van Vleck Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Qi Hou Thesis: Rough Hypoellipticity for Local Weak Solutions to the Heat Equation in Dirichlet Spaces Advisor: Laurent Saloff-Coste First Position: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of , Cornell University

Jingbo Liu Thesis: Heat kernel estimate of the Schrodinger operator in uniform domains Advisor: Laurent Saloff-Coste First Position: Data Scientist, Jet.com

Ian Pendleton Thesis:  The Fundamental Group, Homology, and Cohomology of Toric Origami 4-Manifolds Advisor: Tara Holm

Amin Saied Thesis: Stable representation theory of categories and applications to families of (bi)modules over symmetric groups Advisor: Martin Kassabov First Position: Data Scientist, Microsoft

Yujia Zhai Thesis:  Study of bi-parameter flag paraproducts and bi-parameter stopping-time algorithms Advisor: Camil Muscalu First Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Université de Nantes 

Tair Akhmejanov Thesis: Growth Diagrams from Polygons in the Affine Grassmannian Advisor: Allen Knutson First position: Arthur J. Krener Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis

James Barnes Thesis:  The Theory of the Hyperarithmetic Degrees Advisor: Richard Shore First position: Visiting Lecturer, Wellesley College

Jeffrey Bergfalk Thesis:  Dimensions of ordinals: set theory, homology theory, and the first omega alephs Advisor: Justin Moore Postdoctoral Associate, UNAM - National Autonomous University of Mexico

TaoRan Chen Thesis: The Inverse Deformation Problem Advisor: Ravi Ramakrishna

Sergio Da Silva Thesis: On the Gorensteinization of Schubert varieties via boundary divisors Advisor: Allen Knutson First position: Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) postdoctoral fellowship, University of Manitoba

Eduard Einstein Thesis:  Hierarchies for relatively hyperbolic compact special cube complexes Advisor: Jason Manning First position: Research Assistant Professor (Postdoc), University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC)

Balázs Elek Thesis:  Toric surfaces with Kazhdan-Lusztig atlases Advisor: Allen Knutson First position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto

Kelsey Houston-Edwards Thesis:  Discrete Heat Kernel Estimates in Inner Uniform Domains Advisor: Laurent Saloff-Coste First position: Professor of Math and Science Communication, Olin College

My Huynh Thesis:  The Gromov Width of Symplectic Cuts of Symplectic Manifolds. Advisor: Tara Holm First position: Applied Mathematician, Applied Research Associates Inc., Raleigh NC.

Hossein Lamei Ramandi Thesis: On the minimality of non-σ-scattered orders Advisor: Justin Moore First position:  Postdoctoral Associate at UFT (University Toronto)

Christine McMeekin Thesis: A density of ramified primes Advisor: Ravi Ramakrishna First position: Researcher at Max Planck Institute

Aliaksandr Patotski Thesis:  Derived characters of Lie representations and Chern-Simons forms Advisor: Yuri Berest First position: Data Scientist, Microsoft

Ahmad Rafiqi Thesis:  On dilatations of surface automorphisms Advisor: John Hubbard First position: Postdoctoral Associate, Sao Palo, Brazil

Ying-Ying Tran Thesis:  Computably enumerable boolean algebras Advisor: Anil Nerode First position: Quantitative Researcher

Drew Zemke Thesis:  Surfaces in Three- and Four-Dimensional Topology Advisor: Jason Manning First position: Preceptor in , Harvard University

Heung Shan Theodore Hui Thesis: A Radical Characterization of Abelian Varieties  Advisor: David Zywina First position: Quantitative Researcher, Eastmore Group

Daniel Miller Thesis: Counterexamples related to the Sato–Tate conjecture Advisor: Ravi Ramakrishna First position: Data Scientist, Microsoft

Lihai Qian Thesis: Rigidity on Einstein manifolds and shrinking Ricci solitons in high dimensions Advisor: Xiaodong Cao First position: Quantitative Associate, Wells Fargo

Valente Ramirez Garcia Luna Thesis: Quadratic vector fields on the complex plane: rigidity and analytic invariants Advisor: Yulij Ilyashenko First position: Lebesgue Post-doc Fellow, Institut de Recherche Mathématique de Rennes

Iian Smythe Thesis: Set theory in infinite-dimensional vector spaces Advisor: Justin Moore First position: Hill Assistant Professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Zhexiu Tu Thesis: Topological representations of matroids and the cd-index Advisor: Edward Swartz First position: Visiting Professor - Centre College, Kentucky

Wai-kit Yeung Thesis: Representation homology and knot contact homology Advisor: Yuri Berest First position: Zorn postdoctoral fellow, Indiana University

Lucien Clavier Thesis: Non-affine horocycle orbit closures on strata of translation surfaces: new examples Advisor: John Smillie First position: Consultant in Capital Markets, Financial Risk at Deloitte Luxembourg

Voula Collins Thesis: Crystal branching for non-Levi subgroups and a puzzle formula for the equivariant cohomology of the cotangent bundle on projective space Advisor: Allen Knutson FIrst position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Connecticut

Pok Wai Fong Thesis: Smoothness Properties of symbols, Calderón Commutators and Generalizations Advisor: Camil Muscalu First position: Quantitative researcher, Two Sigma

Tom Kern Thesis: Nonstandard models of the weak second order theory of one successor Advisor: Anil Nerode First position: Visiting Assistant Professor, Cornell University

Robert Kesler Thesis: Unbounded multilinear multipliers adapted to large subspaces and estimates for degenerate simplex operators Advisor: Camil Muscalu First position: Postdoctoral Associate, Georgia Institute of Technology

Yao Liu Thesis: Riesz Distributions Assiciated to Dunkl Operators Advisor: Yuri Berest First position: Visiting Assistant Professor, Cornell University

Scott Messick Thesis: Continuous atomata, compactness, and Young measures Advisor: Anil Nerode First position: Start-up

Aaron Palmer Thesis: Incompressibility and Global Injectivity in Second-Gradient Non-Linear Elasticity Advisor: Timothy J. Healey First position: Postdoctoral fellow, University of British Columbia 

Kristen Pueschel Thesis: On Residual Properties of Groups and Dehn Functions for Mapping Tori of Right Angled Artin Groups Advisor: Timothy Riley First position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Arkansas

Chenxi Wu Thesis: Translation surfaces: saddle connections, triangles, and covering constructions. Advisor: John Smillie First position: Postdoctoral Associate, Max Planck Institute of

David Belanger Thesis: Sets, Models, And Proofs: Topics In The Theory Of Recursive Functions Advisor: Richard A. Shore First position: Research Fellow, National University of Singapore

Cristina Benea Thesis: Vector-Valued Extensions for Singular Bilinear Operators and Applications Advisor: Camil Muscalu First position: University of Nantes, France

Kai Fong Ernest Chong Thesis: Face Vectors and Hilbert Functions Advisor: Edward Swartz First position: Research Scientist, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore

Laura Escobar Vega Thesis: Brick Varieties and Toric Matrix Schubert Varieties Advisor: Allen Knutson First position: J. L. Doob Research Assistant Professor at UIUC

Joeun Jung Thesis: Iterated trilinear fourier integrals with arbitrary symbols Advisor: Camil Muscalu First position: Researcher, PARC (PDE and Functional Analysis Research Center) of Seoul National University

Yasemin Kara Thesis: The laplacian on hyperbolic Riemann surfaces and Maass forms Advisor: John H. Hubbard Part Time Instructor, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Bahcesehir University

Chor Hang Lam Thesis: Homological Stability Of Diffeomorphism Groups Of 3-Manifolds Advisor: Allen Hatcher

Yash Lodha Thesis: Finiteness Properties And Piecewise Projective Homeomorphisms Advisor: Justin Moore and Timothy Riley First position: Postdoctoral fellow at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland

Radoslav Zlatev Thesis: Examples of Implicitization of Hypersurfaces through Syzygies Advisor: Michael E. Stillman First position: Associate, Credit Strats, Goldman Sachs

Margarita Amchislavska Thesis: The geometry of generalized Lamplighter groups Advisor: Timothy Riley First position: Department of Defense

Hyungryul Baik Thesis: Laminations on the circle and hyperbolic geometry Advisor: John H. Hubbard First position: Postdoctoral Associate, Bonn University

Adam Bjorndahl Thesis: Language-based games Advisor: Anil Nerode and Joseph Halpern First position: Tenure Track Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Department of Philosophy

Youssef El Fassy Fihry Thesis: Graded Cherednik Algebra And Quasi-Invariant Differential Forms Advisor: Yuri Berest First position: Software Developer, Microsoft

Chikwong Fok Thesis: The Real K-theory of compact Lie groups Advisor: Reyer Sjamaar First position: Postdoctoral fellow in the National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Taiwan

Kathryn Lindsey Thesis: Families Of Dynamical Systems Associated To Translation Surfaces Advisor: John Smillie First position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Chicago

Andrew Marshall Thesis: On configuration spaces of graphs Advisor: Allan Hatcher First position: Visiting Assistant Professor, Cornell University

Robyn Miller Thesis: Symbolic Dynamics Of Billiard Flow In Isosceles Triangles Advisor: John Smillie First position: Postdoctoral Researcher at Mind Research Network

Diana Ojeda Aristizabal Thesis: Ramsey theory and the geometry of Banach spaces Advisor: Justin Moore First position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto

Hung Tran Thesis: Aspects of the Ricci flow Advisor: Xiaodong Cao First position: Visiting Assistant Professor, University of California at Irvine

Baris Ugurcan Thesis: LPLP-Estimates And Polyharmonic Boundary Value Problems On The Sierpinski Gasket And Gaussian Free Fields On High Dimensional Sierpinski Carpet Graphs Advisor: Robert S. Strichartz First position: Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Western Ontario

Anna Bertiger Thesis: The Combinatorics and Geometry of the Orbits of the Symplectic Group on Flags in Complex Affine Space Advisor: Allen Knutson First position: University of Waterloo, Postdoctoral Fellow

Mariya Bessonov Thesis: Probabilistic Models for Population Dynamics Advisor: Richard Durrett First position: CUNY City Tech, Assistant Professor, Tenure Track

Igors Gorbovickis Thesis: Some Problems from Complex Dynamical Systems and Combinatorial Geometry Advisor: Yulij Ilyashenko First position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto

Marisa Hughes Thesis: Quotients of Spheres by Linear Actions of Abelian Groups Advisor: Edward Swartz First position: Visiting Professor, Hamilton College

Kristine Jones Thesis: Generic Initial Ideals of Locally Cohen-Macaulay Space Curves Advisor: Michael E. Stillman First position: Software Developer, Microsoft

Shisen Luo Thesis: Hard Lefschetz Property of Hamiltonian GKM Manifolds Advisor: Tara Holm First position: Associate, Goldman Sachs

Peter Luthy Thesis: Bi-parameter Maximal Multilinear Operators Advisor: Camil Muscalu First position: Chauvenet Postdoctoral Lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis 

Remus Radu Thesis: Topological models for hyperbolic and semi-parabolic complex Hénon maps Advisor: John H. Hubbard First position: Milnor Lecturer, Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Stony Brook University

Jenna Rajchgot Thesis: Compatibly Split Subvarieties of the Hilbert Scheme of Points in the Plane Advisor: Allen Knutson First position: Research member at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (fall 2012); postdoc at the University of Michigan

Raluca Tanase Thesis: Hénon maps, discrete groups and continuity of Julia sets Advisor: John H. Hubbard First position: Milnor Lecturer, Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Stony Brook University

Ka Yue Wong Thesis: Dixmier Algebras on Complex Classical Nilpotent Orbits and their Representation Theories Advisor: Dan M. Barbasch First position: Postdoctoral fellow at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Tianyi Zheng Thesis: Random walks on some classes of solvable groups Advisor: Laurent Saloff-Coste First position: Postdoctoral Associate, Stanford University

Juan Alonso Thesis: Graphs of Free Groups and their Measure Equivalence Advisor: Karen Vogtmann First position: Postdoc at Uruguay University

Jason Anema Thesis: Counting Spanning Trees on Fractal Graphs Advisor: Robert S. Strichartz First position: Visiting assistant professor of mathematics at Cornell University

Saúl Blanco Rodríguez Thesis: Shortest Path Poset of Bruhat Intervals and the Completecd-Index Advisor: Louis Billera First position: Visiting assistant professor of mathematics at DePaul University

Fatima Mahmood Thesis: Jacobi Structures and Differential Forms on Contact Quotients Advisor: Reyer Sjamaar First position: Visiting assistant professor at University of Rochester

Philipp Meerkamp Thesis: Singular Hopf Bifurcation Advisor: John M. Guckenheimer First position: Financial software engineer at Bloomberg LP

Milena Pabiniak Thesis: Hamiltonian Torus Actions in Equivariant Cohomology and Symplectic Topology Advisor: Tara Holm First position: Postdoctoral associate at the University of Toronto

Peter Samuelson Thesis: Kauffman Bracket Skein Modules and the Quantum Torus Advisor: Yuri Berest First position: Postdoctoral associate at the University of Toronto

Mihai Bailesteanu  Thesis: The Heat Equation under the Ricci Flow Advisor: Xiaodong Cao First position: Visiting assistant professor at the University of Rochester

Owen Baker  Thesis:  The Jacobian Map on Outer Space Advisor: Karen Vogtmann First position: Postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University

Jennifer Biermann  Thesis: Free Resolutions of Monomial Ideals Advisor: Irena Peeva First position: Postdoctoral fellow at Lakehead University

Mingzhong Cai  Thesis: Elements of Classical Recursion Theory: Degree-Theoretic Properties and Combinatorial Properties Advisor: Richard A. Shore First position: Van Vleck visiting assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison

Ri-Xiang Chen  Thesis: Hilbert Functions and Free Resolutions Advisor: Irena Peeva First position: Instructor at Shantou University in Guangdong, China

Denise Dawson  Thesis: Complete Reducibility in Euclidean Twin Buildings Advisor: Kenneth S. Brown First position: Assistant professor of mathematics at Charleston Southern University

George Khachatryan Thesis: Derived Representation Schemes and Non-commutative Geometry Advisor: Yuri Berest First position: Reasoning Mind

Samuel Kolins  Thesis: Face Vectors of Subdivision of Balls Advisor: Edward Swartz First position: Assistant professor at Lebanon Valley College

Victor Kostyuk Thesis: Outer Space for Two-Dimensional RAAGs and Fixed Point Sets of Finite Subgroups Advisor: Karen Vogtmann First position: Knowledge engineering at Reasoning Mind

Ho Hon Leung  Thesis: K-Theory of Weight Varieties and Divided Difference Operators in Equivariant KK-Theory Advisor: Reyer Sjamaar First position: Assistant professor at the Canadian University of Dubai

Benjamin Lundell  Thesis: Selmer Groups and Ranks of Hecke Rings Advisor: Ravi Ramakrishna First position: Acting assistant professor at the University of Washington

Eyvindur Ari Palsson  Thesis: Lp Estimates for a Singular Integral Operator Motivated by Calderón’s Second Commutator Advisor: Camil Muscalu First position: Visiting assistant professor at the University of Rochester

Paul Shafer  Thesis: On the Complexity of Mathematical Problems: Medvedev Degrees and Reverse Advisor: Richard A. Shore First position: Lecturer at Appalachian State University

Michelle Snider  Thesis: Affine Patches on Positroid Varieties and Affine Pipe Dreams Advisor: Allen Knutson First position: Government consulting job in Maryland

Santi Tasena Thesis: Heat Kernel Analysis on Weighted Dirichlet Spaces Advisor: Laurent Saloff-Coste First position: Lecturer professor at Chiang Mai University, Thailand

Russ Thompson  Thesis: Random Walks and Subgroup Geometry Advisor: Laurent Saloff-Coste First position: Postdoctoral fellow at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute

Gwyneth Whieldon Thesis: Betti Numbers of Stanley-Reisner Ideals Advisor: Michael E. Stillman First position: Assistant professor of mathematics at Hood College

Andrew Cameron Thesis: Estimates for Solutions of Elliptic Partial Differential Equations with Explicit Constants and Aspects of the Finite Element Method for Second-Order Equations Advisor: Alfred H. Schatz First position: Adjunct instructor of mathematics at Tompkins Cortland Community College

Timothy Goldberg Thesis: Hamiltonian Actions in Integral Kähler and Generalized Complex Geometry Advisor: Reyer Sjamaar First position: Visiting assistant professor of mathematics at Lenoir-Rhyne University

Gregory Muller Thesis: The Projective Geometry of Differential Operators Advisor: Yuri Berest First position: Assistant professor at Louisiana State University 

Matthew Noonan Thesis: Geometric Backlund transofrmation in homogeneous spaces Advisor: John H. Hubbard

Sergio Pulido Niño Thesis: Financial Markets with Short Sales Prohibition Advisor: Philip E. Protter First position: Postdoctoral associate in applied probability and finance at Carnegie Mellon University

ScholarWorks

Home > A&S > Math > Math Undergraduate Theses

Mathematics Undergraduate Theses

Theses from 2019 2019.

The Name Tag Problem , Christian Carley

The Hyperreals: Do You Prefer Non-Standard Analysis Over Standard Analysis? , Chloe Munroe

Theses from 2018 2018

A Convolutional Neural Network Model for Species Classification of Camera Trap Images , Annie Casey

Pythagorean Theorem Area Proofs , Rachel Morley

Euclidian Geometry: Proposed Lesson Plans to Teach Throughout a One Semester Course , Joseph Willert

Theses from 2017 2017

An Exploration of the Chromatic Polynomial , Amanda Aydelotte

Complementary Coffee Cups , Brandon Sams

Theses from 2016 2016

Nonlinear Integral Equations and Their Solutions , Caleb Richards

Principles and Analysis of Approximation Techniques , Evan Smith

Theses from 2014 2014

An Introductory Look at Deterministic Chaos , Kenneth Coiteux

A Brief Encounter with Linear Codes , Brent El-Bakri

Axioms of Set Theory and Equivalents of Axiom of Choice , Farighon Abdul Rahim

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Senior Thesis

This page is for Undergraduate Senior Theses.  For Ph.D. Theses, see here .

A senior thesis is required by the Mathematics concentration to be a candidate for graduation with the distinction of High or Highest honors in Mathematics. See the document ‘ Honors in Mathematics ’ for more information about honors recommendations and about finding a topic and advisor for your thesis. With regards to topics and advisors: The document ‘ Faculty research areas ’ lists the research interests of current members of the Math Department.

So that Math Department senior theses can more easily benefit other undergraduate, we would like to exhibit more senior theses online (while all theses are available through Harvard University Archives, it would be more convenient to have them online). It is absolutely voluntary, but if you decide to give us your permission, please send an electronic version of your thesis to cindy@math. The format can be in order of preference: DVI, PS, PDF. In the case of submitting a DVI format, make sure to include all EPS figures. You can also submit Latex or MS word source files.

If you are looking for information and advice from students and faculty about writing a senior thesis, look at this document. It was compiled from comments of students and faculty in preparation for, and during, an information session. Let Wes Cain ([email protected]) know if you have any questions not addressed in the document.

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Mathematics PhD theses

A selection of Mathematics PhD thesis titles is listed below, some of which are available online:

2023   2022   2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991

Reham Alahmadi - Asymptotic Study of Toeplitz Determinants with Fisher-Hartwig Symbols and Their Double-Scaling Limits

Anne Sophie Rojahn –  Localised adaptive Particle Filters for large scale operational NWP model

Melanie Kobras –  Low order models of storm track variability

Ed Clark –  Vectorial Variational Problems in L∞ and Applications to Data Assimilation

Katerina Christou – Modelling PDEs in Population Dynamics using Fixed and Moving Meshes  

Chiara Cecilia Maiocchi –  Unstable Periodic Orbits: a language to interpret the complexity of chaotic systems

Samuel R Harrison – Stalactite Inspired Thin Film Flow

Elena Saggioro – Causal network approaches for the study of sub-seasonal to seasonal variability and predictability

Cathie A Wells – Reformulating aircraft routing algorithms to reduce fuel burn and thus CO 2 emissions  

Jennifer E. Israelsson –  The spatial statistical distribution for multiple rainfall intensities over Ghana

Giulia Carigi –  Ergodic properties and response theory for a stochastic two-layer model of geophysical fluid dynamics

André Macedo –  Local-global principles for norms

Tsz Yan Leung  –  Weather Predictability: Some Theoretical Considerations

Jehan Alswaihli –  Iteration of Inverse Problems and Data Assimilation Techniques for Neural Field Equations

Jemima M Tabeart –  On the treatment of correlated observation errors in data assimilation

Chris Davies –  Computer Simulation Studies of Dynamics and Self-Assembly Behaviour of Charged Polymer Systems

Birzhan Ayanbayev –  Some Problems in Vectorial Calculus of Variations in L∞

Penpark Sirimark –  Mathematical Modelling of Liquid Transport in Porous Materials at Low Levels of Saturation

Adam Barker –  Path Properties of Levy Processes

Hasen Mekki Öztürk –  Spectra of Indefinite Linear Operator Pencils

Carlo Cafaro –  Information gain that convective-scale models bring to probabilistic weather forecasts

Nicola Thorn –  The boundedness and spectral properties of multiplicative Toeplitz operators

James Jackaman  – Finite element methods as geometric structure preserving algorithms

Changqiong Wang - Applications of Monte Carlo Methods in Studying Polymer Dynamics

Jack Kirk - The molecular dynamics and rheology of polymer melts near the flat surface

Hussien Ali Hussien Abugirda - Linear and Nonlinear Non-Divergence Elliptic Systems of Partial Differential Equations

Andrew Gibbs - Numerical methods for high frequency scattering by multiple obstacles (PDF-2.63MB)

Mohammad Al Azah - Fast Evaluation of Special Functions by the Modified Trapezium Rule (PDF-913KB)

Katarzyna (Kasia) Kozlowska - Riemann-Hilbert Problems and their applications in mathematical physics (PDF-1.16MB)

Anna Watkins - A Moving Mesh Finite Element Method and its Application to Population Dynamics (PDF-2.46MB)

Niall Arthurs - An Investigation of Conservative Moving-Mesh Methods for Conservation Laws (PDF-1.1MB)

Samuel Groth - Numerical and asymptotic methods for scattering by penetrable obstacles (PDF-6.29MB)

Katherine E. Howes - Accounting for Model Error in Four-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation (PDF-2.69MB)

Jian Zhu - Multiscale Computer Simulation Studies of Entangled Branched Polymers (PDF-1.69MB)

Tommy Liu - Stochastic Resonance for a Model with Two Pathways (PDF-11.4MB)

Matthew Paul Edgington - Mathematical modelling of bacterial chemotaxis signalling pathways (PDF-9.04MB)

Anne Reinarz - Sparse space-time boundary element methods for the heat equation (PDF-1.39MB)

Adam El-Said - Conditioning of the Weak-Constraint Variational Data Assimilation Problem for Numerical Weather Prediction (PDF-2.64MB)

Nicholas Bird - A Moving-Mesh Method for High Order Nonlinear Diffusion (PDF-1.30MB)

Charlotta Jasmine Howarth - New generation finite element methods for forward seismic modelling (PDF-5,52MB)

Aldo Rota - From the classical moment problem to the realizability problem on basic semi-algebraic sets of generalized functions (PDF-1.0MB)

Sarah Lianne Cole - Truncation Error Estimates for Mesh Refinement in Lagrangian Hydrocodes (PDF-2.84MB)

Alexander J. F. Moodey - Instability and Regularization for Data Assimilation (PDF-1.32MB)

Dale Partridge - Numerical Modelling of Glaciers: Moving Meshes and Data Assimilation (PDF-3.19MB)

Joanne A. Waller - Using Observations at Different Spatial Scales in Data Assimilation for Environmental Prediction (PDF-6.75MB)

Faez Ali AL-Maamori - Theory and Examples of Generalised Prime Systems (PDF-503KB)

Mark Parsons - Mathematical Modelling of Evolving Networks

Natalie L.H. Lowery - Classification methods for an ill-posed reconstruction with an application to fuel cell monitoring

David Gilbert - Analysis of large-scale atmospheric flows

Peter Spence - Free and Moving Boundary Problems in Ion Beam Dynamics (PDF-5MB)

Timothy S. Palmer - Modelling a single polymer entanglement (PDF-5.02MB)

Mohamad Shukor Talib - Dynamics of Entangled Polymer Chain in a Grid of Obstacles (PDF-2.49MB)

Cassandra A.J. Moran - Wave scattering by harbours and offshore structures

Ashley Twigger - Boundary element methods for high frequency scattering

David A. Smith - Spectral theory of ordinary and partial linear differential operators on finite intervals (PDF-1.05MB)

Stephen A. Haben - Conditioning and Preconditioning of the Minimisation Problem in Variational Data Assimilation (PDF-3.51MB)

Jing Cao - Molecular dynamics study of polymer melts (PDF-3.98MB)

Bonhi Bhattacharya - Mathematical Modelling of Low Density Lipoprotein Metabolism. Intracellular Cholesterol Regulation (PDF-4.06MB)

Tamsin E. Lee - Modelling time-dependent partial differential equations using a moving mesh approach based on conservation (PDF-2.17MB)

Polly J. Smith - Joint state and parameter estimation using data assimilation with application to morphodynamic modelling (PDF-3Mb)

Corinna Burkard - Three-dimensional Scattering Problems with applications to Optical Security Devices (PDF-1.85Mb)

Laura M. Stewart - Correlated observation errors in data assimilation (PDF-4.07MB)

R.D. Giddings - Mesh Movement via Optimal Transportation (PDF-29.1MbB)

G.M. Baxter - 4D-Var for high resolution, nested models with a range of scales (PDF-1.06MB)

C. Spencer - A generalization of Talbot's theorem about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

P. Jelfs - A C-property satisfying RKDG Scheme with Application to the Morphodynamic Equations (PDF-11.7MB)

L. Bennetts - Wave scattering by ice sheets of varying thickness

M. Preston - Boundary Integral Equations method for 3-D water waves

J. Percival - Displacement Assimilation for Ocean Models (PDF - 7.70MB)

D. Katz - The Application of PV-based Control Variable Transformations in Variational Data Assimilation (PDF- 1.75MB)

S. Pimentel - Estimation of the Diurnal Variability of sea surface temperatures using numerical modelling and the assimilation of satellite observations (PDF-5.9MB)

J.M. Morrell - A cell by cell anisotropic adaptive mesh Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian method for the numerical solution of the Euler equations (PDF-7.7MB)

L. Watkinson - Four dimensional variational data assimilation for Hamiltonian problems

M. Hunt - Unique extension of atomic functionals of JB*-Triples

D. Chilton - An alternative approach to the analysis of two-point boundary value problems for linear evolutionary PDEs and applications

T.H.A. Frame - Methods of targeting observations for the improvement of weather forecast skill

C. Hughes - On the topographical scattering and near-trapping of water waves

B.V. Wells - A moving mesh finite element method for the numerical solution of partial differential equations and systems

D.A. Bailey - A ghost fluid, finite volume continuous rezone/remap Eulerian method for time-dependent compressible Euler flows

M. Henderson - Extending the edge-colouring of graphs

K. Allen - The propagation of large scale sediment structures in closed channels

D. Cariolaro - The 1-Factorization problem and same related conjectures

A.C.P. Steptoe - Extreme functionals and Stone-Weierstrass theory of inner ideals in JB*-Triples

D.E. Brown - Preconditioners for inhomogeneous anisotropic problems with spherical geometry in ocean modelling

S.J. Fletcher - High Order Balance Conditions using Hamiltonian Dynamics for Numerical Weather Prediction

C. Johnson - Information Content of Observations in Variational Data Assimilation

M.A. Wakefield - Bounds on Quantities of Physical Interest

M. Johnson - Some problems on graphs and designs

A.C. Lemos - Numerical Methods for Singular Differential Equations Arising from Steady Flows in Channels and Ducts

R.K. Lashley - Automatic Generation of Accurate Advection Schemes on Structured Grids and their Application to Meteorological Problems

J.V. Morgan - Numerical Methods for Macroscopic Traffic Models

M.A. Wlasak - The Examination of Balanced and Unbalanced Flow using Potential Vorticity in Atmospheric Modelling

M. Martin - Data Assimilation in Ocean circulation models with systematic errors

K.W. Blake - Moving Mesh Methods for Non-Linear Parabolic Partial Differential Equations

J. Hudson - Numerical Techniques for Morphodynamic Modelling

A.S. Lawless - Development of linear models for data assimilation in numerical weather prediction .

C.J.Smith - The semi lagrangian method in atmospheric modelling

T.C. Johnson - Implicit Numerical Schemes for Transcritical Shallow Water Flow

M.J. Hoyle - Some Approximations to Water Wave Motion over Topography.

P. Samuels - An Account of Research into an Area of Analytical Fluid Mechnaics. Volume II. Some mathematical Proofs of Property u of the Weak End of Shocks.

M.J. Martin - Data Assimulation in Ocean Circulation with Systematic Errors

P. Sims - Interface Tracking using Lagrangian Eulerian Methods.

P. Macabe - The Mathematical Analysis of a Class of Singular Reaction-Diffusion Systems.

B. Sheppard - On Generalisations of the Stone-Weisstrass Theorem to Jordan Structures.

S. Leary - Least Squares Methods with Adjustable Nodes for Steady Hyperbolic PDEs.

I. Sciriha - On Some Aspects of Graph Spectra.

P.A. Burton - Convergence of flux limiter schemes for hyperbolic conservation laws with source terms.

J.F. Goodwin - Developing a practical approach to water wave scattering problems.

N.R.T. Biggs - Integral equation embedding methods in wave-diffraction methods.

L.P. Gibson - Bifurcation analysis of eigenstructure assignment control in a simple nonlinear aircraft model.

A.K. Griffith - Data assimilation for numerical weather prediction using control theory. .

J. Bryans - Denotational semantic models for real-time LOTOS.

I. MacDonald - Analysis and computation of steady open channel flow .

A. Morton - Higher order Godunov IMPES compositional modelling of oil reservoirs.

S.M. Allen - Extended edge-colourings of graphs.

M.E. Hubbard - Multidimensional upwinding and grid adaptation for conservation laws.

C.J. Chikunji - On the classification of finite rings.

S.J.G. Bell - Numerical techniques for smooth transformation and regularisation of time-varying linear descriptor systems.

D.J. Staziker - Water wave scattering by undulating bed topography .

K.J. Neylon - Non-symmetric methods in the modelling of contaminant transport in porous media. .

D.M. Littleboy - Numerical techniques for eigenstructure assignment by output feedback in aircraft applications .

M.P. Dainton - Numerical methods for the solution of systems of uncertain differential equations with application in numerical modelling of oil recovery from underground reservoirs .

M.H. Mawson - The shallow-water semi-geostrophic equations on the sphere. .

S.M. Stringer - The use of robust observers in the simulation of gas supply networks .

S.L. Wakelin - Variational principles and the finite element method for channel flows. .

E.M. Dicks - Higher order Godunov black-oil simulations for compressible flow in porous media .

C.P. Reeves - Moving finite elements and overturning solutions .

A.J. Malcolm - Data dependent triangular grid generation. .

Home > USC Columbia > Arts and Sciences > Mathematics > Mathematics Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Erlang-Distributed SEIR Epidemic Models with Cross-Diffusion , Victoria Chebotaeva

Global Well-Posedness of Nonlocal Differential Equations Arising from Traffic Flow , Thomas Joseph Hamori

Representation Dimensions of Algebraic Tori and Symmetric Ranks of G-Lattices , Jason Bailey Heath

Modeling, Analysis, Approximation, and Application of Viscoelastic Structures and Anomalous Transport , Yiqun Li

Macro–Micro-Coupled Simulations of Bead–Spring Breaking-Reforming Networks , Andrei Medved

Generalizations of the Graham-Pollak Tree Theorem , Gabrielle Anne Tauscheck

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Extreme Covering Systems, Primes Plus Squarefrees, and Lattice Points Close to a Helix , Jack Robert Dalton

On the Algebraic and Geometric Multiplicity of Zero as a Hypergraph Eigenvalue , Grant Ian Fickes

Deep Learning for Studying Materials Stability and Solving Thermodynamically Consistent PDES With Dynamic Boundary Conditions in Arbitrary Domains , Chunyan Li

Widely Digitally Delicate Brier Primes and Irreducibility Results for Some Classes of Polynomials , Thomas David Luckner

Deep Learning Methods for Some Problems in Scientific Computing , Yuankai Teng

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Covering Systems and the Minimum Modulus Problem , Maria Claire Cummings

The Existence and Quantum Approximation of Optimal Pure State Ensembles , Ryan Thomas McGaha

Structure Preserving Reduced-Order Models of Hamiltonian Systems , Megan Alice McKay

Tangled up in Tanglegrams , Drew Joseph Scalzo

Results on Select Combinatorial Problems With an Extremal Nature , Stephen Smith

Poset Ramsey Numbers for Boolean Lattices , Joshua Cain Thompson

Some Properties and Applications of Spaces of Modular Forms With ETA-Multiplier , Cuyler Daniel Warnock

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Simulation of Pituitary Organogenesis in Two Dimensions , Chace E. Covington

Polynomials, Primes and the PTE Problem , Joseph C. Foster

Widely Digitally Stable Numbers and Irreducibility Criteria For Polynomials With Prime Values , Jacob Juillerat

A Numerical Investigation of Fractional Models for Viscoelastic Materials With Applications on Concrete Subjected to Extreme Temperatures , Murray Macnamara

Trimming Complexes , Keller VandeBogert

Multiple Frailty Model for Spatially Correlated Interval-Censored , Wanfang Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

An Equivariant Count of Nodal Orbits in an Invariant Pencil of Conics , Candace Bethea

Finite Axiomatisability in Nilpotent Varieties , Joshua Thomas Grice

Rationality Questions and the Derived Category , Alicia Lamarche

Counting Number Fields by Discriminant , Harsh Mehta

Distance Related Graph Invariants in Triangulations and Quadrangulations of the Sphere , Trevor Vincent Olsen

Diameter of 3-Colorable Graphs and Some Remarks on the Midrange Crossing Constant , Inne Singgih

Two Inquiries Related to the Digits of Prime Numbers , Jeremiah T. Southwick

Windows and Generalized Drinfeld Kernels , Robert R. Vandermolen

Connections Between Extremal Combinatorics, Probabilistic Methods, Ricci Curvature of Graphs, and Linear Algebra , Zhiyu Wang

An Ensemble-Based Projection Method and Its Numerical Investigation , Shuai Yuan

Variable-Order Fractional Partial Differential Equations: Analysis, Approximation and Inverse Problem , Xiangcheng Zheng

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Classification of Non-Singular Cubic Surfaces up to e-invariants , Mohammed Alabbood

On the Characteristic Polynomial of a Hypergraph , Gregory J. Clark

A Development of Transfer Entropy in Continuous-Time , Christopher David Edgar

Moving Off Collections and Their Applications, in Particular to Function Spaces , Aaron Fowlkes

Finding Resolutions of Mononomial Ideals , Hannah Melissa Kimbrell

Regression for Pooled Testing Data with Biomedical Applications , Juexin Lin

Numerical Methods for a Class of Reaction-Diffusion Equations With Free Boundaries , Shuang Liu

An Implementation of the Kapustin-Li Formula , Jessica Otis

A Nonlinear Parallel Model for Reversible Polymer Solutions in Steady and Oscillating Shear Flow , Erik Tracey Palmer

A Few Problems on the Steiner Distance and Crossing Number of Graphs , Josiah Reiswig

Successful Pressing Sequences in Simple Pseudo-Graphs , Hays Wimsatt Whitlatch

On The Generators of Quantum Dynamical Semigroups , Alexander Wiedemann

An Examination of Kinetic Monte Carlo Methods with Application to a Model of Epitaxial Growth , Dylana Ashton Wilhelm

Dynamical Entropy of Quantum Random Walks , Duncan Wright

Unconditionally Energy Stable Linear Schemes for a Two-Phase Diffuse Interface Model with Peng-Robinson Equation of State , Chenfei Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Theory, Computation, and Modeling of Cancerous Systems , Sameed Ahmed

Turán Problems and Spectral Theory on Hypergraphs and Tensors , Shuliang Bai

Quick Trips: On the Oriented Diameter of Graphs , Garner Paul Cochran

Geometry of Derived Categories on Noncommutative Projective Schemes , Blake Alexander Farman

A Quest for Positive Definite Matrices over Finite Fields , Erin Patricia Hanna

Comparison of the Performance of Simple Linear Regression and Quantile Regression with Non-Normal Data: A Simulation Study , Marjorie Howard

Special Fiber Rings of Certain Height Four Gorenstein Ideals , Jaree Hudson

Graph Homomorphisms and Vector Colorings , Michael Robert Levet

Local Rings and Golod Homomorphisms , Thomas Schnibben

States and the Numerical Range in the Regular Algebra , James Patrick Sweeney

Thermodynamically Consistent Hydrodynamic Phase Field Models and Numerical Approximation for Multi-Component Compressible Viscous Fluid Mixtures , Xueping Zhao

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

On the Existence of Non-Free Totally Reflexive Modules , J. Cameron Atkins

Subdivision of Measures of Squares , Dylan Bates

Unconditionally Energy Stable Numerical Schemes for Hydrodynamics Coupled Fluids Systems , Alexander Yuryevich Brylev

Convergence and Rate of Convergence of Approximate Greedy-Type Algorithms , Anton Dereventsov

Covering Subsets of the Integers and a Result on Digits of Fibonacci Numbers , Wilson Andrew Harvey

Nonequispaced Fast Fourier Transform , David Hughey

Deep Learning: An Exposition , Ryan Kingery

A Family of Simple Codimension Two Singularities with Infinite Cohen-Macaulay Representation Type , Tyler Lewis

Polynomials Of Small Mahler Measure With no Newman Multiples , Spencer Victoria Saunders

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

On Crown-free Set Families, Diffusion State Difference, and Non-uniform Hypergraphs , Edward Lawrence Boehnlein

Structure of the Stable Marriage and Stable Roommate Problems and Applications , Joe Hidakatsu

Binary Quartic Forms over Fp , Daniel Thomas Kamenetsky

On a Constant Associated with the Prouhet-Tarry-Escott Problem , Maria E. Markovich

Some Extremal And Structural Problems In Graph Theory , Taylor Mitchell Short

Chebyshev Inversion of the Radon Transform , Jared Cameron Szi

Modeling of Structural Relaxation By A Variable-Order Fractional Differential Equation , Su Yang

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Modeling, Simulation, and Applications of Fractional Partial Differential Equations , Wilson Cheung

The Packing Chromatic Number of Random d-regular Graphs , Ann Wells Clifton

Commutator Studies in Pursuit of Finite Basis Results , Nathan E. Faulkner

Avoiding Doubled Words in Strings of Symbols , Michael Lane

A Survey of the Kinetic Monte Carlo Algorithm as Applied to a Multicellular System , Michael Richard Laughlin

Toward the Combinatorial Limit Theory of free Words , Danny Rorabaugh

Trees, Partitions, and Other Combinatorial Structures , Heather Christina Smith

Fast Methods for Variable-Coefficient Peridynamic and Non-Local Diffusion Models , Che Wang

Modeling and Computations of Cellular Dynamics Using Complex-fluid Models , Jia Zhao

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

The Non-Existence of a Covering System with all Moduli Distinct, Large and Square-Free , Melissa Kate Bechard

Explorations in Elementary and Analytic Number Theory , Scott Michael Dunn

Independence Polynomials , Gregory Matthew Ferrin

Turán Problems on Non-uniform Hypergraphs , Jeremy Travis Johnston

On the Group of Transvections of ADE-Diagrams , Marvin Jones

Fake Real Quadratic Orders , Richard Michael Oh

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Shimura Images of A Family of Half-Integral Weight Modular Forms , Kenneth Allan Brown

Sharp Bounds Associated With An Irreducibility Theorem For Polynomials Having Non-Negative Coefficients , Morgan Cole

Deducing Vertex Weights From Empirical Occupation Times , David Collins

Analysis and Processing of Irregularly Distributed Point Clouds , Kamala Hunt Diefenthaler

Generalizations of Sperner's Theorem: Packing Posets, Families Forbidding Posets, and Supersaturation , Andrew Philip Dove

Spectral Analysis of Randomly Generated Networks With Prescribed Degree Sequences , Clifford Davis Gaddy

Selected Research In Covering Systems of the Integers and the Factorization of Polynomials , Joshua Harrington

The Weierstrass Approximation Theorem , LaRita Barnwell Hipp

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, Swiss mathematician. Along with this brother Jacob (with whom he maintained a fierce rivalry famous to this day), Johann founded the Bernoulli dynasty, an impressive family of mathematicians and scientists who would do important work throughout Europe for generations. It was Johann Bernoulli who tutored Euler in mathematics when he was young, and who started Euler on his path to scientific greatness. , Swiss mathematician. The son of Johann Bernoulli, Daniel was born in the Netherlands, but spent much of his life in Basel, Switzerland. He knew Euler in Basel when they were both young, and later he worked with Euler in Saint Petersburg for eight years. (When he left Russia, Euler took over his position as professor of mathematics). Bernoulli spent most of his life studying problems of pressure and fluid dyanamics, eventually publishing this masterpiece, the , in 1738. , French mathematician and astronomer. In 1736, Maupertuis headed an expedition to Lapland, which confirmed Newton's theory that the earth is not spherical, but is slightly flattened at the poles. In 1740, he went to Berlin upon the invitation of Frederick II of Prussia, where he was made president of the new . In addition to his many astronomical publications (e.g., (1732) and (1741)), he wrote a work setting forth a mechanistic view of the universe ( (1750)) and several biological studies. , French mathematician and philosopher. The illegitimate son of the chevalier Destouches, he was named for the St. Jean le Rond church, on whose steps he was found. Diderot made him coeditor of the , for which he wrote the "preliminary discourse" (1751) in addition to mathematical, philosophical, and literary articles. Discouraged, however, by attacks on his unorthodox views, he withdrew (1758) from the A member of the Academy of Sciences (1741) and of the French Academy (1754; appointed secretary, 1772), he was a leading representative of the Enlightenment. His writings include: a treatise on dynamics (1743), in which he enunciated a principle of mechanics known as d'Alembert's principle; a work on the theoretical and practical elements of music (1759); and a valuable history of the members of the French Academy (1787). became professor of mathematics and historian at St. Petersburg in 1725. He met Euler there, and when he (Goldbach) left St. Petersberg three years later, he and Euler maintained an active correspondence. It was Goldbach who first whetted Euler's interest in number theory. In fact, what we refer to today as "Goldbach's Conjecture" (that every even integer is the sum of two primes), was first stated in a letter from Goldbach to Euler. , French writer, political philosopher. Despite her lack of formal education, Olympe de Gouges became one of Europe's first feminist writers, producing "The Rights of Women" in response to the French Revolutionary publication, "The Rights of Man." In it, she argued that women should be allowed to vote, seek public office, own property, and enjoy an equal role in the church. Too radical for many French Revolutionaries, and criticized for her opposition to Louis XVI's execution, she was beheaded by guillotine in 1793. , Scottish philosopher and historian. One of the British Empiricists, Hume published a number of fundamental philosophical treatises, including An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748), An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), and The Natural History of Religion (1755). Before long, however, Hume moved from philosophy to history, publishing his History of England in 1762. A year later, Hume was named secretary to the British embassy in France. He died in 1776. , Prussian philosopher. Kant's work is generally considered to be the culmination of the tradition of modern philosophy that began with Descartes. Any philosopher following Kant would be forced to take his work into consideration, and a new age of philosophy is said to have begun. His central thesis�that the possibility of human knowledge presupposes the active participation of the human mind�is deceptively simple, but the details of its application are notoriously complex.

We know that Kant sent Euler a letter in 1749, though it is not known whether Euler responded. The Euler Archive is attempting to acquire a copy of this letter. , French philosopher and writer. An influential philospher, Rousseau is best remembered for his contenton that man is essentially good, a "noble savage" when in the "state of nature" (the state we lived in before the advent of civilization), and that good people are made unhappy and corrupted by their living in society. Ironically, Rousseau also wrote "The Social Contract", in which he contracts himself to explain that we willingly live in society to protect ourselves against brutality and unnecessary competition. , Scottish economist, writer. Smith's work on economic theory helped to define much of the field as we know it today. His 1776 publication, presented several disadvantages of mercantilism and instead suggested a free trade system. Smith also proposed that government regulation, while often necessary, should be limited and should not include tariffs and other trade barriers. , American statesman, printer, scientist, writer. Born and raised in Boston, Franklin came to Philadelphia in 1723, ultimately becoming editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1730. He later published Poor Richard's Almanack, from the years 1732 to 1757. However, Franklin's interests extended far beyond the press. He became well known as a scientist and inventor as well. Among his inventions were bifocal eyeglasses and the lightning rod. Later in life, Franklin supported the American Revolution, serving in the Continental Congress and as the American envoy to France. Last of all, he was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Franklin died in 1790 at the age of 84. , English astronomer and mathematician. Halley achieved a number of impressive astronomy "firsts" during his lifetime. He was the first astronomer to predict the return of a comet (now known as Halley's comet). He was the first astronomer to note that a transit of Venus could be used to determine the parallax of the sun. (This is the purpose of James Cook's voyage to the south seas in 1768.) He was the first to make a complete observation of a transit of Mercury. He made one of the first studies of compass variations in the North Atlantic. Halley also financed the publication of Isaac Newton's Principia. Halley died in 1742. His comet returned as predicted in 1758, 14 years after his death. , English astronomer and mathematician. Herschel was an astronomer of almost legendary proportions, even during his own life. He is best remembered today for discovering the planet Uranus in 1781, the first new planet to have been discovered since antiquity. He later went on to discover several moons of Uranus and the Orion Nebula, construct a 48-inch telescope, and publish a catalog of more than 2500 stellar objects (mostly nebulae and star clusters) which would be used and followed for generations. , French chemist. A member of the minor French aristocracy, Lavosier became the father of modern chemistry. It was Lavosier who declared that such "substances" as phlogiston and mephitic airs were not part of the study of chemistry. Lavosier, along with his wife and colleague, Madame Lavosier, separated water into hydrogen and oxygen, recognized them for what they were, and gave them their modern names. They determined that a rusting object does not lose weight (as was commonly though), and laid the groundwork for the Law of Conservation of Matter. Lavosier would help found the metric system and coauthor the before being beheaded during the French Revolution. , Swedish taxonomist, botanist. Linnaeus developed a system of classification of organisms that became the system used today, thus laying the groundwork for the field of taxonomy. He was also instrumental in the development and adoption of the Centigrade temperature scale. In addition to his scientific investigations, Linnaeus co-founded the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1739. , Scottish inventor. Watt was an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow when he developed his steam engine, which was an improvement of a design by Thomas Newcomen. Shortly thereafter (beginning in the 1770s), Watt and partner Matthew Boulton began manufacturing the new steam engines, bringing steam power into widespread use in Britain. , Czar of Russia (1682-1725). One of only two Russian leaders given the title "the Great," Peter is remembered primarily as a reformer who brought Russia firmly into the European political and cultural scene. Shortly after the death of his nephew and co-czar Ivan V, Peter made a secret trip to Western Europe, where he explored the political and scientific milieu of the time. Upon his return, Peter enacted wide-reaching reforms of the military, bureaucracy, and education, with an eye to Westernization. One result of these policies was the establishment of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1724. (It was here that Euler came three years later.) When Peter died in 1725, he was succeeded by his wife, Catherine. , Empress of Russia (1725-1727). Originally a peasant from Livonia (present day Latvia), Catherine was mistress of Aleksander Menshikov when she first met Czar Peter I. She later became Peter's mistress, and after he divorced his first wife, she became his wife. Peter named her Czarina and co-ruler of Russia in 1724, and when Peter died in 1725 without naming an heir, Catherine became Empress. It was Catherine's unexpected death that greeted Euler upon his arrival in St. Petersburg in 1727. , Emperor of Russia (1727-1730). Grandson of Peter the Great, Peter inherited the throne upon the death of his step-grandmother, Catherine I. Only 12 at the time of his accession, Peter ruled under the regency of his cousins Anna and Elizabeth (daughters of Peter I by his marriage to Catherine). Under the influence of Aleksander Menshikov and others, Peter moved his court to Moscow, the traditional capital. This move signified a change in attitude toward the St. Petersburg Academy; the mostly-foreign faculty was largely ignored by Peter's regime. In 1730, Peter caught smallpox and died at the age of 15. , Empress of Russia, (1730-1740). Grandniece of Peter the Great and Duchess of Courland, Anna was chosen Empress by the supreme privy council upon the death of her cousin Peter II in 1730. The council hoped to use her accession as a way to limit the power of the monarchy, and persuaded Anna to sign agreements limiting her power. Anna later reneged on these agreements, and with the support of the lesser nobility and the imperial guards, she restored the autocratic system that had preceded her. During her reign, Anna excluded Russians from important positions and replaced them largely with Baltic Germans. While this state of affairs was beneficial in the short term to the St. Petersburg Academy's foreign-born faculty, Anna's favorable treatment of foreigners ultimately created a xenophobic backlash after her death. , Emperor of Russia (1740-1741). The son of Prince Anthony Ulric of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Anna Leopoldovna, Ivan succeeded his great-aunt Anna on the Russian throne as an infant, under the regency of his mother. In 1741, Elizabeth, (daughter of Peter I) overthrew his mother's regime and declared herself Empress. It is at this time, with the chaos and xenophobia that had taken hold in Russia, that Euler decided to take an offer from Frederick II of Prussia to come to the Berlin Academy of Sciences. Ivan himself was imprisoned and ultimately murdered in Schlüsselburg Fortress on the orders of Catherine II. , King of Prussia (1740-1786). While pursuing an aggressive foreign policy that resulted in a dramatic expansion of Prussian influence and territory, Frederick also pursued a vigorous domestic policy. During his reign, he carried out a number of internal reforms, improving the Prussian educational system (including the reorganization of the Berlin Academy of Sciences), strengthening the military, and expanding Prussia's industrial base. It was this atmosphere--contrasted with the situation in Russia--that persuaded Euler to come to the Academy in 1741. Unfortunately, Frederick and Euler's relationship was often tenuous. Frederick was enamored of the Enlightenment and French culture, and became suspicious of the Swiss Euler, who he termed a "limited Cyclops." Also, Frederick was a strict atheist, while Euler was a devout Calvinist. This, along with other things, led to a cold relationship by the time Euler left Berlin in 1766. , Empress of Russia (1741-1762), daughter of Peter I and Catherine I. Elizabeth came to power in 1741 by overthrowing the infant czar Ivan VI and his mother Anna Leopoldovna with the help of anti-German members of the imperial guard. After taking control, Elizabeth set out to eliminate the heavy German influence in the court that was established under the rule of Empress Anna (1730-1740). Additionally, Russia sided against Frederick II of Prussia in the Seven Years War, with Russian soldiers ultimately capturing Berlin in 1760 (during Euler's tenure at the Berlin Academy). Elizabeth died in 1762 and was succeeded by her nephew, Peter III. , Empress of Russia (1762-1796). After overthrowing her husband, Emperor Peter III, in 1762, Catherine increased Russia's power and prestige in Europe by expanding Russian territory and continuing the cultural reformation begun under Peter I. An enthusiastic patron of literature, art, and education, Catherine wrote memoirs, comedies, and stories, and corresponded several Enlightenment figures, including Voltaire, Diderot, and d'Alembert. For much of her reign, she encouraged free and open discussion of political and social issues in Russia. However, the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 turned Catherine into a staunch political conservative, and she reversed many of her political reforms. She died in 1796, and was succeeded by her son, Paul I. , German composer. Born in Eisenach, Bach held a number of music-related positions in various German principalities, taking him to such cities as Lüneberg, Weimar, Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, and Köthen. Ultimately, he was appointed music director at Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) in Leipzig. It is known that Bach and Euler were both at the court of Frederick II in Berlin at the same time, and it is possible that they met. Bach remained in Leipzig until his death in 1750. , English explorer and navigator. Cook joined the royal navy in 1755, beginning an impressive career of exploration. His travels took him to such far-flung places as Newfoundland, New Zealand, Australia, the Antarctic Ocean, and Hawaii. Of particular note is his 1768 expedition to the southern oceans, to observe and chart the transit of Venus. Cook was killed by Hawaiian natives in 1779, en route to England after an expedition to the northwest coast of North America.

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St. Petersburg Mathematical Journal

This journal is a cover-to-cover translation into English of Algebra i Analiz, published six times a year by the mathematics section of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

ISSN 1547-7371 (online) ISSN 1061-0022 (print)

The 2020 MCQ for St. Petersburg Mathematical Journal is 0.68 . What is MCQ? The Mathematical Citation Quotient (MCQ) measures journal impact by looking at citations over a five-year period. Subscribers to MathSciNet may click through for more detailed information.

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