Emmy Noether: I am not a woman mathematician, I am a mathematician.
The painter Jean-Micheal Basquiat was famously quoted as saying “I am not a black artist, I am an artist.” His words challenge us to look at art with an open mind, without preconceptions based on the artist’s ethnic background. The quote resonated with me as I wandered the AGO looking at his richly expressive paintings….
Advice to myself as a doctoral student
I have come full circle: I began my academic journey as a doctoral student, and now almost 20 years later I am Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at Ryerson University. There is no guidebook on how to be a successful doctoral student, nor one for Associate Dean for that matter. Much of what works in…
Sayre’s law: required wisdom for all academics
In my time as Associate Dean: Students and Program in the Yeates School of Graduate Studies, I have addressed a wide array of student academic issues. These range from student appeals, to separations between supervisors and students, to complaints emanating directed from or towards students or faculty members. These are delicate matters that could not be…
Mathematicians are the new vampires
I was waiting in line at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of The Imitation Game. I was accompanied by two of my mathematical friends and we eagerly awaited the film. It was a hot, sunny day, and there was a growing crowd on either side of King street. Several large SUVs were…