User:Angela
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Contact Information
- Angela Vierling-Claassen
- Assistant Professor of Mathematics
- Lesley University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Personal Webpage (but don't expect it to be up to date!)
Why I'm Taking This Course
I'm a fairly new assistant professor at Lesley University, which is a small liberal arts college. Historically, Lesley was a women's college focusing on teaching and social work, but about a decade ago the Art Institute of Boston (AIB) became a part of Lesley, and the school began to broaden to more of a liberal arts focus. Lesley went co-ed maybe 5 years ago. I teach a lot of AIB students and I became interested in designing a course that would appeal to them. I am working on the course right now, which is going to include the more "traditional" math/art applications (e.g. symmetry), but is also going to focus on the kinds of basic mathematics and geometry problems encountered by professional artists (e.g. interpreting and creating scale drawings).
I have been interested in connections between math and art for some time. I am particularly interested in sculpture and have spent some time investigating connections between old mathematical models of surfaces and art.
My Interests
- "Everyday" Mathematics -- I'm interested in how and why people use mathematics in their "real lives," including how the algorithms people really use to solve problems differ from the algorithms they were taught in school.
- Division of Labor in Parenting -- I have a two-year-old daughter (see below), and over the past couple of years I have become interested in how parenting and household tasks get divided in two-parent households. Recently I've started to use game theory to model and explore this division of labor, and I'd be happy to talk your ear off about it if you are interested.
- Connections Between Mathematics and Art -- Things like this course!
And When I'm Not at Work...
I have a very fun two-year old daughter Harriet, and a wife, Dorea, who is also a mathematician. My free-time is largely absorbed by my family. I like to read (especially non-fiction and murder mysteries), and to write when I get a chance. And every Shabbat (Friday night to Saturday night) I take a whole day off to rest, which I recommend to everyone -- it's great!
