Research Agenda
Trained in learning sciences and mathematics education, my research explores the intersection of informal mathematics learning, STEM education, and community engagement, with a focus on middle school girls.​ I study how community spaces—such as afterschool programs, museums, and neighborhood centers—serve as rich contexts for mathematics learning that complement and enhance traditional classroom experiences. Employing ethnographic case study methods, validated survey instruments, and participatory approaches, I examine how informal math learning can influence affective outcomes including attitudes toward mathematics, math anxiety, STEM efficacy, and sustained interest in STEM. By reimagining STEM, especially mathematics, as a discipline deeply connected to culture, place, and community wisdom, this research agenda seeks to inform both community-based programming and traditional public education reform.
Math walks can be powerful informal math learning interventions for students and educators.
As a Graduate Research Assistant, I work with Dr. Candace Walkington on a five-year NSF-funded project, Seeing the World through a Mathematical Lens: A Place-Based Game for Creating Math Walks (DRL 2341948). The MathFinder app gamifies the process of experiencing and creating math walks, encouraging youth to see mathematics in their everyday environments. My role has included video data collection, focus groups, interviews, and qualitative analyses such as interaction, content, artifact, and video analysis. Drawing on theories of problem-posing, place-based learning, interest theory, and self-determination theory, our studies show how game-based math walks can deepen engagement, connect students to their communities, and positively shape their attitudes toward mathematics.
Community-centered informal learning can cultivate belonging and leadership among girls in STEM.
Informed by my leadership with The GEMS Camp, a nonprofit I founded to empower girls in STEM, my research bridges theory and practice by exploring how community-based and technology-enhanced spaces cultivate confidence, agency, and belonging. Drawing from the learning sciences (identity development, ecological systems, belonging) and critical theories (Community Cultural Wealth), I examine how informal learning experiences such as podcasting, and generative AI facilitate girls’ sustained engagement in STEM. Through this work, I seek to advance community-centered design and partnership models that position girls as co-creators, critical thinkers, and leaders in mathematics and STEM education.
