RabbitMath is a secondary school curriculum development project of Peter Taylor of Queen’s University and Chris Suurtamm of the University of Ottawa. It is the ongoing creation of the hard work and the enthusiasm of a dedicated group of graduate and undergraduate students and classroom teachers.
Peter Taylor
Peter is the chief architect of RabbitMath. He is a Mathematics Prof at Queen’s University, cross-appointed to Biology and Education. For most of his career he worked building evolutionary models of social behaviour, but his creative efforts are now focused on building a new kind of mathematics curriculum. He is a 3M Fellow, and a Fellow of both the Fields Institute and the Canadian Mathematical Society. He has taught two semesters in high school and done considerable curriculum writing with the Ontario Ministry.
Chris Suurtamm
Chris Suurtamm is the RabbitMath research director. She is Professor of Mathematics Education and Vice-Dean Research and Professional Development at the University of Ottawa. Her work examines the complexity of mathematics teacher practice, particularly for inquiry-teaching and formative assessment. Her early career work as mathematics teacher, department head and textbook author also gives her a key understanding of the challenges and potentials of the math curriculum and classroom.
Mike Cabral
Mike studied mathematics and philosophy at Queen’s. He then taught English as a second language for two years in South Korea, before returning to Queen’s first for a Master’s degree and then a doctorate in mathematical biology. In the past couple of years Mike has been the instructor for our 3rd-year game theory course and for our Linear Algebra course for Engineers. He is also a lead instructor in MathQuest, our summer camp for high school girls.
Becca Carter
Becca completed an undergraduate degree in Mathematics at Queen’s University and a Masters degree in Mathematics at King’s College London. She is now a PhD student at Queen’s University with research interests in Math Education. When not at Queens, Becca enjoys canoe tripping and working with students to help foster positive mathematics experiences.
Skyepaphora Griffith
Skye is the resident artist and musician at RabbitMath. After a mathematics degree at Trent she is now a Master’s student at Queen’s University. Skye began tutoring in high school, but her passion for math education was brought to life through post-secondary teaching assistantships ranging from math tutorials to statistical coding workshops. She has experimented with teaching abstract algebra as an enrichment topic for grade 7/8 students! Her aspiration is to illuminate the beauty of mathematics for all to see.
Chelsea Carleson
Chelsea is a PhD candidate in Theoretical Physics at Queen's University, studying nano-scale broadband light-matter interactions. Growing up in a small rural town in north-western Ontario, Chelsea has always wanted to improve the attitudes, methods, and opportunities within K-12 maths and physics education. She aspires to teach high school maths and physics, and to help change how everyone perceives these beautiful subjects though creative approaches to curriculum and outreach.
Stefanie Knebel
Following a Psychology degree in 2011, Stefanie spent a year as coordinator for an early cognitive development lab and then worked as a lab assistant in the department of psychiatry at Queen's. Following her passion for research, she completed an MSc in Mathematics at Queen's and is now working on her doctorate in control theory and neuroscience. She has a knack for programming, is interested in patterns of human behaviour, and enjoys exploring neat ways to visualize mathematical concepts. In 2018 she was awarded a Deans Award for Women in Science.
Sarah Kathiresan
Sarah is currently pursuing a double degree in concurrent education with mathematics and French specializations. From the age of 14 she has been working with children in various schools and educational programs, tutoring as well as a role as a teaching assistant. She frequently works with children with exceptionalities in classrooms that focus on learning through play. She is interested in creating a more inclusive and creative mathematics curriculum. Her picture was taken last year on a trip to Iceland.
David Griffin
David is currently completing his undergraduate degree in Biology & Mathematics at Queen’s University. It was through assisting in the delivery of grade 9 math lessons that he realized the importance of math education, and has since then been seeking ways to get involved. David wishes to expose developing minds to the true potential of mathematics and sees the RabbitMath project as the perfect conduit for doing so. David’s passion for teaching is not restricted to mathematics, and he looks to learn more about education and contribute to its advancement through his position as an Educational Technology Intern for the FHS CDU at Queen’s.
Ezri Wyman
Ezri is a physics and English student and researcher at Queen's University. She has always loved math and science and has spent most of her life involved in art and science programs at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. She is a writer, illustrator, juggler, math tutor, and aspiring math and science writer with a passion for making math accessible and enjoyable to everyone. She enjoys finding the math and the art in every day and sharing her passion for both.
Janny Liu
Janny is a concurrent education student at Queen’s University, currently in her final year of study. She is a teacher candidate with mathematics and chemistry as her teaching subjects at intermediate and senior high school level. She is interested in exploring further about flexible and creative curricular materials and activities. She has gained many opportunities to teach students, fostering an engaging and supportive learning environment. She is very passionate to join the RabbitMath community to gain an insight into math education.
Nick Nielsen
Nick completed his degree in Physiology and his BEd at UofT. His work with Peter Harrison in his first year of teaching for the TDSB fostered his interest in developing a new kind of teaching materials and led to curriculum and textbook writing in mathematics. Teaching Math Chemistry and Physics in a small alternative high school for 25 years has inspired his creativity with course design, including the development with an art teacher of an interdisciplinary course on the art of math.
David Stocks
David recently retired from a 20-year career as a Math and Science teacher at KCVI in Kingston serving as Coordinator of the IB program and Math Curriculum Consultant for the Limestone Board. Over the years, his math classes have provided the testing ground for many innovative class projects and teaching experiences including an entire grade 12 semester in 1997 with Peter Taylor and his then PhD student Nathalie Sinclair, in preparation for the rewriting of the Ontario Secondary Math Curriculum.
Ann Arden
For 20 years Ann has been a math teacher, department head and instructional coach with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. She has always enjoyed the intersection of art and mathematics and was fortunate to take Peter's math and poetry course during her undergraduate studies at Queen's. Later she completed an MA in Education at the University of Ottawa, focused on classroom assessment under the supervision of Chris Suurtamm. She is passionate about engaging with students and teachers in rich mathematics, and thinking about "teacher moves" that can expand the possibilities for learning and enjoying mathematics.
Siobhain Broekhoven
Siobhain is a Mathematics, Physics and Special Education teacher with Algonquin Lakeshore CDSB. She is the Director of MathQuest, a summer program at Queen’s University that focuses on experiential learning and is sponsored by the Canadian Mathematics Society. While doing her physics undergrad at Queen’s she started playing with radio waves and that led to her work with CFRC, producing many radio shows highlighting math education, exceptional learners and social justice.
Marnie Landon
Marnie has over 20 years of experience in software development as a product and project manager, business analyst, programmer, UX/UI designer, and software evaluator. Her work has focused on innovation, and design of high-impact software solutions that capitalize on the strategic opportunities introduced by emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI). She is a speaker on AI with respect to the future of work and the impact on education and society. She is interested in cognitive science, learning science, and pedagogy at the intersection of mathematics and computer science. Her goal is to contribute to the design of experiences that prepare students for an increasingly complex world. A long time ago she was a student in Peter’s first-year calculus class.
Brynja Kohler
After a few years teaching high school math in Los Angeles and NYC, Brynja earned her doctorate at the University of Utah, researching and developing mathematical models of biological systems. She is now a math prof at Utah State University and director of math education programs and outreach. She conducts field-based courses for preservice teachers and professional development for inservice teachers. She also continues her research in mathematical biology.
George Gadanidis
George is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Western University and is internationally known for his work incorporating ideas of coding into the mathematics curriculum. He works at the elementary school level (Grades 4-8) and spends 50-60 days each year in school classrooms, collaborating with teachers to design cool ways of engaging young children with big math ideas. His professional domain is wide-ranging covering mathematics, technology and the arts.
Miroslav Lovric
Miro is a Mathematics Professor at McMaster. With researchers and graduate students from McMaster Health Sciences he has been modelling the development of allergic asthma and severity of allergic reaction to peanuts in children. His math education research involves the study of the secondary-tertiary transition and the role of computer programming. He is interested in connections between mathematics, art and architecture. A paper he enjoyed working on studies the symmetries of mosaics in Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain.
Nathalie Sinclair
Nathalie is a Professor in the Faculty of Education, an Associate Member in the Department of Mathematics and Canada Research Chair in Tangible Mathematics Learning at Simon Fraser University. She is also the editor of Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education. Her main areas of research stem from her interests in aesthetics and embodiment, which has found recent focus in the teaching and learning of geometry at the primary school level, particularly with dynamic geometry software. She is the author of a number of books on this subject.
Alex Wasser
Alex is the lead web-designer at RabbitMath. She completed her undergraduate degree in Mathematics at Queen’s University and is now an MSc student in Mathematics at Queen’s University with an interest in Mathematical Biology. In addition to her studies, she has been a teaching assistant for three years for our first year calculus course. For 10 years, Alex was a competitive snowboarder representing Canada. From these experiences she has developed a passion for working with students and strengthening their passion for mathematics.
Annika Fuernsinn
Annika completed her BSc and MSc in Mathematics at Technische Universitaet Berlin, Germany. She is now a PhD student in Mathematics at Queen’s University with the specialization of optimal control theory. Apart from being a teaching assistant for three years, she recently was the teaching fellow for a first year linear algebra course. After having enjoyed explaining volleyball, skiing and Mathematics to others all her life, Annika finally came to the realization that her underlying passion was education. She is excited to tap more into that passion and to be a part of the amazing RabbitMath team.
Julia McClellan
Julia completed her undergraduate studies in Mathematics at the University of Toronto, is now a Master’s student in Mathematics at Queen’s University and will be continuing as a PhD candidate in the fall. Outside of her studies, she enjoys playing volleyball and baking for her friends and family. Julia realized her passion for sharing mathematics with others through tutoring and teaching assistantships in a variety of high school and undergraduate mathematics courses.