Dr. Gail Tang
Professor of Mathematics
Dr. Gail Tang is a Professor of Mathematics and the Director of the Distinguished Grants Program at University of La Verne. While she is involved in several research projects, the foundation of the projects aim to provide more humanistic teaching and researching experiences for students, instructors, and scholars. Her primary research interests investigate how to support students’ mathematical creativity through faculty development. As a major beneficiary of mentorship, Gail strives to return the service to her students. Gail is a Fulbright Scholar who served as a mentor and professor at Mandalay University, Myanmar in 2019.
The university recognized Gail’s work with students through the 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award. Then in 2022, Gail received regional recognition through the Distinguished College or University Teaching Award for the Southern California/Nevada Section of the Mathematical Association of America. In Summer 2023, she sailed with NOAA as a part of the Teacher at Sea Program. To read about her experiences at sea, visit her blog: https://noaateacheratsea.blog/author/gailmtang/
When she is not engaged in teaching, research, mentorship, or shared governance, she enjoys gardening, feeding her chickens, surrounding herself in nature and with animals, and learning about cultural connections through investigations into global food history.
Educational Background
- 2005–2012 Doctor of Arts, Mathematics, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Chicago, IL.
- 2003–2005 Master of Science, Applied Mathematics, UIC, Chicago, IL.
- 1999–2003 Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics Major, Computer Science Minor, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY.
Publications
- Satyam, V.R., Savić, M., Tang, G., El Turkey, H., & Karakok, G. (2022). Teacher Actions to Foster Creativity in Calculus. In S. Karunakaran, Z. Reed, & A. Higgins (Eds.), Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (pp. 536-544). Boston, MA.
- Tang, G., Savić, M., Satyam, V.R., El Turkey, H., & Karakok, G. (2022). “The reason why I didn’t like [math] before is because I never felt creative”: Affective Outcomes from Teaching Actions to Foster Mathematical Creativity in Calculus 1. In S. Karunakaran, Z. Reed, & A. Higgins (Eds.), Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (pp. 630-638). Boston, MA.
- Tang, G., El Turkey, H., Cilli-Turner, E., Savić, M., Karakok, G., & Plaxco, D. (2017). Inquiry as an Entry Point to Equity in the Classroom. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology. 48(1), 4-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2017.1352045
Awards / Honors
- 2022 Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics: SoCal Nevada Section Teaching Award
- 2021 Excellence in Teaching: University of La Verne Teaching Award
- 2021-2022 Tensor-SUMMA Grant: Strengthening Underrepresented Minority Mathematics Achievement, Mathematical Association of America, $6000.
- 2020 Teacher at Sea, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Postponed to 2023).
- 2018-2022 Co-PI, CPR on Problem Solving: Reshaping Mathematical Identity Through Creativity in Calculus (NSF – IUSE), Broadening participation through fostering creativity in lower-level mathematics classes, $300,000.
- 2019-2020 Tensor-SUMMA Grant: Strengthening Underrepresented Minority Mathematics Achievement, Mathematical Association of America, $6000, Through Cal Poly Pomona.
- 2018-2019 Fulbright Scholar, Myanmar.
Additional Information
Mathematics Magazine Articles:
Tensor SUMMA Grants: Pomona’s Rising Youth in Mathematics Empowerment (2023). By Gail Tang (University of La Verne). http://digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com/publication/?i=793202&p=10&view=issueViewer
Three Empires Strike Back: Mathematics Beyond Baseball and Star Wars (2023). By Yanping Ma (Loyola Marymount University), Gail Tang (University of La Verne), Gulden Karakok (University of Northern Colorado, Greeley). http://digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com/publication/?i=782706&p=36&view=issueViewer
Blog posts:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2023). By Gail Tang https://noaateacheratsea.blog/author/gailmtang/
Reflections on Teaching for Mathematical Creativity (2019). By Gail Tang (University of La Verne), Emily Cilli-Turner (University of San Diego), Milos Savic (University of Oklahoma), Houssein El Turkey (University of New Haven), Mohamed Omar (Harvey Mudd College), Gulden Karakok (University of Northern Colorado, Greeley), and Paul Regier (University of Oklahoma). https://blogs.ams.org/matheducation/2019/01/15/reflections-on-teaching-for-mathematical-creativity/
Media Features:
Valuing Creativity in Calculus. (2020) By Jana Talley (Jackson State University) https://www.mathvalues.org/masterblog/valuing-creativity-calculus
To Active Learning and Beyond: Attending to Student Thinking AND Student Experience in Active-Learning Math Classes (2017). By Jess Ellis Hagman (Colorado State University) https://blogs.ams.org/matheducation/2017/08/07/to-active-learning-and-beyond-attending-to-student-thinking-and-student-experience-in-active-learning-math-classes/
Faculty Website
To explore the scholarship and creative works of University of La Verne faculty, please visit the Research Works profiles hosted by Wilson Library.
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