Shira Viel

Assistant Professor of the Practice of Mathematics

Department of Mathematics
Duke University

Email: shira.viel [at] duke.edu	Office: Physics Building #035	CV
Mailing Address: 120 Science Drive, Box 90320, Durham NC 27708

I am an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Mathematics at Duke University where I focus primarily on the Calculus sequence
through teaching, research, coordination, and curriculum development. I am passionate about fostering inclusion in mathematics.
My current research interests include graduate student professional development, alternative grading methods, and students’ sense of community.

Are you interested in pursuing a graduate degree in the mathematical sciences?
Check out GROW, which I am helping to host at Duke in Fall 2022 and Fall 2023!

Teaching

Fall 2023:

Math 111L Laboratory Calculus I: Sakai,

All course materials can be found through the course Sakai websites linked above.

Fall 2023 Office Hours:

Mondays and Wednesdays: 10:00am-11:30am in Classroom Building 132
Tuesdays: 2:15pm-3:15pm on Zoom
Fridays: 9:00am-10:00am on Zoom
By email appointment

Calculus I Placement Test Information

Previous courses taught at Duke:

Spring 2023: Math 111L Laboratory Calculus I
Fall 2022: Math 111L Laboratory Calculus I, Math 771S Teaching College Mathematics
Spring 2022: Math 111L
Fall 2021: Math 111L, Math 771S
Fall 2020: Math 111L
Spring 2020: Math 105L, Math 202D
Fall 2019: Math 111L Sec 3, Math 202D
Spring 2019: Math 105L, Math 202D
Fall 2018: Math 111L Sections 2 & 3 (Joint Math 111L site)

On-campus resources for assistance:

Math Help Room

Academic Resource Center

Learning STEM at Duke

Keep Learning

Duke Reach

Research

My current research is focused on the scholarship of teaching and learning introductory undergraduate mathematics. Ongoing projects include:

Investigating the impact of class format, policies, and modes of assessment and grading on Calculus students' mathematical attitudes and perceptions, including test anxiety (IRB Protocol 2020-0068).
Understanding students' senses of community and self-efficacy in introductory quantitative science courses, and the relationship between community and teaching practices (IRB Protocol 2021-0050).
Assessing the efficacy of math graduate student teacher training programs in terms of teaching knowledge, preparedness, and practice (IRB Protocol 2022-0065).

Other research interests are drawn from my training in algebraic combinatorics, including my dissertation work on surface and orbifold models of cluster algebras under the direction of Nathan Reading. In general, I enjoy combinatorial questions with a concrete, geometric flavor.

Papers

Equity in Grading Systems: Moving Away from ``Fair" Towards Transparency and Inclusion in Coordinated Calculus Courses, with Tori Akin. To appear in Voigt, M., Hagman, J.E., Gehrtz, J., Ratliff, B., Alexander, N., & Levy, R. (Eds.) Justice Through the Lens of Calculus: Framing New Possibilities for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. MAA Notes.
Algebraic Voting Theory & Representations of Sm ≀ Sn, with Hélène Barcelo, Megan Bernstein, Sarah Bockting-Conrad, Erin McNicholas, and Kathryn Nyman, Advances in Applied Mathematics vol 120, Sept. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aam.2020.102077.
Interpreting Student Evaluations of Teaching with Tori Akin. A Conference and Workshop on Preparing Mathematics Graduate Students for Careers Teaching and Advising Undergraduates.
Universal geometric coefficients for the four-punctured sphere, with Emily Barnard, Emily Meehan, and Nathan Reading, Annals of Combinatorics, vol. 22, no. 1, Mar. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00026-018-0378-0.
Generalized splines on arbitrary graphs, with Simcha Gilbert and Julianna Tymoczko, Pacific Journal of Mathematics, vol. 281, no. 2, Jan. 2016, pp. 333-64. https://doi.org/10.2140/pjm.2016.281.333.

Outreach

I love sharing my love of mathematics! I particularly enjoy working with younger students and demonstrating that math is for everyone. Selected events listed below.

Guest speaker at Math Invitational for Girls, an online math competition and celebration for middle school girls around the country. March 2022.
Keynote speaker and workshop leader at FEMMES Capstone, a one-day outreach event aimed at 4th-6th grade girls from Durham sponsored by the Duke student-run organization Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering, and Science (FEMMES). March 2022.
Panelist at FEMMES Hacks, a one-day hackathon aimed at high school women sponsored by FEMMES. Oct 2020.
Workshop leader at FEMMES Capstone. Feb 2020.
Keynote speaker at Sonia Kovalevsky Day, a one-day outreach event aimed at middle school girls sponsored by the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) student chapter at North Carolina State University (NCSU). April 2019.
Math circle instructor, Space City Math Circle in Houston, TX, Oct 2009 - May 2011, and Math Circle in the Triangle at NCSU, Jan 2013 - Dec 2015.
Activity lead at Math Doesn't Bug Me, an interactive mathematics activity table organized by Lorena Bociu at NCSU, held at the annual Bugfest festival at the Museum of Natural Sciences. 2012 - 2018.

Miscellaneous

Outside of teaching and doing mathematics, I enjoy baking, Ultimate, crosswords, and spending time outdoors with my family.