The Scene:We are in Powell River, BC, Canada in Asia’s home, somewhere between the sewing machine in the living room and the Instapot in the kitchen. This interview required three different recordings to be spliced together, and another bajillion (technical math term) edits for its’ equation to sum up to its’ solution. (I probably misused those terms and it’s making Asia cringe :). She was born in a trailer in my driveway and became a female PhD Mathematician (pretty good odds). Join us for the way conversations go when you’re a family of four...plus one cousin.Highlights:Quilting to teach students about math patternsQuestioning everything - “to be a mathematician is to be skeptical”Scientific theories are falsifiable, mathematics is verifiable - “Truthiness”“Bajillion” is a technical termEquations are very little of theoretical mathEquals is a very powerful operationFormulas are a description of a patternMath is abstract, imaginary, creative and explores boundariesBeing a Mathematician makes you a good communicator - you must convince others that what you say is trueMathematician in residence at an all-girls school in VictoriaMathematics Association of America GrantCrocheting hyperbolic surfacesUsing your hands to understand what is happeningPaper chains to understand Mobius stripsThe war between precision and wabi-sabiConsciously creating less structureThe problem with North American Puritanical rootsSeeking patterns and order as a child, loving algorithmsSeeing that math needed to be taught differentlyWhen you’re afraid of being wrong, you can’t learnTeaching at a liberal arts college in Squamish - classes of no more than 20Being passionate about how math is communicated between peopleExciting the non math-orientedWanting to teach teachers in order to make the biggest differenceUsing the word “exponential” incorrectlyPlease don’t say “square the circle”Mathematics is “the best” scienceThere is a strong connection between mind and heartThe same trait helping professionally and harming personallyFast brains, spitballing through conversationWe take on what we’re already good at (and forget to develop the rest)Putting yourself in unfamiliar situations to observe the reactionAdaptability and resilienceBeing curious and able to find joy in whatever you’re doingMathematicians can get by with not great memoryForgetting how to be independent when you partner upDo you have to be any different than you are right now in order to be completely lovable?Do not say “1000 %” around mathematiciansSquare dancing with “the olds” (the perfect mathematical sport)Universal educational designCasually running a witch’s covenIt is impossible to put yourself in someone else’s shoesWe interact with the world based on the values we were taughtOptimism in inclusively teaching different kinds of mindsCohabitation of ideasIf time was linear…“Ah, interesting…”Anarchist math“Also: relax.”A taste:“I don’t quite believe that I’m worthy without having to prove it. I certainly can prove that I’m worthy, but I’m not sure I believe it without that proof."Favorite line from a song:“I was playing my guitar, lying underneath the stars, just thanking the lord for my fingers.” - Paul SimonSupport the showThank you for listening! Please subscribe to support this project.Love, Sagewolf xoxo

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