Faculty Spotlight: Elena Goloubeva
Professor of Mathematics
This is my fourth year at Webb, and as time goes by I learn more about the Institute’s needs and spirit, and I get more involved in many aspects of Webb’s life unrelated to math. I enjoy my role as Monday Lecture Coordinator, and as the Secretary for faculty meetings. I like Webb students: Each class at Webb is different; they are challenging me, and I am challenging them.
It is a tremendous joy and responsibility to know that every brick that I am using to build up the mathematical knowledge and freedom in analytical thinking of my students may be used in future in their engineering classes.
I am an active member of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and the Association for Women in Mathematics. I serve as Vice-Chair for 4-year colleges of the Metropolitan New York Section of the MAA, and I am part of the group that plans the activities of the section and arranges meetings. Right now we are getting ready for the Delegate Assembly meeting of the Departmental Liaisons of the Section.
In January, 2010, I attended the AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meeting in San Francisco. As Vice-Chair for 4-year colleges of the MAA section and a liaison from Webb Institute to the MAA, I participated in national planning sessions at the Joint Mathematics Meeting. During the Meeting I was actively involved in discussions of the committees related to accreditation, high school reform, distance learning, new topics and directions of mathematics and mathematical education, and many others. I was part of the Department Chairs session, where the major challenges and trends in the math college education were discussed.
I used this meeting as a chance to introduce Webb Institute to the Mathematics Leaders of National Science Foundation. They were very surprised to learn that a college like ours exists in the U.S. In preparation for the May Sectional Meeting, I had to work with the major publishers of the math books and textbooks. Every year I am invited to serve as a judge at the NYC Mathematics Fair, I use this chance to advertise Webb.
