B.S.: Mathematics, Utah State University
Ph.D.: Mathematics, 1999, Utah State University
Office: UW2-222
Phone: 425-352-3169
Email: chillyard@uwb.edu
Mailing: Box 358511, 11136 NE 180th ST, Bothell, WA 98011-1713
Teaching interdisciplinary mathematics and statistics is my passion. I believe anyone can learn mathematics if explicit connections are made between the content and students' lives. I find it exciting and challenging to help students make such connections. I strive to make my courses interactive, non-threatening, and as applicable as possible. I use group work to solve problems, discuss methods, and investigate solutions. I bring in examples from the media and world around us to illustrate a problem and have students collect their own data. Critical thinking about numerical and mathematical arguments is always a primary goal in my courses.
BCUSP 123 Functions, Models, and Quantitative Reasoning
BIS 300 Interdisciplinary Inquiry
BIS 329 Topics in Mathematics Across the Curriculum: Symmetry
BPOSLT 502 Statistics for Policy Studies
My primary research area is undergraduate mathematics and statistics education especially the new realm of Quantitative Literacy (QL). I have studied connections between QL and other literacies, investigated ways to extend models of QL to the upper division college curriculum, analyzed math autobiographies for patterns in how students see and learn mathematics, and worked on issues surrounding assessment of QL. I am also interested in the cultural and disciplinary contexts of QL.
In addition, I work on mathematical problems in the area of numerical methods for hyperbolic conservation laws with stiff source terms. These models can be used to represent a set of problems in gas dynamics, fluid flow, and combustions including the flow of pollutants, avalanche movement, and even traffic conditions.
"Using Popular Culture to Teach Quantitative Reasoning," Cinnamon Hillyard, Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, March 2007.
"Students and Teachers Learning to See: Using Visual Images in the College Classroom to Promote Student Capacities and Skills," E. Thomas, N. Place, and C. Hillyard, College Teaching, in press.
