[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/dei\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2022\/07\/bg_people.png” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off” background_enable_mask_style=”on” background_mask_style=”chevrons” background_mask_color=”#EBAB21″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|800||on|||||” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font_size=”100px” header_letter_spacing=”4px” header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_2_font_size=”85px” header_2_letter_spacing=”6px” header_font_size_tablet=”100px” header_font_size_phone=”68px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_font_size_tablet=”59px” header_2_font_size_phone=”39px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/dei\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2022\/07\/bg_people_muted.png” parallax=”on” custom_padding=”29px||30px|||” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/dei\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2022\/07\/img_abdelghany.jpg” alt=”NOHA ABDELGHANY” title_text=”img_abdelghany” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” animation_style=”flip” animation_direction=”left” animation_delay=”350ms” border_width_bottom=”20px” border_color_bottom=”#EBAB21″ border_width_left=”31px” border_color_left=”#EBAB21″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|700||on|||||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Noha Abdelghany comes from a family of teachers. Her mother is a teacher. Her three older sisters went to college to be teachers. As the middle sister (she also has three younger sisters), Abdelghany was determined to do something different. She decided to pursue a degree in computer science, but she took a class her first year that changed everything. The class was a mix of mathematical logic and set theory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just fell in love with it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was the best class that I had ever taken at that time. I would do my computer science homework really quickly and get back to the math.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though math sparked something inside of her, she didn\u2019t really consider pursuing a degree in mathematics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a little resistant because I didn\u2019t want to be a teacher. And that was the only thing that came to mind. If I\u2019m going to major in math, my only career option is to be a teacher,\u201d said Abdelghany, an assistant teaching professor in the Mellon College of Science\u2019s Department of Mathematical Sciences.<\/p>\n
By the end of her sophomore year, Abdelghany realized that math was her passion, so she switched majors and never regretted her decision. She earned her bachelor\u2019s of science in mathematics from Cairo University and her Ph.D. at Western Michigan University. Her research interests are in algebraic coding theory, the math that\u2019s behind-the-scenes of many areas of communications, including television, email and text messaging. In her research, Abdelghany works to design error-correcting codes that can reliably transmit information across noisy channels.<\/p>\n
Abdelghany loves doing research \u2014 but here\u2019s the ironic part \u2014 she ended up loving teaching more than anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved teaching and interacting with students. I just never thought that this is what I wanted to do. And I never would have found out without pursuing a major in math and doing what I liked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seeing students actually getting it, seeing that light bulb go on, is rewarding for Abdelghany. She also sees the value in being herself \u2014 a female mathematician \u2014 and how important it is for students to see relatable role models. As a visiting assistant professor at Colby College, Abdelghany interacted with a lot of minority math students \u2014 international students, non-native speakers, women.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey would come to me and say, ‘I loved it when I saw you in the classroom. It was really nice to see someone who is not the standard older white male. Seeing you, I feel like I can achieve something,’\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Abdelghany is thrilled to be at Carnegie Mellon University, which she first heard about as a computer science student at Cairo University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was a perfect fit for me,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause teaching is my number one focus, I appreciate how the department has a separate track for teaching professors. It lets people focus on teaching and give it everything they have.\u201d She also plans to continue her research and looks forward to interacting with students in a research capacity.<\/p>\n
For someone who did not want to be a teacher, Abdelghany has found her calling, and she doesn\u2019t hesitate to pass along her wisdom to her students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem-solving skills and critical-thinking skills you learn from majoring in math put you on the path to do anything you set your mind to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/dei\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2022\/07\/img_20220624_161724.jpg” alt=”Theresa Anderson” title_text=”img_20220624_161724″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” animation_style=”flip” animation_direction=”left” animation_delay=”450ms” border_width_bottom=”20px” border_color_bottom=”#EBAB21″ border_width_left=”31px” border_color_left=”#EBAB21″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/www.cmu.edu\/math\/people\/faculty\/anderson.html” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Visit Theresa Anderson’s Profile Page” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”15px” button_text_color=”#EBAB21″ button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|600||on|||||” button_icon=”=||divi||400″ button_on_hover=”off” custom_css_main_element=”width:100%;” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|700||on|||||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Theresa Anderson never set out to be a mathematician. She was creative \u2014 she liked the arts and languages \u2014 and math just seemed too rigid. But then, she took her first college-level math course. It was a proof-based course, and she got a taste of how much creativity was involved in coming up with mathematical discoveries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just so liberating, seeing the creative aspect of math and seeing that yes, the way I think has a place here,\u201d said Anderson, an assistant professor in the Mellon College of Science\u2019s Department of Mathematical Sciences.<\/p>\n
Sixteen years after that inspiring math class, Anderson still gravitates toward math problems that are not so rigid, ones that she can approach from a variety of perspectives. Her area of expertise is in both harmonic analysis and number theory, two fields that may seem like a non-traditional pairing, but make perfect sense to Anderson.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tend to connect areas of mathematics and build bridges and not constrain myself. I pull techniques from a variety of fields and go out of my comfort zone to explore new things,\u201d said Anderson, who earned a master\u2019s degree and Ph.D. in mathematics from Brown University and completed a National Science Foundation Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.<\/p>\n
Along the way, she\u2019s discovered that her unconventional way of approaching mathematical problems is inspiring to students, including the fact that she herself \u2014 a woman doing math \u2014 is still somewhat unconventional. In Anderson\u2019s experience, just being that face on the web page is huge.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople see that, and it\u2019s very powerful. Oh look, it\u2019s a woman. Students will just come and talk to me, and those talks oftentimes lead to mentoring relationships,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n
Anderson plans to continue fostering those types of relationships in her role at Carnegie Mellon University, especially when it comes to supporting minority students interested in math. She was drawn to CMU\u2019s vibrant and diverse community, and she has a few ideas already on ways to help the Department of Mathematical Sciences realize its aim of becoming more inclusive. Her ideas stem from being a woman in a male-dominated field and from her experiences as a white member of a minority community.<\/p>\n
Anderson’s family is not white. She’s seen with her own family and the community she has become a part of how subtle things can make people feel welcome or unwelcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for people who don\u2019t have that perspective, they just have no idea. That\u2019s one of the things I want to try to help with \u2014 getting the next generation more involved and more aware of how small things can actually have big impacts on minority communities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Anderson is working with Michael Young, associate dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Mellon College of Science, to develop a class for graduate students that will raise awareness of the barriers minorities have faced in the mathematical sciences. One focus of the class will be reading and discussing experiences of Black mathematicians.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the big things is just reading these stories and raising awareness. It\u2019s giving that perspective,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I have in mind throughout my teaching, whether it be a math course or a social justice course: to open a student\u2019s mind to not just fill it with information but also to open it to different perspectives.\u201d \u25a0<\/p>\n
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For Abdelghany, being an educator is a family tradition. For Anderson, her unconventional approach to math inspires her students.Noha Abdelghany Assistant Teaching Professor, Mathematical Sciences Noha Abdelghany comes from a family of teachers. Her mother is a teacher. 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