PRIME Welcomes Taylor McNeill
The Program in Mathematics Education (PRIME) is overjoyed to welcome our new faculty member Taylor McNeill.
Here at MSU Taylor is an Assistant Professor working through Lyman Briggs College and PRIME. Now, Taylor is thinking a lot about disciplinary epistemology in their research. In particular, questions Taylor are pondering include: How do mathematicians think? What do they see as credible sources of information, and how do they use this information to construct knowledge? Taylor notes that this may be straightforward enough when talking about mathematicians doing mathematics, but how do they make sense of race, equity, and identity? In what ways are their approaches to knowledge construction still mathematical? Do they believe their perspectives are “objective” in the way that mathematics is perceived to be “objective,” and if so, what are the implications for equity in postsecondary mathematics?
Taylor is also working on starting some new projects. They are currently planning a project exploring the experiences of equity change agents in mathematics departments. Taylor is also planning a study with transgender mathematicians to explore race, gender, and neurodiversity.
Taylor received their undergraduate degree from Smith College, a women’s liberal arts college. They intended to study astronomy but loved their first semester calculus class so much that they ended up picking up a second major. While they were there, they started tutoring in the math help room and loved it. They decided they wanted to teach mathematics at the undergraduate level and went off to pursue a PhD in mathematics at Rice University. Taylor commented, “I really struggled in that program, but not in the ways that you typically think of. I didn’t have a difficult time passing my qualifying exams or my comprehensive exam and I finished in five years. However, I developed some deep-seated feelings of deficiency and started feeling like I didn’t belong in mathematics. I took a tenure-track position after finishing my PhD, but I was unhappy and unwell and left soon after.”
A few years later they found themself teaching high school mathematics at a school with a strong social justice mission. There, Taylor became much more aware of the racialized and gendered dynamics that were playing out in the classes they taught.
“This gave a new perspective on my own mathematics experiences too, and I began to understand that the feelings of deficiency I experienced in graduate school stemmed from my social experiences, not my mathematics ability,” noted Taylor. They continued, “Feeling‘“bad at math’” was common, more common than the alternative, even. In medicine, if a treatment is unsuccessful on the majority of patients, it’s not considered the fault of the patient. The ‘“treatment’” of mathematics education doesn’t work for most of us; it’s time we stopped blaming ourselves.”
This perspective-shift motivated them to pursue a second PhD. Taylor went to Vanderbilt University and completed a PhD in Learning, Teaching, and Diversity with a specialization in mathematics education. Taylor remarked, “I’m so excited to be joining PRIME now where we can envision a better mathematics education together.”
They grew up in Vermont—the land of cows, cheese, and maple syrup. The population of their hometown is about a fifth of the size of MSU. To attend their high school, their parents had to sign a release of liability form for them to use a chainsaw, and milking cows was a graduation requirement! They’ve lived all over the U.S. At this point they’ve held a driver’s license in eight states: Vermont, Massachusetts, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and now Michigan.
When McNeill was asked what they enjoyed doing in their spare time they answered,
“Our work can be so intellectual. It’s easy to ignore or devalue our physical experiences,
even more so for those of us whose bodies do not fit societal norms. I spend most
of my free time trying to actualize my personal politics of embodied trans joy. I’m
a fitness hobbyist with a particular affinity for running and spin classes, and I’ve
been teaching and practicing yoga for 11 years. If I’m not moving my body, I’m probably
eating pastries. I love baking fancy cookies and cakes.” (See a couple of Taylor’s
delicacies pictured below). Taylor continued, “My husband and I are currently in pursuit of the
best donuts in the Lansing area. If you have any recommendations, let me know!” They also enjoy painting mathematical murals. See photos below of some
of the murals Taylor has completed so far. The first is an aperiodic tiling, the second
is a demonstration of the 4-color mapping theorem, and the last is a tessellation
and its dual.
PRIME wants to thank Taylor for allowing us to get to know them a little more, and again, to welcome Taylor to the PRIME family. You are a great addition to the faculty, Taylor McNeill!
