NDSU associate professor Maria Alfonseca-Cubero wants students to share her enthusiasm for mathematics.
Maria Alfonseca-Cubero, associate professor of mathematics, wants students to be comfortable in their learning journey. Her goal is to have students share her enthusiasm for the field of mathematics.
You’ll find her door is always open.
“It is very encouraging to see undergraduate students stop by to discuss mathematical topics, or to inquire about future classes. I try to give them information about courses by relating them to real-life applications in order to help them choose the ones best matched to their interests,” said Alfonseca-Cubero. “I also let my students know about opportunities to get engaged in our department community outreach or about career information events.”
Alfonseca-Cubero encourages students to get involved. For example, she organizes the department’s Sonia Kovalevsky Mathematics Day, an annual event to inspire young women in mathematics.
She currently teaches a number of undergraduate courses and analysis-based graduate classes.
According to Alfonseca-Cubero, a good learning dynamic comes from visual teaching and student teamwork. She prepares her students through interactive notes, demonstrates problems using visual software and urges her students to collaborate with others.
Alfonseca-Cubero engages her students by having them explain mathematical concepts to one another.
Alfonseca-Cubero appreciates that she can have a positive impact on students’ lives. “One of the best things about teaching is when I see past students, and they tell me my class made a difference,” she said.
She earned her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in harmonic analysis from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, in Spain. She joined the NDSU faculty in 2006.