Mathematics Advisory Group of Transforming Postsecondary Education in Mathematics
She was a co-founder of the BIG Math Network and the Math Modeling Hub. She coined the acronym VITAL for faculty who are visitors, instructors, TAs, adjuncts and lecturers.
Education and career
Levy did her undergraduate studies at Oberlin College, completing a double major in English and Mathematics in 1989. She then earned a master's degree in Educational Media and Instructional Design in 1996 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, another master's degree in applied mathematics from North Carolina State University, and a PhD in 2005 from North Carolina State University. Her dissertation, Partial differential equations of thin liquid films: analysis and numerical simulation, was supervised by Michael Shearer. She taught mathematics to secondary school and beginning college students from the time she was an undergraduate until her return to graduate school. After postdoctoral research at Duke University, she joined the Harvey Mudd College faculty from 2007 to 2019. At Harvey Mudd College, she was promoted to Professor of Mathematics and served as Associate Dean for Faculty Development. She was the Iris and Howard Critchell Assistant Professor from 2011 to 2012.
Contributions and publications
Levy co-authored Math Modelling: Computing and Communicating, a practical handbook for high school students with experience with computation and an interest in math modelling. With Richard Laugesen and Fadil Santosa, Levy is the author of a book for mathematical scientists seeking work, BIG Jobs Guide: business, industry, and government careers for mathematical scientists, statisticians, and operations researchers She is the lead author of the early grade section of the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Mathematical Modeling Education Report With Michael Shearer, Levy is the author of a textbook on partial differential equations, Partial Differential Equations: An Introduction to Theory and Applications. Levy's research in applied mathematics has included work on surfactants, miniature robotic submarines, and flukeprints, the tracks left by whales on the surface of the ocean. She has also studied the use of flipped classrooms in undergraduate education. She created a blog, Grandma Got STEM, about earlier generations of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and currently blogs for .
Writing Recognition
NCTM Linking Research and Practice Outstanding Publication Award, ML Hernández, R Levy, MD Felton-Koestler and R Zbiek, “Modeling in the High School Curriculum,” Mathematics Teacher, vol. 110, no. 5, Dec 2016/Jan 2017. MAA Teaching Tidbits, 2016-17 Most Read Blogpost,“5 Ways to Respond when Students Respond with Incorrect Answers.” The Best Writing on Mathematics 2016, Featured article, “Industrial Mathematics Inspires Mathematical Modeling Tasks with High Cognitive Demand” from Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics, 2016. American Scientist Macroscope Blog, Most Read Blogpost, 2015 and 2016, “5 Reasons to teach Mathematical Modeling” SIAM Student Paper Prize, "Kinetics and Nucleation for Driven Thin Film Flow," 2005.
Awards and honors
HMC Leadership Award 2016 Outstanding Faculty Member, April 2016]. Mathematical Association of America Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching, 2013 Fulbright Specialist Roster, 2015-present. Iris and Howard Critchell Chair, Harvey Mudd College, 2011-12. Avery Professor, Claremont Graduate University, Spring 2011. Project NExT Fellow, American Institute of Mathematics, 2007. Microsoft Future Professors Fellowship, 2003-04.
