2021 Susan Gay Travel Scholarship Recipient
Siddhi Desai
University of Central Florida
Biography
Siddhi Desai is a full-time doctoral student in the mathematics education track in the Ph.D. in education at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Ms. Desai is interested in learning about ways to integrate mathematical modeling to connect art, culture, and history to engage students in rich mathematical experiences. She is also collaborating with Dr. Farshid Safi at UCF on the Field Analysis of Mathematics Education (FAME) project to analyze the evolution of the field of mathematics education and doctoral granting institutions from a research perspective. Ms. Desai has published articles for national journals and has presented at national, regional, and state conferences. Her undergraduate and master’s graduate research primarily focused on developing students’ conceptual understanding through the use of technology and manipulatives, and on researching the role of historical perspectives in understanding the evolution of the field of mathematics education.
Ms. Desai is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), and Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics (FCTM). She was the co-founder and president of the TCNJ- Council of Student Teachers of Mathematics, the first student affiliate of the NCTM in New Jersey, as well as the co-founder and NCTM/graduate student representative of the UCF- Council of Teachers of Mathematics, soon to be a student affiliate of FCTM and NCTM. Ms. Desai earned her BA in Mathematics Secondary Education with a minor in Interactive Multimedia from The College of New Jersey, and MEd in Secondary Education – Mathematics from the University of Central Florida. She has teaching experience in public schools as both a middle and high school teacher of mathematics.