University of Utah
Department
of Mathematics
155 S 1400 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Contact Information
Office: JWB,
Room
124
Telephone: (801) 581-4278
FAX: (801) 581-4148
e-mail: spiroff@math.utah.edu
General Information
I am a VIGRE postdoctoral
Assistant Professor/Lecturer at the University of Utah. I earned
my Ph.D. at the University of
Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where my thesis advisor was Dr. Phillip
Griffith . (The webpage for The Conference honoring the
contributions of Phillip
Griffith, which I co-organized, can be accessed below.) My area of
interest
is Commutative Algebra. In particular, I study the behavior of
maps
on divisor class groups determined by hypersurface sections. I
seek
to understand and locate the pathology of these maps.
Research
For detailed information on my research interests, please see my research statement, which is available in .ps, .pdf, and .dvi formats. My preprints are also available.
Teaching
I have long been interested in the teaching of
mathematics. As a former high school teacher and teaching
assistant, I have taught
a variety of courses, using several different instructional
methods. In addition, at the University of Illinois I worked as a
Research Assistant, in the area of secondary mathematics teacher
education, with Professors Susan Tolman and John Sullivan . Their project, a cooperation between the
Mathematics and Education departments at the University and Danville
High School,
seeks to improve teacher preparation. At the University of Utah,
I am an active participant in the Math Circle program for
high school students, directed by Peter Trapa.
Moreover, I am currently working with an REU student through the
VIGRE grant. My course experience is listed in the table
below. For more on my teaching experience and philosophy, my
statement is available in .ps, .pdf, and .dvi
formats. For a brief summary of my educational experience, see .ps, .pdf , or .dvi .
| COURSE(S) | LEVELS TAUGHT | INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD |
| Calculus I, II, Bus. Calc. | College & High School | Calculus and Mathematica , Merit Workshop , Active Learning, Lecture |
| College & Intermediate Algebra | College | Active Learning/Lecture/Discussion |
| Geometry, Algebra, Basic Math | High School | Lecture/Active Learning |
Professional Activities
Education
The table below provides an overview of my academic history.
For more detailed information about my education and teaching
experience, please refer to my vita, available in .ps, .pdf, or .dvi formats
.
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Ph.D. Mathematics, 2003 |
| Saint Louis University | M.A. Mathematics, 1996 |
| Indiana University | B.S. Mathematics, 1991 |