Education

• Ph.D. in Mathematics Education, Michigan State University [Dissertation: "Cognitive and Affective Components of Undergraduate Students Learning How to Prove"; Adviser: Jack Smith]
• M.S. in Mathematics, Michigan State University
• B.S. in Mathematics, Tufts University

Research Interests

Satyam's research is about students’ mathematical cognition, affect (emotions, attitudes, beliefs, etc.), and the relationships between the two. One prong of her research is on students’ mathematical thinking and learning, primarily about undergraduates’ proof reasoning. The other prong deals with students’ emotions in regards to mathematics, specifically understanding the mechanisms behind intense positive experiences (e.g. moments of mathematical beauty, a-ha moments).

Select Publications

• Edwards, R. A., Melfi, V., & Satyam, V. R. (in press). A quantitative literacy course and transitions to formal mathematics: Problem-solving similarities. MAA Notes.
• Mix, K., Hambrick, D. Z., Satyam, V. R., Burgoyne, A. P., & Levine, S. C. (2018). The latent structure of spatial skill: A test of the 2x2 typology. Cognition, 180, 268-278.
• Satyam, V. R. (2016). The importance of surprise in mathematical beauty. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 6(1), 196-210.

Affiliations

• Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
• MAA SIGMAA on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (RUME)
• Psychology of Mathematics Education, North American Chapter (PME-NA)

Awards

• MAA Project NExT Fellow