MCC Math Faculty Member Featured on PBS Show “Nova”

Under bright lights in a hotel room in Phoenix Ariz., Aisha Arroyo faced a camera to do what she does best – teach. The Middlesex Community College Mathematics faculty member was one of a few educators featured on a recent episode of the PBS television show “Nova.” Although nervous about this new experience, Arroyo used her professional expertise to help make the concepts of zero, infinity, and their relationship to each other more approachable.

“This is a topic that can be in-depth and complicated, but it’s also a matter you start talking about in elementary school,” Arroyo said. “It’s good to get the perspective from someone who has been in the classroom and has had to explain these concepts. That’s what PBS ‘Nova’ is trying to do – explain these complex concepts to a general audience. Who has to do so on a daily basis more so than teachers?”

Having aired on November 16, the episode “Zero to Infinity” can be found streaming on the PBS website and on MCC’s YouTube channel. Arroyo filmed the episode in 2021 while attending the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) conference. Professor of Mathematics, Author and Statistician Talithia Williams hosted the episode and was one of the keynote speakers at the conference.

Arroyo is the treasurer for AMATYC’s local affiliate, the New England Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (NEMATYC). She is also in charge of organizing the 2023 regional conference that will be held at Middlesex in Spring 2023 – the first time since 2014 when it was hosted on MCC’s Lowell campus.

The association supports educators teaching math at the start of a student’s education, according to Arroyo. Early on in her career, her colleagues encouraged her to be an active participant in the association and to attend the conferences.

“We have a nice community and we get to meet with other math faculty from around the region for a one-day event,” Arroyo said. “The idea is that it’s for mathematics education in the first two years of college – including people who teach at two-year schools, those who teach at smaller colleges where they might not have much math beyond the first two years, or individuals who teach at a university but tend to focus on the first two years.”

MCC will host the 48th NEMATYC conference on its Bedford campus on Saturday, April 29, 2023. Arroyo is excited to collaborate with her Middlesex and regional colleagues.

“At the conference, you get to share ideas and talk about what’s happening in the classroom,” she said. “It’s important to see all of the different viewpoints, learn about the new things up and coming, and hear about new state initiatives.”