Curriculum Vitae

Education

University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
2003–2009
M.S. in Mathematics, June 2005.
Ph.D. in Mathematics, June 2009.
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
1999–2003
A.B. in Mathematics, summa cum laude, June 2003.
Junior Phi Beta Kappa.

Employment and Teaching

The Ohio State University, Assistant Professor
2014–Present
Mathematics 5520H: Honors Linear Algebra and Differential Equations
Mathematics 2162.02: Accelerated Calculus II for Honors Engineers
Mathematics 5801: General Topology and Knot Theory
Mathematics 2153: Calculus 3
Mathematics 2568: Linear Algebra.
The Ohio State University, Ross Mathematics Program
Summer 2010–Present
The Ohio State University, Program Manager
2013–2014
Mathematics 2568: Linear Algebra.
Calculus Two MOOC on Coursera (23k student enrollments).
Multivariable calculus MOOC on Coursera (11k student enrollments).
The Ohio State University, Lecturer
2012–2013
Calculus One MOOC on Coursera (87k student enrollments).
iTunesU Calculus One (ranked #1 in Summer 2013; 37k subscribers).
Mathematics 1151: Calculus I.
Mathematics 1161: Accelerated Calculus I.
Mathematics 1181: Honors Calculus I.
Taught the number theory course; ran a number theory recitation for high school students; taught a piecewise-linear topology course for undergraduate and high school students.
The Ohio State University, Zassenhaus Assistant Professor
2009–2012
Mathematics 151: Calculus and Analytic Geometry I.
Mathematics 153: Calculus and Analytic Geometry III.
Mathematics 254 and 254.02: Calculus and Analytic Geometry IV.
Mathematics 660: Introductory Complex Analysis.
Mathematics 953: Topics in Topology
Mathematics 345: Foundations of Higher Mathematics
Mathematics 758: Algebraic Topology: Cohomology
Mathematics 765: Smooth Manifolds
University of Chicago, Directed Reading Program, Mentor
2004–2009
Mentored undergraduate projects on automatic groups, geometric group theory, combinatorial game theory, piecewise-linear topology, knot theory, stochastic processes.
University of Chicago, Polk Brothers Program
2005–2009
Taught middle school students in small groups and whole-classroom settings; assisted Chicago public school teachers with pedagogy and their study of mathematics.
University of Chicago, Graduate Student Lecturer
2005–2006
2008–2009
Mathematics 131–133: Elementary Functions and Calculus.
Mathematics 153: Calculus.
Mathematics 204–205: Inquiry-based learning (Moore method); analysis in Rn.
University of Chicago, College Fellow
2004–2005
Mathematics 203–205: Analysis in Rn.
University of Chicago, Research Experience for Undergraduates, Mentor
Summer 2004
Summer 2006
Summer 2007
University of Chicago, Undergraduate Lie Theory Seminar
Fall 2006
Canada/USA Mathcamp, Mentor
Summer 2004
Summer 2005
Taught and mentored high school students in topics including piecewise-linear topology, quaternions, knots and links, game theory, projective geometry, p-adic numbers.
University of Chicago, Warm Up Program, Lecturer
September 2005
Lectured in a mini-course reviewing point-set topology for incoming graduate students.
Harvard University, Course Assistant
2000–2003
Graded homework and ran weekly recitation sessions for multivariable calculus and linear algebra, representation theory, algebraic topology.

Awards, Fellowships, Grants

Four million views on YouTube
May 2019
My calculus videos have been viewed more than 4 million times.
Building a Buckeye calculus community (SEMINAL)
February 2018
$90k to sustain success in implementing active learning in undergraduate mathematics classes
Ohio Open Ed Collaborative, Team Lead, Calculus 1 and 2
June 2018–July 2019
Support to make Ximera resources useful to instructors at other schools
NSF Grant DUE–1505246
2015–2018
$248k for creating and curating linear algebra materials.
Crestron Summum Bonum Award for Excellence in Teaching
March 2014
NSF Grant DUE–1245433
2013–2016
$180k for building online textbooks.
ODEE, eLearning Professional Development Grant
September 5, 2013
The STEAM Factory, OSU Outreach and Engagement Impact Grant
2013
“Steal My Idea” Presentation Winner
March 27, 2013
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
2003–2008
McCormick Fellowship, University of Chicago
2003–2005
Palfrey Exhibition, Harvard University
May 2003
Awarded to the most distinguished scholar in the senior class holding a stipendiary scholarship.
Wister Prize, Harvard University
May 2003
Awarded to the student with the highest record in mathematics.
Robert Fletcher Rogers Prize, Harvard University
May 2003
Awarded to the two students who gave the best talks at the undergraduate mathematics table.
Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning
Fall 2000

Publications

Jim Fowler. Both TEX and DVI viewers inside the web browser. TUGboat, 40(1):22--24, 2019.

J. Fowler, C. Ogle, and M. Bevis. An analytic method for computing the infinite sums occurring in the geoelastic disk load problem. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 124(2):2184--2201, 2019.

Keywords: disk load, elliptic integrals, Kummer transformation, elastic

Jim Fowler and Zhixu Su. Smooth manifolds with prescribed rational cohomology ring. Geometriae Dedicata, pages 1--18, 2016.

Michael W. Davis, Jim Fowler, and Jean-François Lafont. Aspherical manifolds that cannot be triangulated. Algebr. Geom. Topol., 14(2):795--803, 2014.

J. Fowler. Finiteness properties for some rational Poincaré duality groups. Illinois J. Math., 56(2), 2012.

J. Fowler and C. Ogle. Bounded homotopy theory and the K-theory of weighted complexes. Proc. Steklov Inst. Math., 275(Classical and Contemporary Mathematics in honor of Boris Delone):210--226, 2011.

C. Adams, A. Colestock, J. Fowler, W. Gillam, and E. Katerman. Cusp size bounds from singular surfaces in hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., 358(2):727--741 (electronic), 2006.

C. Adams, A. Colestock, J. Fowler, W. Gillam, and E. Katerman. Cleanliness of geodesics in hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Pacific J. Math., 213(2):201--211, 2004.

Jeremy Brandman, James Fowler, Brian Lins, Ilya Spitkovsky, and Nahum Zobin. Convex hulls of Coxeter groups. In Function spaces, interpolation theory and related topics (Lund, 2000), pages 213--240. de Gruyter, Berlin, 2002.

Other Papers

Robert A. Beezer, Petra Bonfert-Taylor, Sarah Eichhorn, David Farmer, and Jim Fowler. CuratedCourses: A fine-grained educational repository demonstrated with linear algebra resources. IMAGE, (60):26--27, 2018.

J. Fowler, A. Groot, D. Pandya, and B. Snapp. The no-three-in-line problem on a torus. ArXiv 1203.6604, March 2012.

James A. Fowler. Poincare duality groups and homology manifolds. ProQuest LLC, Ann Arbor, MI, 2009. Thesis (Ph.D.)--The University of Chicago.

Talks and Presentations

CAT(0) Square Complexes
Wittenberg University, Mathematics Department Colloquium
April 22, 2019
Webinar on Open Educational Resources in Mathematics
Ohio Mathematics Initiative, Subgroup 3
April 10, 2019
Maximizing Student Outcomes in Flipped Classrooms
Project NExT Workshop on Flipped Classroom
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 19, 2019
Open Resources for the Mathematics Curriculum
MAA Poster Session: Projects Supported bythe NSF Division of Undergraduate Education
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 17, 2019
Putting worksheets on the web with Ximera
Math Colloquium, Kent State University
November 28, 2018
Creating open educational resources as if they were open-source software
Reimagining Math Education, Stevens Institute of Technology
November 2, 2018
Calculus Redesign
Strong Start to Finish Kickoff, Greater Columbus Convention Center
October 5, 2018
Mathematics as collaborative storytelling
Mount Leadership Summit, Ohio State University
September 23, 2018
Mathematics as collaborative storytelling
Mount Leadership Summit, Ohio State University
September 23, 2018
Ximera Imaginarium Presentation
Innovate, Ohio State University
May 11, 2018
Ongoing calculus reforms in the mathematics department
Math Colloquium, Denison University
February 21, 2018
STEAM-powered mathematics
Idea Day
Upper Arlington High School
February 9, 2018
Ongoing calculus reforms in the mathematics department
Center for Life Science Education, Graduate Student Seminar, Ohio State University
February 8, 2018
The STEAM Factory: building a community of engaged academics
Community Engagement Conference
Ohio State University
January 25, 2018
Linear actions of Z/p \times Z/p on Sn \times Sn
AMS Contributed Paper Session on Topology and Geometry
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 12, 2018
Using CuratedCourses to match OER to other OER.
MAA Session on The Advancement of Open Educational Resources
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 12, 2018
Using Ximera to build online interactive math activities
SIGMAA on Mathematics Instruction Using the WEB (WEB SIGMAA) Guest Lecture
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 12, 2018
Open Resources for the Mathematics Curriculum
Poster Session: Projects Supported by the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 11, 2018
The Calculus Knowledge Assessment: an open-source instrument for measuring learning gains in calculus courses
Session on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Collegiate Mathematics
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 10, 2018
Flipping your Mathematics Course using Open Educational Resources
Minicourse
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 10–12, 2018
Ongoing calculus reforms in the mathematics department
Research Initiatives on Student Progress, Ohio State University
December 19, 2017
Using Ximera to build online interactive math activities
Canadian Math Society, Winter 2017 Meeting, Digital Assets in Math Eduation and Outreach
University of Waterloo
December 10, 2017
Talking Points
Ohio Math Initiative
Ohio State University
November 3, 2017
Communications Strategy
External Advisory Board
Ohio State University
October 26, 2017
Ohio Math Initiative and its math pathways
Engineering faculty focus group
Ohio Department of Higher Education
October 2, 2017
word2vec: representing English words as vectors
OSU Radical Pi
October 18, 2017
Folding paper and other math stories
Columbus Science Pub
Backstage Bistro
September 7, 2017
CoCalc and SageMath in service of Ximera
Sage Days: Opening Workshop for a Year of Coding Sprints
University of Minnesota
August 23, 2017
Ximera: Collaboratively teaching calculus with online tools
Ohio PKAL
The University of Findlay
May 20, 2017
Ximera
Collaboration and Commercialization Summit organized by the Ohio State College of Arts and Sciences
May 8, 2017
Multiple interventions for success in calculus
Colloquium
Wright State University
April 21, 2017
Calculus and OMI Update
External Advisory Board
Ohio State University
April 20, 2017
What is Random?
COSI After Dark
Columbus, Ohio
April 6, 2017
Overview of 3-manifold topology
Reading seminar on Agol, Kahn, Markovic, Wise
March 3, 2017
Ohio Math Initiative and its math pathways
Business Cluster Faculty Panel
Ohio Department of Higher Education
Febuary 7, 2017
Calculus Re-design at Ohio State University
Ohio Mathematics Chairs/Leads Network Meeting
Ohio State University
January 20, 2017
Mystery in Mathematics: Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange
Creative Mornings
SparkSpace Columbus
January 13, 2017
Find, Review, Promote: CuratedCourses aligns OER to the course syllabus.
Session on The Advancement of Open Educational Resources
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 7, 2017
Flipping your Linear Algebra Course using Open Educational Resources
Minicourse
Joint Mathematics Meeting
January 4–6, 2017
Ximera: Collaboratively teaching calculus with online tools
Colloquium
Colorado State University
December 2, 2016
Linear actions of Z/p \times Z/p on Sn \times Sn
Rocky Mountain Algebraic Combinatorics Seminar
Colorado State University
December 2, 2016
State of Online Teaching of College Level Mathematics in Ohio
MAA Section Meeting
College of Wooster
October 28–29, 2016
Ximera: open source texts for the open web
Committee on the Advancement of the Learning of Calculus 2
University of Minnesota
October 14, 2016
Calculus Redesign at Ohio State
External Advisory Board
Ohio State University
September 30, 2016
Collaboratively Teaching Calculus with Online Tools
Keynote
eCOTS Regional Conference
May 20, 2016
Ohio's Gateway Mathematics Courses
Bridges to Success Workshop
Ohio Department of Higher Education, Sharonville Convention Center
April 20, 2016
Open and active calculus interventions at Ohio State
Gateway to Mathematical Sciences: Lectures on Instruction
Michigan State University
February 23, 2016
Discussion of Active Learning in Calculus Courses
Ohio Mathematics Chairs/Leads Network Meeting
Ohio State University
January 22, 2016
An Introduction to Ximera
Precalculus and Calculus Innovation Workshop
Northwestern University
November 13–14, 2015
Ximera: Collaboratively Develop Interactive Online Content
Ohio MAA Section CONSACT Workshop
Capital University
October 23–24, 2015
Use Ximera to collaborate on open and interactive texts
Unizin Innovation Summit
Grapevine, Texas
October 8–9 2015
Projective Planes
Minnesota State University, Mankato
October 2, 2015
What's in it for the Professor? A discussion on instructor impact.
Coursera Partners Conference
Newport Beach, California
March 2015
High-dimensional unknotting, Part 1
Invitations to Mathematics
December 3, 2014
High-dimensional unknotting, Part 2
Invitations to Mathematics
December 8, 2014
Shor's algorithm
OSU Quantum Topology Group
November 18, 2014
Rational projective planes
IUPUI Modern Analysis and Geometry Seminar
Indianapolis, Indiana
November 11, 2014
Humanity of Calculus
TEDx Columbus
Riffe Center, Columbus, Ohio
November 7, 2014
Aspherical manifolds that cannot be triangulated
Midwest Topology Seminar
Indianapolis, Indiana
April 19, 2014
Reaching Online Learners: Being Smart Isn't Enough
SXSWedu
Austin, Texas
March 3–6, 2014
Computing in topology and student learning
Job Talk
January 28, 2014
Turbocharging Our MOOCs with Mooculus
EDUCAUSE
Anaheim, California
October 15–18, 2013
Plenary lecture on Desargues' theorem
Undergraduate Mathematics Symposium
University of Illinois at Chicago
October 5, 2013
E-Learning and the MOOCS at OSU
OSURA
Columbus, Ohio
September 26, 2013
Hyperbolic knots and their volumes
OSU Quantum Topology Group
September 10, 2013
Numeric methods in topology
OSU Topology Seminar
November 13, 2012
Manifolds realizing rational homotopy types
AMS Special Session on Interactions Between Geometry and Topology
AMS Fall Central Sectional Meeting
October 20–21, 2012
Rational projective planes
Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México
March 22–24, 2012
Poincaré duality groups
Stratified Spaces: Joining Analysis, Topology and Geometry
Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach
December 11–17, 2011
Remarks on rational homology manifolds
Conference in Geometric Group Theory and related topics
The Ohio State University
May 30–June 3, 2011
Weighted algebraic topology
Geometrical methods in high-dimensional topology
The Ohio State University
May 16–21, 2011
Projective Planes
OSU Radical Pi
April 20, 2011
CAT(0) square complexes
OSU Math Circle
April 17, 2011
B-bounded finiteness
Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference
The University of Texas at Tyler
March 17–19, 2011
B-bounded finiteness
University of Michigan
March 31, 2011
B-bounded finiteness
OSU Topology Seminar
February 15, 2011
A first talk on surgery
OSU Topology Seminar
October 5, 2010
Rational Poincaré duality groups and controlled symmetric signature
Workshop in Geometric Topology
Colorado College
June 10–12, 2010
Rational Poincaré duality groups and controlled symmetric signature
Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference
Mississippi State University
March 18–20, 2010
Rational Poincaré duality and controlled symmetric signature
University of Notre Dame
March 4, 2010
Rational Poincaré duality and controlled symmetric signature
OSU Topology Seminar
March 2, 2010
Dividing a square into triangles of equal-area
OSU Radical Pi
January 13, 2010
Rational Poincaré duality groups
OSU Topology Seminar
November 24, 2009
Rational Poincaré duality groups
Ferryfest
University of Chicago
March 22–24, 2009
Lattices with torsion and rational homology manifolds
Topology of Stratified Spaces
Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
September 8–12, 2008
Double suspensions of homology spheres
Farb and Friends Student Seminar
May 20, 2008
The α-approximation theorem
Farb and Friends Student Seminar
November 4, 2008
Quaternionic toric varieties
Farb and Friends Student Seminar
April 4, 2008
Hyperbolization of polyhedra
Farb and Friends Student Seminar
March 7, 2008
Classifying high-dimensional manifolds
Farb and Friends Student Seminar
October 12, 2007
Wall's finiteness obstruction
Algebraic Topology Proseminar
September 27, 2007
Introduction to Surgery
Algebraic Topology Proseminar
May 29, 2007
PL-unknotting of codimension ≥ 3 knots
Farb and Friends Student Seminar
May 11, 2007
Building Aspherical Manifolds via Davis' Construction
Farb and Friends Student Seminar
January 25, 2007
Approximating L2 invariants by finite-dimensional analogues
L2 Seminar
November 22, 2006
Algebraic topology and distributed computing
Applied algebraic topology seminar
November 2, 2006
The h-cobordism theorem
Shmuel's Student Seminar
March 7, 2005
Wall's finiteness obstruction
Algebraic Topology Proseminar
November 23, 2004
2-adics and equidissections of squares
Pizza Seminar
November 16, 2004
Introduction to characteristic classes
Algebraic Topology Proseminar
October 19, 2004
Dissecting squares into equal-area triangles
Harvard Mathematics Table
October 15, 2002
Bounding the volume of hyperbolic 3-manifolds
Harvard Mathematics Table
October 23, 2001
Clean geodesic journeys through hyperbolic manifolds
MAA MathFest
Madison, Wisconsin
August 3, 2001
Functions growing faster than any computable function
Harvard Mathematics Table
December 12, 2000

Other conferences attended

Ohio OER Grant Summit
North Central State College
October 19, 2017
Making Sense of the Future of Learning
KnowledgeWorks
May 24–25, 2016
Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference
Baylor University
March 10–13, 2016
Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference
Bowling Green State University
May 14–16, 2015
Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics
University of Chicago
September 19–20, 2015
Sage Education Days 5
University of Washington
June 19–21, 2013
Workshop on High Dimensional Topology
University of Notre Dame
December 8–9, 2012
Singularities in Geometry and Topology
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
March 17–20, 2008
AMS Special Session on Geometric Topology
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
March 15–16, 2008
Topological and Geometric Rigidity
Banff International Research Station
July 29–August 3, 2007
Problems in Geometric Group Theory
American Institute of Mathematics
April 23–27, 2007
Nil Phenomena in Topology
Vanderbilt University
April 14–15, 2007
Introductory Workshop on Computational Application of Algebraic Topology
Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
September 5–8, 2006
Conference on Geometric Group Theory
Centre de recherches math'ematiques
July 3–14, 2006
Workshop on Group Actions and Rigidity
University of Hawaii, Manoa
March 20–22, 2006
Ricci Flow, 3-manifolds, and Geometry
Clay Mathematics Institute
June 20–July 15, 2005
Submanifolds, Singular Varieties and Stratified Spaces
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
March 13–16, 2005
Braids, Links, and Mapping Class Groups
Columbia University
March 15–20, 2005
Conference on Low-dimensional topology
University of Virginia
December 15–19, 2004

Professional activities and service

Organize American Institute of Mathematics workshop on interactive assessments in open source textbooks
December 9–13, 2019
The Ohio State University, STEAM Factory, Founding Director, Executive Director
2012–Present
Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference, Steering Commitee
2016–Present
The Ohio State University, Intellectual Property, Patents, and Copyrights Committee, Chairperson
August 2018–June 2019
The Ohio State University, Committee on Distance Education, Libraries, Information Technology, Chairperson
August 2017–June 2018
Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference, Geometric Topology special session organizer, Baylor University
March 10–13, 2016
Spring Topology and Dynamics Conference, Geometric Topology special session organizer, Bowling Green
May 14–16, 2015
Ohio Mathematics Initiative, Subgroup 3: Communications Co-chair
2015–Present
Ohio Mathematics Initiative, Subgroup 3: Communications
2014–Present
The Ohio State University, Committee on Distance Education, Libraries, Information Technology
2014–Present
The Ohio State University, Distance Education Steering Committee
2014–Spring 2015
The Ohio State University, Innovate Conference Advisory Committee
Autumn 2014–Spring 2015
The Ohio State University, ODEE Impact Grant review committee
Autumn 2014
The Ohio State University, New Media in the Classroom
Autumn 2014
The Ohio State University, Intellectual Property, Patents, Copyright Senate Committee Chairperson
August 2015–June 2016
The Ohio State University, Intellectual Property, Patents, Copyright Senate Committee
2013–Present
The Ohio State University, Data Analysis Hiring Committee
2013
The Ohio State University, Special Year in Geometry and Topology, Proceedings Co-editor
2013–2017
The Ohio State University, eLearning Committee
2012–Present
Organized technology enhanced lectures and built mooculus.osu.edu.
The Ohio State University, Topology Seminar Co-Coordinator
2010–Present
Ohio Board of Regents, Ohio Textbook Affordability Summit, Faculty Panelist
September 27, 2013
National Science Foundation, INGenIOuS, Faculty Panelist
May 30, 2013
The Ohio State University, Innovate Conference, MOOC Panelist
March 26, 2013
The Ohio State University, University Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Faculty Panelist
February 20, 2013
The Ohio State University, Special Year in Geometry and Topology, Graduate Student Seminar Organizer
2010–2011
University of Chicago, Directed Reading Program, Committee Member
2006–2009
Paired undergraduates with graduate student mentors; organized undergraduate talks; designed database-driven website to monitor students' progress.
University of Chicago, Center for Teaching and Learning, Panelist
September 2007
September 2008
Moderated a large-group discussion of teaching issues, including initial course design, midquarter course changes, assessment techniques, lecturing styles.

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