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Photo of Laura E. Turner, Ph.D.

Laura Turner, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor

Department: Mathematics

Office: James and Marlene Howard Hall 245

Office Hours: Mondays 3:00-4:00pm
Tuesdays 11:00am-12:00pm
Wednesdays 10:00-11:00am
(via Zoom)

Phone: 732-571-4451

Email: lturner@monmouth.edu


Education

Ph.D., Aarhus University

MSc, Simon Fraser University

BSc, Acadia University

Research Interests

The History of Mathematics

Photo of a telegram note
Telegram sent to the secretary of the first Scandinavian Congress of Mathematicians, held in Stockholm in 1909

My research treats the history of mathematics in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In my work, I focus on not only the origin, evolution, and reception of mathematical ideas, but also on how mathematics is communicated (and to whom, and why), and the different ways in which mathematics is impacted by broader cultural, social, and political issues. I am particularly interested in the history of complex analysis in the advent of set theory; the histories of mathematical journals and congresses; the history of women in mathematics; and the internationalization and nationalization of mathematics around the time of the First World War.

More recently, I have been working on a project involving the origins of our axioms for various mathematical structures, and a related project concerning the ways in which axiom systems are connected to broader educational concerns in the early 1900s. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of mathematics, don’t hesitate to stop by my office!

Courses

Recently Taught Classes

2024 Fall

2024 Spring

  • History of Mathematics – MA 325
  • Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving – MA 100

2023 Fall

  • Calculus With Analytic Geometry I – MA 125
  • Number Systems – MA 205
  • Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving – MA 100

2023 Spring

  • Foundations of Elementary Mathematics II – MA 204
  • History of Mathematics – MA 325
  • Linear Algebra – MA 221

2022 Fall

  • Calculus With Analytic Geometry II – MA 126
  • Foundations of Elementary Mathematics I – MA 203

2022 Spring

  • Calculus With Analytic Geometry II – MA 126
  • Foundations of Elementary Mathematics I – MA 203
  • History of Mathematics – MA 325

2021 Fall

  • Calculus With Analytic Geometry I – MA 125
  • Foundations of Elementary Mathematics II – MA 204
  • Linear Algebra – MA 221

2021 Spring

  • Calculus With Analytic Geometry II – MA 126
  • Foundations of Elementary Mathematics II – MA 204
  • History of Mathematics – MA 325

Frequently Taught Classes

  • Applied Discrete Mathematics (MA 130)
  • Calculus With Analytic Geometry I (MA 125)
  • Calculus With Analytic Geometry II (MA 126)
  • Foundations of Elementary Mathematics I (MA 203)
  • Foundations of Elementary Mathematics II (MA 204)
  • History of Mathematics (MA 325)
  • Linear Algebra (MA 221)
  • Number Systems (MA 205)
  • Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving (MA 100)