Principal Investigators

John Paul Cook

Associate Professor, Oklahoma State University, Dept. of Mathematics

  • Dr. Cook earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Oklahoma in 2012. Dr. Cook's research program centers on investigating how students think about and learn concepts in abstract algebra. Particularly, he is interested  in developing models of student thinking about particular concepts in abstract algebra, and then designing instructional sequences that are compatible with and leverage these ways of thinking. His other research endeavors include the mathematical preparation of pre-service teachers and the efficacy of the co-requisite instruction model.

  • Email: cookjp@okstate.edu

    University affiliate website: https://experts.okstate.edu/cookjp/

Elise Lockwood

Associate Professor, Oregon State University, Dept. of Mathematics

  • Dr. Lockwood earned her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the Portland State University in 2011 under the supervision of Sean Larsen. Dr. Lockwood's primary research interest involves undergraduate mathematics education, particularly studying how students think about and learn combinatorial topics. She has put forth a model of student's combinatorial thinking that especially emphasizes the role of sets of outcomes in effective counting. Other research in this area includes exploring student-generated connections among counting problems through a lens of actor-oriented transfer and determining the effectiveness of systematic listing in counting. Through two NSF-funded grants, she is currently investigating students’ generalizing activity as they solve advanced counting problems, and she is studying ways in which having students engage in computational activity can help them solve counting problems more successfully. Two additional collaborations and areas of research include studying the role of examples in proof and considering the relationship between mathematical content and mathematical practices at all levels.

Zackery Reed

Assistant Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Dept. of STEM Education

  • Dr. Reed earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Oregon State University in 2018 under the supervision of Elise Lockwood. He studies student thinking and learning. Dr. Reed is currently focused on exploring productive ways to leverage technology to support students’ development of productive mathematical meanings.

  • Email: reedz@erau.edu

    University affiliate website: https://faculty.erau.edu/Zackery.Reed

Graduate Student Researchers

Hudson Payne

Graduate Student, Oklahoma State University, Dept. of Mathematics

  • Hudson Payne is a mathematics doctoral student at Oklahoma State University working under the supervision of John Paul Cook. He received his M.S. in Mathematics from Oklahoma State University in 2024 under the supervision of John Paul Cook. His current work investigates how students use equivalence relations in problem solving.

April Richardson

Graduate Student, Oklahoma State University, Dept. of Mathematics

  • April Richardson is a mathematics doctoral student at Oklahoma State University working under the supervision of John Paul Cook. She received her M.S. in Mathematics from Oklahoma State University in 2020 under the supervision of Melissa Mills. Her current work investigates the connections students attend to when working with equivalence relations.