Christina Eubanks-Turner, Ph.D 

Professor of Mathematics, Loyola Marymount Uni

Christina Eubanks -Turner Discussion Guide Questions:

• Do you enjoy puzzles and number games? Do you think you have a “mathematical mind?”

• Christina describes her love of working on math problems as “getting her hands dirty.” What do you think she means by this?

• Christina says her mother encouraged her math abilities with games and puzzles, so that Christina began to understand her mathematically creative way of thinking was an advantage she could apply to a future career. Is there something you do for fun today that you could imagine might lead to a career later? How?

• Several studies show that girls often think boys are naturally smarter at math. Do you think this is true? Why do you think this idea is so widespread?

• Christina describes graduate school as a very challenging time in her life that she got through with the support of her ‘tribe’ of fellow women mathematicians. Do you have a group of friends that help you study difficult subjects? How do you help each other?

• Have you ever had what Christina calls a “Picasso Moment” solving a math problem? Does math feel like a creative form of expression to you? What does Christina mean when she says there can be different creative paths to solving the same math problem?



• How important is an understanding of mathematics to the jobs of the future? What are some of the careers that require good math skills?