Mathematics Undergraduate Group

The Mathematics Undergraduate Group

The Mathematics Undergraduate Group (MUG) is a team of dedicated lecturers specializing in the education of students in post-secondary mathematics. The MUG supports students across campus as they make the leap from high school to university level mathematics and throughout their undergraduate careers. We bring together strong and varied backgrounds across STEM fields, along with a common passion for sharing our joy of mathematics.

Our Mission

To help our undergraduate students grow into their full potential as learners, develop academic confidence and a sense of belonging, and meet the University’s high standards of academic excellence by educating, advising, encouraging, and supporting our diverse community in the transition to post-secondary mathematics and beyond.

Our Vision

To grow and establish the MUG as a hub for excellence in teaching, course coordination, course design, and academic advising within the university community.

Our Commitment to Teaching Excellence and Student Success

While individual duties vary, the following activities outline our commitment to teaching excellence and student success at the University of Waterloo.

Teaching and coordinating courses

Members of the MUG teach and coordinate a substantial portion of faculty core and service courses. Our extensive experience in teaching and coordination orients our pedagogical choices to the benefit of our students’ learning and growth. Working as a team, we ensure a consistent academic experience throughout multi-section courses and across semesters. We foster collegiality and are available to serve as mentors to teaching assistants and fellow instructors.

Designing courses and developing digital assets

We design our courses and instruction to motivate, excite, and spark mathematical thinking within the undergraduate student community. Through extensive collaboration, we incorporate evidence-based techniques and develop and share best practices in student-centred learning. The MUG is dedicated to the advancement of high-quality online and blended learning in undergraduate mathematics. We design and develop digital assets and provide support for the online components of mathematics courses.

Advising, mentoring, and supporting students

We play a central role in advising, encouraging, and supporting math students throughout their academic journeys. Much like our teaching, our advising is student-centred: we are devoted to guiding students in their growth as individuals and as learners and help to instil in them a sense of belonging to the mathematical community. As advisors, we are knowledgeable about university policies, and students can rely on us to inform their academic decisions. As mentors, we understand the unique needs of each individual student and provide a safe space for them to seek advice, receive encouragement, and ask for support.

Building connections across campus

We build strong connections with students, faculty, and staff. Our excellence in teaching mathematics is recognized across campus, and we are proud to educate students from all six faculties of the university. These cross-disciplinary interactions allow us to develop and share a comprehensive view of the importance of mathematics and its intersections with other fields.

Future of the MUG

Our hope is to grow and establish the MUG as a hub for excellence in teaching, course coordination, course design, and academic advising within the university community. We will embrace new approaches to teaching and advising that best meet the diverse needs of our students throughout their academic journeys. We will maintain our commitment to teaching excellence for both in-person and online instruction and continue our support of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and fellow Faculty members in achieving their teaching goals.


Meet the Lecturers

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Burcu Tuncer Karabina (she/her)

Burcu has a B.Sc in Mathematics from Bogazici University in Turkey and an M.Math in Pure Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.

btkarabina@uwaterloo.ca

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Andrew Beltaos (he/him/his)

Andrew has a B.Sc in Mathematical Physics and an M.Sc in Mathematical Biology from the University of Alberta.

abeltaos@uwaterloo.ca

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Zack Cramer (he/him)

Zack has a B.Math in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Windsor and an M.Math and PhD in Pure Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.

zcramer@uwaterloo.ca

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Anton Mosunov (he/him)

Anton has a B.Sc and M.Sc in Applied Mathematics from ITMO University in Russia, an M.Sc in Computer Science from the University of Calgary and a PhD in Pure Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.

amosunov@uwaterloo.ca

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Eddie Dupont (he/him)

Eddie has a B.Math and an M.Math in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.

edupont@uwaterloo.ca

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Sean Speziale (he/him)

Sean has a B.Math and PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.

sspeziale@uwaterloo.ca

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Faisal al Faisal

Faisal has a BMath and MMath in Pure Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and a PhD from the University of Toronto.

faisal.al.faisal@uwaterloo.ca

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Ryan Trelford

Ryan has a B.Sc and M.Sc in Mathematics from the University of Alberta and a PhD in Pure Mathematics from the University of Calgary.

r2trelford@uwaterloo.ca

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Jordan Hamilton (he/him)

Jordan has a B.Sc from the University of Calgary, an M.Math and a PhD in Pure Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.

j4hamilton@uwaterloo.ca

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Graeme Turner (he/him)

Graeme has a B.Sc in Pure Mathematics from Memorial University of Newfoundland, an M.Math in Pure Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and a PhD in Mathematics from Carleton University.

g3turner@uwaterloo.ca

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Dan Wolczuk

Dan has a B.Sc in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Northern British Columbia and an M.Math in Pure Mathematics from the University of Waterloo. Currently, Dan is the Director of Mathematical Studies.

dan.wolczuk@uwaterloo.ca