Nikolaus Elsaesser

Nikolaus Elsaesser

he/him

I am a 3rd year mathematics PhD student at Oregon State University. My current research interests fall in the realm integrable probability, quantum spin systems, and spintronics.

Teaching

Class Activities

teaching resources, Oregon State University, Mathematics, 2025

As a teaching assistant, I am all too familiar with the situation of asking a question to my students and getting blank stares in return, not even getting looks of confusion or students looking to each other for support; just a quiet, unengaged stare. Though especially prevalent during the AM class times, this dreaded classroom aura transcends the time of day. As a resource for myself and perhaps you, the one reading this, I’ve compiled a list of activities for the classroom that I have become familiar with from other teachers and via the ELITE PD program at OSU to improvement engagement, inclusivity, and equity. I don’t have experience with all of these activities, but I will provide anectodes from my experiences for some of them.

Graduate Assistantship Teaching Appointments

Teaching Appointments, Oregon State University, Mathematics, 2025

This is a collection of my teaching appointments as a graduate assistant in the department of mathematics at Oregon State University. They are sorted in descending order by academic year & term (terms are called by their respective season, i.e. fall, winter, spring, summer). Terms that do not have an associated teaching assignment are terms which I had a research appointment. 4xx/5xx numbered courses are cross-listed undergraduate/graduate courses meaning undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled.

ELITE PD

Professional Development Program, Oregon State University, Mathematics, 2025

Since 2022, I have received training from the Engaged Learning, Inclusive Teaching, and Equity Professional Development program. This is a joint effort from researchers (funded by the NSF) at Oregon State University, Virginia Commenwealth University, and San Diego State University to address concerns in the training that graduate students in mathematics receive. In particular, graduate students typically receive a large amount of training as researchers compared to very little training as educators. However, the majority of these students end up in teaching-heavy roles. Moreover, undergraduate mathematics education is commonly not engaging, inclusive, and equitable. You can find additional info here.