Year’s Top Mathematics Educators Honored by MAA

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The top mathematics educators were honored by the Mathematical Association of America for their dedication to teaching and engaging students during MAA MathFest in Denver on Aug. 3. The awards recognize excellence in mathematics teaching and the authors of education materials used in the classroom.

“The MAA is pleased to honor the work of these top educators. Their work exemplifies MAA's values, and through the open exchange of ideas on teaching and learning, helps support our mission to advance the understanding of mathematics and its impact on our world,” said Michael Pearson, executive director of the MAA.

Each year the MAA honors beginning college or university faculty whose teaching has been highly effective and successful in undergraduate mathematics. This year the Henry L. Alder Award winners are:

The Mary P. Dolciani Award winner is Al Cuoco, Distinguished Scholar at Education Development Center, for his contributions to mathematics education, especially the highly original and highly mathematical nature of these contributions to mathematics education and the national stature of his programs.

The Daniel Solow Author’s Award is a new recognition for author(s) of undergraduate mathematics teaching materials. For their textbook, Introduction to Statistical Investigations, this year’s recipients of the Solow Award are Nathan Tintle, Dordt College; Beth Chance, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; George Cobb, Mt. Holyoke College; Allan Rossman, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; Soma Roy, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; Todd Swanson, Hope College; and Jill VanderStoep, Hope College.

The Selden Prize for Research is awarded for a significant record of published research in undergraduate mathematics education. This year’s Selden Prize winner is Elise Lockwood of Oregon State University for her publication record and her conclusions about the role of example-based reasoning that focuses on sets of outcomes in providing insights to combinatorics tasks.