Certificates of
Meritorious Service
1987 Joseph Hashisaki, Western Washington University
(posthumously)
1991 Calvin T. Long, Washington State University
1996 Donald W. Bushaw, Washington State University
2001 Kenneth A. Ross, University of Oregon
2006 Marjorie Enneking, Portland State University
1987 Joseph Hashisaki, Western
Washington University (posthumously)
The first sectional Certificate for
Meritorious Service was presented in 1987 to Joseph Hashisaki
posthumously. His widow Mary Jane and his
daughter Susan attended the award ceremony in San Antonio. The following citation was written by
sectional Governor D. George McRae:
Starting
with humble beginnings in rural eastern Montana Joseph Hashisaki grew to a man
of outstanding mathematical stature in the Pacific Northwest and the nation.
After
his undergraduate studies in mathematics at the University of Montana
(Missoula) and his service in the Pacific front during World War II, he
received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He served on the mathematics faculty at the
University of Montana from 1953 to 1962, before moving to Western Washington
University (Bellingham) to become chairman of the mathematics department. At Bellingham he provided the leadership to
develop and strengthen the undergraduate and graduate programs in
mathematics. His book on the Theory of Arithmetic (co-authored with John Peterson) became a
benchmark in the training of elementary teachers across the land. In the early 1970's, he was the founding
editor of the Two Year College
Mathematics Journal (now the MAA's College Mathematics Journal ). Always a strong supporter of MAA, Joe served
on numerous committees and task forces.
But
to the many that knew him personally, probably the most memorable aspect of his
life was his infectious enthusiasm for mathematics. Through his unselfish caring and
encouragement he influenced a large number of young people to become
professional mathematicians. Many a
young mathematics student went to that first mathematics meeting or presented
that first paper because of the gentle persuasion of this fine teacher.
On January 2, 1986, the mathematical community lost one
of its finest members.
1991 Calvin T. Long, Washington State
University
The second sectional Certificate for
Meritorious Service was presented at the San Francisco meeting in January 1991
to Calvin T. Long, Washington State University.
The citation was written and presented by sectional Governor Norman F.
Lindquist:
In
1955, after studying with Ivan Niven, Calvin T. Long received his Ph.D. from
the University of Oregon. The following
year he joined the faculty at Washington State University where he continues to
teach with distinction. He served as
Chair of Section (1967-1968) and as Governor (1982-1985). In addition, he has served on several
committees and panels for the Section and has advised the Washington state
government on mathematics education.
Moreover, he has led many projects for the improvement of mathematics
education, including securing grants for inservice training of mathematics
teachers.
For more than thirty years, Professor Long has delivered
lectures and colloquia at colleges and high schools, stimulating the
imagination and curiosity of both students and teachers.
1996 Donald W. Bushaw, Washington
State University
The third sectional Certificate for
Meritorious Service was presented at the January 1996 meeting in Orlando,
Florida, to Donald W. Bushaw of Washington State University. Here is the citation.
Professor
Donald W. Bushaw attended public schools in Bremerton, Washington, graduating
from high school in 1943. His
undergraduate studies were done at the State College of Washington (now
Washington State University). He
received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1952. His dissertation, under the direction of
Solomon Lefschetz, was a pioneering study which opened up the new mathematical
discipline of control theory. He
returned to Washington State University in 1952, starting as an instructor and
steadily climbing the academic ladder to the rank of full professor in
1962. He has taught a wide variety of
mathematics courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, but his
interests are not limited to mathematics.
He taught a course in Eastern Civilization for the Honors Program at
Washington State University and participated in graduate seminars in English
and Foreign Languages. He has used his
extraordinary linguistic abilities to translate a number of books and research
articles in a variety of languages, including Russian and Chinese.
Don
has contributed in many ways to the MAA and the mathematics community, serving
as a Visiting Lecturer, to both colleges and high schools, and on numerous
committees and panels on curricular reform at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels. From 1970 to 1973, he was a
member of the MAA’s Board of Governors and was nominated three times for the
presidency of the Association. He served
on the Board of Editors for The College Mathematics Journal, has been a
consultant to many colleges and universities, and has been a member of
accreditation teams for as many as five institutions. Don has contributed extensively as a referee
and reviewer of books, articles and grant proposals. In 1987 he was named honorary member of the
Polish Mathematical Society, and later led a delegation on University
Mathematics Education to China.
Professor
Bushaw is widely recognized as an exceptionally gifted writer and speaker. Among his writings are research papers on
control theory, differential equations, topology, and mathematical economics as
well as many papers dealing with mathematics education, the history of
mathematics and mathematical biographies.
The Pacific Northwest Section is honored to recognize
Professor Bushaw with the MAA Certificate for Meritorious Service.
2001 Kenneth A. Ross, University of
Oregon
The Pacific Northwest Section
of the Mathematical Association of America is both pleased and honored to
nominate Kenneth A. Ross for a Certificate of Meritorious Service. Diligence
has marked Ken's 37 years of service to the MAA at every level from local
arrangements chair for sectional meetings to the presidency of the Association.
He is known to everyone as a gifted mathematics educator, as an inspired leader
who, with wisdom and wit, has led the Association through challenging times,
and for his tireless attention to the kind of detail that promotes efficacy in
a large and complex organization.
Professor Ross first served the PNW section as local
arrangements chairman for the national August 1984 meetings held in Eugene and
has continued as a counselor and informal member of the executive committee
ever since. He was local arrangements chairman also for the sectional AMS-MAA
meeting held in June 1994. On the national level Ken has been a member
(sometimes ex officio) of the Local Arrangements Committee for every national
meeting from 1984 through 1993. Most notably he has served the Association as
Associate Secretary, Secretary, and President and as a member of the Board of
Governors continuously since 1984. Ken has served on many committees within the
Association covering issues such as meetings and membership, awards and prizes,
publications and editorial policy, and myriad governance issues such as
Finance, Bylaws, and the Executive Committees. One of his most notable
contributions was his diplomatic\ and intelligent leadership as chair of the
MAA Response Group on the NCTM Standards.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response from Professor Ross
I truly appreciate and am
honored that the Pacific Northwest Section has selected me for this award. I am
also a bit embarrassed. On at least two occasions the section wanted to give
this award to Ivan Niven and asked me what I thought. I said, "No, this is
really an award designed to honor the unsung heroes of the sections who may not
be widely known in the MAA. Their local efforts make the MAA strong." No
one asked my opinion this time! Ivan was a great champion of the Pacific
Northwest Section who certainly deserved this award and I would like to share
it, spiritually, with him today. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with my
colleagues and friends in the Pacific Northwest and thank them again for the
honor.
2006 Marjorie Enneking, Portland
State University
It is a pleasure to nominate
Marj Enneking for the MAA’s Certificate of Meritorious Service. Marj Enneking has a long history of loyal and
helpful service to the Pacific Northwest Section of the MAA. She was Vice Chair of four-year colleges from
1980-1981, section Chair from 1983-1985, and section Governor from
2000-2003. She served the section well
in all of these important leadership roles.
She is a very active participant at section meetings and her presence at
these annual events takes many forms.
She’s led panel discussions on topics from “Issues in K-12 Education” to
“Family Issues” and spoken about the importance of universal participation in
preparation of future teachers. After
her time in Washington D.C. as an NSF Program Director, she shared with the
section much valuable information by leading a minicourse on writing grant
proposals. We know from direct
experience that Marj’s advice, encouragement, and grant-writing wisdom has
helped our section in obtaining NSF funds for curriculum improvement. There are undoubtedly many in the section who
owe her a round of heartfelt applause.
She
was also supportive of our section NExT during its early years. As a consultant, she spent valuable time
talking with our new NExT fellows and encouraging them in their academic plans
and her active participation at our meetings was always appreciated.
As
her voluminous service record and accomplishments are of the highest order, the
Pacific Northwest Section is proud to nominate Marj Enneking for the MAA's
Certificate of Meritorious
Service.
Award for
Distinguished Teaching of Mathematics
1992 André Yandl, Seattle University
1993 Jack Robertson, Washington State University
1994 Millie Johnson, Western Washington State University
1995 Richard M. Koch, University of Oregon
1996 Janet Ray, Seattle Central Community College
1997 Brian Wick, University of Alaska - Anchorage
1999 Ping-Tung Chang, Matanuska-Susitna College,
University of Alaska-Anchorage
2001 Bruce Lind and Ron VanEnkevort, University of Puget
Sound
2002 Andrew Chang-Fung Liu, University of Alberta**
** Andy Liu was awarded the national Haimo Teaching
Award in January 2004
2003 Steven A. Bleiler, Portland State University
2004 Douglas F. Mooers, Whatcom Community College
2005 Chris Meyers, Pacific Lutheran University
2006 James A. Morrow, University of Washington**
** James Morrow was awarded the national Haimo
Teaching Award in January 2008
2007 Duane DeTemple, Washington State University
2008 No Award for Distinguished Teaching of Mathematics.
1992 André Yandl, Seattle University
The citation honoring Dr. Yandl appeared
in the Spring 1992 newsletter and was written by Ivan Niven. The central paragraph is:
A member of the mathematics department at Seattle
University for thirty-six years, Yandl is acclaimed by his colleagues in the
Seattle area as a devoted, enthusiastic, and hard-working teacher. He was the first recipient of the Outstanding
Teacher Award by the Associated Students of his institution. The students, including majors outside
mathematics, are impressed with his interest in getting them to appreciate
mathematical ideas. He arrives at the
Student Union at 7:00 a.m. to answer questions on mathematics for present and
former students. His students comment on
his practicality in his approach to mathematics, as well as his sense of
humor. One student wrote that "he
was pretty funny, even when he wasn't trying to be." In a recent survey of all former mathematics
majors in the department of mathematics at Seattle University, a significant
number of alumni stated that courses taught by Dr. Yandl were ones that were
most beneficial in their professional lives, and that his support and
encouragement were important to their professional development. He has encouraged the gifted students to
continue on to the Ph.D. degree. His
students have earned doctorates at various universities, including Stanford,
Wisconsin and Princeton, as well as the Universities of Washington and Oregon
in the Northwest.
1993 Jack Robertson, Washington State
University
The second sectional Award for
Distinguished was presented to Jack Robertson at Washington State
University. The award was announced in
the Spring 1993 issue of the section newsletter. Here are some excerpts:
Jack M. Robertson of Washington State University received
the section’s 1993 Distinguished Teaching Award and recognizes him for
sustained excellence in mathematics instruction over twenty-eight years at the
college and high school levels.
Robertson’s numerous contributions include the direction of NSF-funded
summer institutes for secondary teachers and development of major curriculum
materials for high school and college.
The institutes have helped secondary teachers expand their knowledge
base and earn advanced degrees. Robertson went to WSU in 1964 after completing
his doctorate at the University of Utah.
He has served as president of the Washington State Mathematics Council,
member of the MAA Placement Exam Committee, and member of the Research Advisory
Committee of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. In addition, he has been a consultant on
instructional content to school districts as far away as Hawaii and Texas. Robertson’s contributions to teaching
excellence are broad and deep. He has
developed and used pioneering teaching techniques worldwide, including
Australia and New Zealand. He has
presented concepts such as “fair division” in settings ranging from first grade
classrooms through sponsorship of Ph.D. dissertations. On the “Jim French Radio Talk Show” in
Seattle, he talked for an hour explaining the problems underlying fair
representation and apportionment. In
1982 and 1983 Robertson was chosen to present the mathematics component of an
institute funded by the Council of Energy Resource Tribes for students from a
number of Native American high schools across the country. His presentations of solid material to a
unique audience were highly successful and stand out, in the opinion of the
directors of the institute, as one of the institute’s major successes.
1994 Millie Johnson, Western
Washington State University
At the 1994 Eugene meeting, the third
sectional Distinguished Teaching Award was presented to Millie Johnson of
Western Washington University. A full
report appears in the Fall 1994 issue of the section newsletter. Here are some comments from one student:
Everyone encounters a few precious experiences in their
lifetime that permanently shift the course of their lives. I experienced one such shift in Millie
Johnson’s calculus class. ... What
brought on this change in perspective?
The answer lies not in the specific material that we covered in class,
but in this remarkable woman whose innovative teaching methods demanded that we
not only skim the surface of the subject, learning the rules and formulas, but
that we dive into the material, investigating the “what’s” and the “why’s” and,
perhaps most importantly, learning the joys of mathematical investigation
itself.
1995 Richard M. Koch, University of
Oregon
At the 1995 Walla Walla meeting, Richard
M. Koch of the University of Oregon was presented the fourth sectional
Distinguished Teaching Award. An article
is in the Fall 1995 issue of the section newsletter. Here are some excerpts:
So what makes his teaching so great? First, animation!
This guy is so excited about opening
the doors to the beauty of mathematics that students fight to be in his
classroom. Second, unfailing Respect for Students. He never assumes students are dumb if they
ask naive or elementary questions. Rather
he sees questions as opportunities to travel with students on a road to reveal
more and more mathematics.
1996 Janet Ray, Seattle Central
Community College
The section’s fifth Distinguished
Teaching Award was presented to Janet Perry Ray of Seattle Central Community
College. The citation, which was written
by Elaine Deutschman at the Oregon Institute of Technology, appeared in the
Spring 1996 issue of the section newsletter.
A key paragraph is the following.
Janet has been a full-time mathematics instructor at SCCC
since 1966, participating at all levels of the curriculum from developmental
mathematics to differential equations.
Students praise her innovative approaches to mathematical concepts, her
respect for them regardless of their mathematical prowess, and her high
standards for student work. Her
colleagues speak of her as inspirational, generous with materials and ideas
she’s developed, and tireless in her search for new ways to help students
learn. She enjoys a great deal of
goodwill amongst mathematics educators in the northwest and nationally.
1997 Brian Wick, University of Alaska
– Anchorage
The section’s sixth Distinguished
Teaching Award was presented to Brian Wick of the University of Alaska –
Anchorage. In 1972, Dr. Wick was the first
professor of mathematics hired by the institution. The citation includes the following.
Dr. Wick’s abilities as an instructor have drawn
accolades from students who describe him as “stimulating as well as
motivating.” He is credited with having
been “personally responsible for many students’ decisions to pursue a career in
mathematics.” In the land of the “Last
Frontier” students have encountered a fellow traveler in the educational arena
who believes that there is no final frontier but rather infinite frontiers to
explore and discover together.
1999 Ping-Tung Chang,
Matanuska-Susitna College, University of Alaska-Anchorage
The section’s seventh Distinguished
Teaching Award was presented to Professor Ping-Tung Chang of Matanuska-Susitna
College, University of Alaska-Anchorage.
It is possible that this is the first such sectional award in the
country where the winner was nominated by students.
For most of his more than thirty years of teaching
mathematics Professor Chang has taken a special interest in the challenge of
communicating mathematics to the widest possible audience. He has published papers on teacher
preparation and strategies for dealing with math anxiety. Ten years ago when he went to the Mat-Su
branch as the only full-time math faculty member, he had to confront the full
spectrum of this challenge. Professor
Chang became well-known among the elementary and secondary mathematics teachers
of the area. In addition to promoting a
Math Club at the Mat-Su branch, he inspired the club to serve as tutors for
secondary students. Professor Chang is
widely praised for the support and encouragement he provides to students
whether they are working at the remedial level or preparing for advanced
studies. He is known to be available for
help from early to late and even on Saturdays and Sundays. Perhaps the most dramatic indication of the
respect won by his efforts is the fact that his nomination for the
distinguished teaching award was prepared by the Mat-Su math club.
2001 Bruce Lind and Ron VanEnkevort,
University of Puget Sound
The section's eighth Distinguished Teaching Award was presented to
two professors at the University of Puget Sound, Ronald L. Van Enkevort and R.
B. (Bruce) Lind. Here is the citation for this teaching award.
Bruce Lind and Ron VanEnkevort of the University of Puget Sound
are the co-winners of the 2001 Distinguished Teaching Award for the PNW section
of MAA. Lind and VanEnkevort received their awards at the closing banquet of
this year's PNW-MAA section meeting at Seattle Pacific University.
Bruce Lind received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in
1972 and began his teaching career when he joined the faculty of UPS. His
wide-ranging activities at UPS include running the statistics program
(including preparing undergraduates for the actuarial exams), and supporting
the Academic Challenge program, which encourages disadvantaged area youth to
pursue a college education by providing summer activities in science and
mathematics on the UPS campus.
Ron VanEnkevort began teaching as a high school teacher in the
Tri-Cities area. He earned a Ph.D. in Number Theory from Oregon State
University and joined UPS in 1971. One of VanEnkevort's passions is the
preparation of future elementary and secondary teachers.
Both Lind and
VanEnkevort have served as department chair during times of fast growth and new
programs in mathematics at UPS. Their support for summer student research
projects, the development of the computerscience curriculum, and their support
for other faculty at SPU have earned them then lasting respect of their
colleagues. Lind and VanEnkevort will each retire at the end of this academic
year.
2002 Andrew Chang-Fung Liu,
University of Alberta
Andy Liu was awarded the
national Haimo Teaching Award in January 2004
At
the national meeting in Phoenix, in January 2004, Andy Liu received the
national MAA Debbie Haimo Teaching Award.
Here is the citation.
Andrew
Liu’s popularity as a teacher reflects the enormous energy he expends on
teaching, his ability to make mathematics fun, his uncanny sense fo good
problems, and his personal interest in his students. His outstanding reputation as consummate
mathematics educator is documented by two teaching awards from his own
University of Alberta, two Canadian national teaching awards, a 3M Teaching
Fellowship, and the David Hilbert International award for promotion of
mathematics learning from the World Federation of Mathematics Competitions.
At
Alberta, he designed a unique course in discrete mathematics in which students
must solve puzzles from D. Shasha’ “The Puzzling Adventures of Dr. Ecco,”
supplemented by Liu’s own “Professor Scarlet’s Notebook.” Once they understand a puzzle solution, the mathematics that underlies the
solution is developed. This challenging
course has grown from a single class of 20 to two sections topping 110
students. He maintains close ties with
colleagues in the Faculty of Education (he holds a certificate in elementary
teaching as well as a Ph.D. in mathematics), and designed their course required
for all students majoring in elementary education.
Andy’s
desire to excite students about mathematics takes many forms. In Edmonton, he is a popular speaker in
schools, has organized math fairs, and directed summer mathematics camps. For years he has drawn groups of enthusiastic
junior high students to his free weekly Saturday Math Club. He lures them with tantalizing problems (many
original and unsolved) and encourages their own ingenuity in solving them. Locally, nationally, and internationally, he
is a devoted supporter of mathematics competitions, serving as coach and leader
for Putnam and IMO teams, chair of the Problem Section of the IMO, and
vice-president of the international Mathematics Tournament of the Towns.
Andy
gladly shares his ideas in teaching, his problems, and interesting student
solutions (which are frequently published in journals). He maintains informal mailing lists, has
served as editor for two volumes of articles prepared for teachers of gifted
high school students, and has collected 16 published articles by his young
Saturday Math Club students in the S.M.A.R.T. “Analogy” to share with teachers.
For his remarkable teaching on
so many fronts, it is a great pleasure to award Andy Liu the Deborah and
Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of
Mathematics.
2003 Steven A. Bleiler, Portland
State University
Here is the citation for his award. Steve Bleiler is the quintessential teacher. He attracts, inspires, and nurtures students
at all levels. He is an enthusiastic
ambassador to the high school, an inspiring instructor in the classroom
lighting the fire of learning, and a guide to the graduate students who set out
on mathematical journeys of exploration.
Steve Bleiler is a natural speaker. He is an engaging performer whose
wit and delivery captures audiences and leaves them with a sense of wonder for
the beauty of mathematics. He is just as
comfortable talking about the topology of horse saddles to groups of high
school students in rural Oregon as he is talking about more arcane topics in
geometric topology to an audience of professional mathematicians at an
international congress. A performer,
educator, inspiring force, and enthusiastic colleague, Steve Bleiler embodies the
love of mathematics that drives all of us.
2004 Douglas F. Mooers, Whatcom
Community College
Doug Mooers concentrates on
student needs, invites independent thinking, and stimulates curiosity in
mathematics. Many students who attend
community colleges must overcome tremendous barriers to reach their educational
goals; for some, it takes a special instructor to awaken their confidence and
build their knowledge – Doug Mooers makes a difference in many of their
lives. Doug holds students to high academic
standards while he models a strong, positive work ethic. The students express it best: “Doug brings a ray of light to the subject of
math by his kindness, knowledge, commitment, and understanding.” “I am a returning student after dropping out
of high school twelve years ago with terrible math anxiety. But now, I love coming to class. His teaching methods and sense of humor are
great. When it comes to test time, I
feel very prepared.” “Doug creates an
ideal atmosphere for learning the difficult subject of calculus. Simply put – he is the best math teacher I’ve
had in all the mathematics courses I’ve taken over the years.” “As an International student, I have trouble
understanding some teachers. Mr. Mooers
makes learning easy. His lecture is clear
and precise. He leads us into the heart
of the problem and explains every step.
But, the best part of the lecture is his humor. He uses different accents (i.e., British, tax
collector, rascal,...) to attract our attention and ease the atmosphere. His way of teaching is invincible.”
Doug has distinguished himself
as a master teacher, an innovator, a leader among faculty, and an inspiration
to many people. The broad scope of Doug
Mooer’s influence is astonishing. While
his teaching effectiveness and influence beyond Whatcom Community College is
well-documented, the excitement and curiosity about mathematics that he
generates among his students is truly inspirational.
2005 Chris Meyer, Pacific Lutheran
University
Chris has a solid teaching
record that has spanned more than 30 years at PLU. He has led seminars on pedagogy within the
department and often spoken on pedagogical issues. He is known for using interesting and
innovative material in his lectures. He
often makes "gadgets" that demonstrate points in lecture. For example, he once built a transparent
water tray that he could put on an overhead projector to demonstrate wave
action. He often uses visual aids many
of which he makes. He has produced his
own materials when he finds available texts lacking, including a book
(unpublished) on matrix algebra and substantial material on logic and
proof. His contributions outside PLU can
be seen in the impact of his students on the community. For example, one is dean of the school of
science at a local community college.
2006 James (Jim) A. Morrow,
University of Washington
(excerpts from “Mathematical
Matters,” February 2007, article by Yves Nievergelt) Jim is an MAA member who has been for several
decades a world-class researcher in pure complex analysis, a world-class
researcher in applied impedance tomography, and a world-class teacher and
mentor of young students from high school pupils to undergraduates and doctoral
candidates in mathematics.
With a Ph.D. from Stanford in 1967, Jim taught two years
at Berkeley and then was appointed at the University of Washington in
1969. A decade later, two junior
colleagues, John Sylvester and Gunther Uhlmann, had just published a
groundbreaking result on smooth impedance computed tomography in the Annals of Mathematics. In this context, with a grant from the
National Science Foundation, and at first with his colleague Edward (Ed) B.
Curtis, Jim started a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
program on discrete impedance computed tomography, a problem which would be
more suitable to students, but about which one knew next to nothing: can one
determine all the resistors hidden inside a network, from potentials and
currents on the network surface only?
Starting with the program’s first summer in 1988, outstanding
participants include Thaddeus Edens, David Ingerman (now an Assistant Professor
at MIT), Edith Mooers, Amanda Mueller, Olga Simek (now a professor at Kent
State University) and Laura Smithies.
By the turn of the millenium, new results found by
participating undergraduates were presented at the International Congress on
Applied Mathematics at Edinburgh, Scotland, and edited into the definitive book
on discrete inverse problems.
Demonstrating the influence of Jim’s REU program abroad, 2005
participant Eliana Hechter received a Rhodes Scholarship to pursue a doctorate
in mathematics at Oxford, where 2002 participant Jeffrey Giansiricusa is also
completing his dissertation in algebraic topology.
Besides leading his REU program alone, Jim also prepares
students for the world-wide Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM). From 2002-2005, Jim has advised two teams a
year. In 2002, one team won an
Outstanding Award and the SIAM Award for Problem A; the other team won a
Meritorious Award for Problem B (among a total of 525 teams). In 2003, one team won an Outstanding Award
and MAA Award for Problem A; the other won an Outstanding Award and the INFORMS
Award for Problem B (among 492 teams).
In 2004, one team won an Outstanding Award for Problem A; the other team
won a Meritorious Award for Problem B (among a total of 600 teams). As an omen of 2005, Jim’s very young
colleague Rekha Thomas advised a third team, who won a Meritorious Award. Jim also helped coached a team advised by
Rekha Thomas. That team won an
Outstanding Award and the INFORMS Award.
Since 1994, Jim has also been organizing single handedly
a spring break Mathday which attracts 1200 high school students to campus. In 2005, under Jim’s leadership, they come
not only from the Pacific Northwest, but from as far away as the Republic of
South Africa. Jim now also organizes a
Summer Institute which brings together 24 high school students from the United
States and Canada for six weeks at the University of Washington. In recognition of his international teaching
reputation, in 2005 Jim won the Education Prize from the Pacific Institute for
the Mathematical Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Both the worldwide success of undergraduates
participating in his REU programs and MCM teams, and the more than one-thousand
high school students attending his Mathday and Summer Institute each year, show
that Jim is an extremely caring and effective teacher of students from all
walks of life. Such a relentless
dedication and stunning success with students at all levels is exceptional for
a researcher who has worked with the world’s best and famous to publish results
of lasting influence. For these
accomplishments, James Allen Morrow received the 2006 Distinguished Teaching Award
from the Pacific Northwest Section of the MAA.
2007 Duane
DeTemple, Washington State University
Duane
DeTemple epitomizes the highest level of excellence in the pursuit of
mathematics instruction. He is not only
an exceptional instructor in the classroom, but also develops new courses and
programs of study, is a popular speaker
for educators, contributes generously in service to both Washington State
University (WSU) and the mathematics education profession, and is the author of
numerous publications, including a text that is used widely in pre-service
teacher preparation programs throughout the United States and Canada.
DeTemple
has been a member of the mathematics faculty at WSU since 1970. At WSU, he is a leader in course and program
development and innovation. His
contributions to mathematics education include:
Designed and implemented the honors sequence of mathematics
courses. Developed a Masters of Science
with Teaching Emphasis for graduate students planning a career in secondary or
community college mathematics instruction.
Developed a Diversity Resources Handbook highlighting activities
emphasizing multicultural mathematics topics.
Co-authored (with Kimberly Vincent and Verna Adams) the book “Activity
Based Instruction in Elementary Mathematics,” used extensively in WSU
pre-service education courses.
Co-founded (with Jack Robertson) the Seminar in Combinatorial Geometry
that has been offered since 1983.
Service
to both the state and his profession are exemplified by the following examples: Advisory Board Member, High School
Mathematics from an Advanced Standpoint.
State Coordinator, American High School Mathematics Contest, 1992-1995. Chairman, Pacific Northwest Section, MAA,
1977-1978.
In
addition to his service work, Duane works with WSU undergraduates in many
capacities outside of his normal teaching duties. He mentors undergraduate research projects;
he takes WSU secondary mathematics majors to the annual Northwest Math
Conference; and he advises future high school mathematics teachers. Duane is also an informal mentor to less
senior faculty members. He includes them
in projects, funds travel to professional meetings through his grants, and
supports their initiatives. Furthermore,
Duane stays current with research on mathematics teaching and learning and is
usually one of the first to turn research-based innovations into common
classroom practice.
In
conclusion, Duane DeTemple is a deserving recipient of this award. He has quietly, but effectively, served WSU,
the state and his profession for the past 36 years through course and program
innovations, service and publications, and mentoring students and junior
colleagues.
2008 No Award for Distinguished
Teaching of Mathematics.