EXCEPTIONAL MATHEMATICS EDUCATOR RECOGNIZED

Miroslav Lovric

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) is pleased to announce that Miroslav Lovric from McMaster University is the recipient of the 2010 Adrien Pouliot Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to mathematics education in Canada. Lovric will receive his award at the 2010 CMS Winter Meeting in Vancouver.

The Adrien Pouliot Award was inaugurated in 1995 to recognize individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to mathematics education in Canada. The award is named for Adrien Pouliot, the second CMS President, who taught mathematics at Université Laval for 50 years and was instrumental in developing Laval’s engineering and science faculty.

In announcing the award, CMS President Jacques Hurtubise noted, “High quality mathematics education is essential to the future success of Canadian students and to keep Canada competitive in the fields of science and technology. Miroslav Lovric’s contributions to mathematics education are remarkable and he truly embodies the ideals of this award and of the CMS.”

Lovric’s teaching career began at McMaster University in 1991. He noticed many of the students in his first year classes having difficulties and began investigating the transition from high school to university. In 2001 he began conducting an annual survey of his students regarding their mathematics background and attitudes towards mathematics. Based on this research, Lovric created a Mathematics Review Manual to help students prepare for university mathematics, which was published in 2010 under the title Calculus: Fear No More.

In addition to this manual, Lovric has written his own textbook on vector calculus and is currently working on a textbook on math for the life sciences. He has extensively researched the role of textbooks in improving the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Lovric also plays an active role in the training and professional development of present and future teachers. A significant innovation was his “Teaching Mathematics” course, introduced at McMaster University in 1999 for undergraduate mathematics teaching assistants.

“Lovric takes his commitment to math education beyond the classroom,” notes Peter Taylor, chair of the CMS Education Committee. “Each summer he works with the Shad Valley enrichment program, which provides academic and entrepreneurial opportunities to high school students interested in math and science. He is also a member of the steering committee for the Fields Institute Mathematics Education Forum, and frequently speaks at public lectures on broad issues of mathematics and education.”

Lovric studied mathematics at the University of Zagreb in Croatia and completed his PhD thesis in Riemannian Geometry at Ohio State University in 1990. Lovric’s mathematical research deals with certain aspects of the curvature of a Riemannian manifold, in particular, the way various curvature assumptions influence topological properties. He is a 3M Teaching Fellow (2001) and a winner of the Government of Ontario Leadership in Faculty Teaching Award (2007).

About the Canadian Mathematical Society

The CMS is the main national organization whose goal is to promote and advance the discovery, learning, and application of mathematics. The Society's activities cover the whole spectrum of mathematics including: scientific meetings, research publications, and the promotion of excellence in mathematics education at all levels. The CMS annually sponsors mathematics awards and prizes that recognize outstanding achievements.