EXCEPTIONAL MATHEMATICS EDUCATOR RECOGNIZED

John Grant McLoughlin to receive CMS 2013 Adrien Pouliot Award

Prof. John Grant McLoughlin (University of New Brunswick)

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) is pleased to announce that Professor John Grant McLoughlin of the University of New Brunswick is the recipient of the 2013 Adrien Pouliot Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to mathematics education in Canada. The award will be presented at the 2013 CMS Winter Meeting in Ottawa.

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.

“What is significant about John is his deep humanity and his mentorship of both students and teachers, those with strong ability in the subject as well as those who approach mathematics with caution and nervousness,” said Keith Taylor, President of the Canadian Mathematical Society. “As a professional he is an effective bridge between the worlds of Mathematics and Math Education.”

“Not only is John a dedicated teacher at home among teacher candidates as well as those in schools in the province and indeed across the country, but John gives significant time and energy to work overseas, particularly in Bhutan and Trinidad and Tobago,” said Peter Taylor, Chair of the CMS Education Committee. “Such work takes courage and imagination, but it brings the gift of mathematics to those who want it most, wherever they might be. And the reach of this work is wide, from the supervision of graduate students to the teaching of courses and contributions to curriculum materials and professional development.”

Since 2010, John has been education co-editor of the CMS Notes, along with Jennifer Hyndman of the University of Northern BC. He brings a wealth of experience to this position, decades of working with students and teachers in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and, of course, New Brunswick. His recent activities have included ongoing collaboration (with Ryan Jones) as mathematical guest teachers in Wendy Sinclair’s Grade 4 classroom in Fredericton, visits to numerous schools, recreational math exhibits in public settings, organization of The Beauty of Mathematics public library lecture series, and participation in local initiatives including math camps, Math Circles, and efforts to address numeracy skills of nursing students. He continues to be engaged with mathematical contests from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia, and the creation of “hands-on” mathematical activities and problems at all levels.

John’s publications and activities reflect his interests in problem solving and outreach. He served seven years on the Editorial Board of Crux with Mayhem, has co-authored (with Bruce Shawyer and Peter Booth) several problems books including three volumes of Problems for Mathematics Leagues in the CMS’s ATOM (A Taste of Mathematics) Series. Recently he has co-edited Jim Totten’s Problems of the Week. John assisted Rick Brewster, Fae DeBeck and others at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with the organization of Sharing Mathematics: A tribute to Jim Totten. This 2009 initiative subsequently led to Sharing Mathematics becoming an annual event in the BC math community.

John Grant McLoughlin is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at UNB (Fredericton) and also holds a cross appointment with the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in the Faculty of Science. He obtained his PhD in Mathematics Education in 1997 at the State University of New York, Buffalo. He has held appointments in Mathematics at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College (MUN) and in Mathematics Education at Okanagan University College and Memorial University of Newfoundland. His years of dedicated teaching at the university have earned him a reputation as an innovative caring teacher who works closely with his students, those with strong mathematical ability as well as those who wish to forge new paths with the subject. Based on this body of work, he received the 2008 Allan P Stuart Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University of New Brunswick and in 2011 was named a University Teaching Scholar.

For more information, please contact:

About the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)

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.