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CMS/SMC
MEDIA RELEASE — June 12, 2017

Canadian Mathematical Society

MEDIA RELEASE
June 12, 2017



2017 CMS Excellence in Teaching award winner Professor Bernard Hodgson “has had a lasting influence in the lives of many students who have taken courses from him”

Professor Bernard Hodgson
(photo: Marc Robitaille)

OTTAWA – Professor Bernard Hodgson (Université Laval) has been named the recipient of the 2017 CMS Excellence in Teaching Award. Hodgson will receive the award and present a prize lecture at the CMS Winter Meeting in Waterloo, Ontario, December 2017.

Hodgson’s students write in glowing terms of his enthusiasm and passion for mathematics, about his skill in communicating ideas, his attentiveness to students, and his ability to motivate them. It is clear from testimony that Hodgson’s teaching has had a lasting influence in the lives of many students who have taken a course from him.

Hodgson was the principal architect for the mathematics courses developed at Université Laval specifically for the baccalaureate in secondary education. These are very highly regarded across Canada and internationally.

His ideas and innovative approaches to teaching have become widely appreciated through the many invited talks he has given and through round tables in which he has participated. Over the years, his ideas have inspired many throughout Canada and beyond.

As a Professor at Université Laval, Hodgson made an enormous contribution to mathematics in designing new courses aimed at students seeking careers as teachers at the various levels of the education system: primary, secondary, and college. The notes which Hodgson wrote for these courses reflect an exemplary coherence and clarity of vision, particularly those notes written in collaboration with Linda Lessard for the baccalaureate in preschool and primary education.

In Quebec, Hodgson has been active in the Association mathématique du Québec (AMQ). Nationally, he has been active in the Canadian Mathematical Society and in the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group. Internationally, Hodgson has been honoured by appointment as Secretary General of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) from 1999 to 2009.

Hodgson obtained his B.A. in 1967 and B.Sc. in 1971 from Université Laval, followed by M.Sc. (1973) and Ph.D. (1976) from the Université de Montréal. He has been a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Université Laval since 1975. He has been president of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG/GCEDM) 1997-1998, Vice-President of the Canadian Mathematical Society 2001 – 2003, Secretary General of the ICMI 1999 – 2009, and the President of the Commission d’évaluation des projets de programmes de la Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec (CREPUQ) 2005 – 2009. He is the recipient of many awards for his contributions to education and popularization of mathematics, including the CMS Adrien Pouliot Award (1998); Prix Summa – Enseignement, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval (2016); and Prix d’excellence en enseignement – prix Carrière en enseignement, Université Laval (2015).

About the Excellence in Teaching Award
The Excellence in Teaching Award nationally recognizes sustained and distinguished contributions in mathematics education at the post-secondary undergraduate level at a Canadian institution. The award was established in 2004 to recognize teaching excellence as exemplified by effectiveness in the classroom and/or commitment and dedication to teaching students.

For information about past recipients visit: https://cms.math.ca/Prizes/info/et.html

About the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)
Founded in 1945, the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) promotes the advancement, discovery, learning and application of mathematics. The CMS promotes mathematics through a rich array of activities including scientific meetings, publications, awards, prizes, grants, camps and competitions.

For more information, please contact:

Malgorzata Dubiel (Simon Fraser)
Chair, CMS Education Committee
Canadian Mathematical Society
chair-edc@cms.math.ca
778-782-3800
Or Patricia Dack
Fundraising and Communications Officer
Canadian Mathematical Society
pdack@cms.math.ca
613-733-2662 ext. 728