Monmouth University Professor of Mathematics Bonnie Gold received the Twenty-Second Annual Louise Hay Award from The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) for her career achievements – as a teacher, researcher, and in service to the mathematics education community – at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Boston, MA, held January 4 to 7, 2012.
Bonnie Gold received her Ph.D. in mathematical logic from Cornell University in 1976. Dr. Gold found her true calling not only in teaching university level mathematics but also in writing about and working for mathematics and mathematics education in the areas of assessment and philosophy of mathematics. An outstanding teacher, she has given generously and extensively of her time to professional service. Dr. Gold served as department chair at Wabash College and at Monmouth University. She has developed a wide variety of courses, ranging from calculus for the biological sciences to Platonic Dialogues as Drama. She co-edited the books Assessment Practices in Undergraduate Mathematics and Proof and Other Dilemmas: Mathematics and Philosophy. She is known for her insightful reviews of numerous books on philosophy of mathematics.
Dr. Roger Simons refers to her as a “leader in developing departmental assessment techniques.” He points out that Dr. Gold has two major motivations for her involvement in philosophy of mathematics: one is “to get many more mathematicians to think about philosophical issues;” the other “is that she believes that our understanding of what mathematics is affects the way we teach or should teach.”
In her response to this award, Dr. Gold points out that “participating in the national discussion of teaching mathematics also led me to develop a wide range of new courses at Monmouth to improve our future elementary teachers’ background as well as the quantitative literacy of our general education students.” Monmouth University School of Science Dean Michael Palladino notes that “Dr. Gold’s leadership at Monmouth University has resulted in transformative changes in the mathematics curricula for majors and non-majors. We are proud that Dr. Gold’s passionate commitment and contributions to mathematics education have been appropriately recognized nationally by the AWM.”
Established in 1991, the Hay Award recognizes outstanding achievements in any area of mathematics education. Louise Hay was widely recognized for her contributions to mathematical logic, for her strong leadership as Head of the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, for her devotion to students, and for her lifelong commitment to nurturing the talent of young women and men. The annual presentation of this award is intended to highlight the importance of mathematics education and to evoke the memory of all that Hay exemplified as a teacher, scholar, administrator, and human being.
For Additional Information
Jennifer Lewis, managing director, AWM, at 703-934-0163, jennifer@awm-math.org
Petra Ludwig, Monmouth University, 732-263-5507, pludwig@monmouth.edu