Edward Burger
Encyclopedia
Edward B. Burger is Professor of Mathematics and the Lissack Professor for Social Responsibility and Personal Ethics at Williams College
. He is currently also the Robert Foster Cherry Professor for Great Teaching at Baylor University
. In February 2011, he was named Vice Provost of Strategic Educational Initiatives at Baylor University.
Dr. Burger has been honored for his innovative work in developing educational and entertaining mathematics electronic textbooks. He has been a keynote speaker, invited special session speaker, or the conference chair at a number of American Mathematical Society
, Mathematical Association of America
, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
conferences.
in 1985, where he earned B.A.
Summa Cum Laude with Distinction in Mathematics. In 1990, he received his Ph.D.
in mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin, his thesis advisor having been Professor Jeffrey Vaaler. He did his postdoctoral work at the University of Waterloo
in Canada.
While currently a math professor, it is known that in the late 1980s Burger was an 'independent contractor' writer for Jay Leno.
His research interests include algebraic number theory
, Diophantine analysis, p-adic analysis
, geometry of numbers
, and the theory of continued fraction
s. He teaches abstract algebra
, "The Art of Creating Mathematics", and Diophantine analysis. He has taught or been a visiting scholar at The University of Texas at Austin, Westminster College
, James Madison University
, the University of Colorado at Boulder
, Baylor University
, and the Macquarie University
in Australia.
Burger has written and starred in number of educational videos, including the 24-lecture video series Zero to Infinity: A History of Numbers and An Introduction to Number Theory. He has delivered more than 400 lectures worldwide and has appeared on more than 40 radio and TV programs including ABC News Now
on WABC-TV
in New York and National Public Radio. He starred in the"Mathletes" episode of NBC's "Science of the Winter Olympics" series shown on the Today Show and throughout the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. That episode won a Telly Award.
In recognition for his work in multimedia education technology, The Association of Educational Publishers
awarded Burger with the 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award for Educational Video Technology
It should come as no surprise that someone so visually focused would embrace creativity as one of the cornerstones of his teaching methods:
Burger feels that "math trauma" is commonly inflicted upon America's elementary and middle-school students, particularly girls, having received a seventh-grade report card stating: "Eddie is a nice boy, but he'll never do well in arithmetic." The problem is not with math, but with the way in which it is taught. "When we teach mathematics, we are not sensitive to the audience. Teachers are performers in front of an audience. Some teachers don't realize they have to reach their audience."
He offers his students "challenging questions for which the solution is by no means apparent". For example, when teaching students about topology
, he asked students if it is "possible to take a cord of rope 6 feet (1.8 m) long and tie it snugly around your right ankle and your left ankle, take off your pants, turn them inside out, and put your pants back on without ever cutting the rope?" He proceeded to demonstrate the solution to that challenge, wearing huge Boston Red Sox
boxer shorts under his trousers, at the Boston Public Library
in the summer of 2005. Failure is closely tied to creativity:
"As a professor, I'm basically performing three times a week. I like to be funny and to make my students laugh," he said. In addition to his math courses, Burger teaches a short course in comedy writing during the winter study program at Williams. Combining math with comedy comes from his days as a stand-up comic at the Laff Stop Comedy Club in Austin
in the late-1980s.
, he coauthored The Heart of Mathematics: An invitation to effective thinking, for which they won a 2001 Robert W. Hamilton Book Award
, and Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz,, a humorous look at mathematics filed under both math and humor in the Library of Congress
catalog. Burger is also an associate editor for the American Mathematical Monthly
and a member of the Editorial Board for [AK Peters Publishing].
Some of the books and papers he has authored or co-authored include:, 1993
Additionally, Burger has created virtual video textbooks on CD-ROM and on the web for Thinkwell on the topics of "College Algebra", 2000; "Pre-Calculus", 2000; "Calculus", 2001; "Intermediate Algebra", 2001; "Beginning Algebra", 2004; "Trigonometry", 2006; and "Prealgebra", 2007.
University of Texas at Austin
University of Waterloo
, Canada
Williams College
James Madison University
University of Colorado at Boulder
Macquarie University
, Australia
Westminster College
Mass Interaction
Texas Christian University
American Mathematical Monthly
The Educational Advancement Foundation
AK Peters Publishing
NUMB3RS
in the Classroom Project, CBS-TV/Paramount Studios/Texas Instruments
The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Baylor University
Burger is the Lissack Professor for Social Responsibility and Personal Ethics and was the Gaudino Scholar (2008–2010) at Williams College
, where he was also awarded the 2007 Nelson Bushnell Prize for Scholarship and Teaching.
Burger has been honored by The Mathematical Association of America
on several occasions: 2001, Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics; 2001-2003, George Pólya Lecturer; 2004, Chauvenet Prize
; and 2006, Lester R. Ford Award
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
. He is currently also the Robert Foster Cherry Professor for Great Teaching at Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
. In February 2011, he was named Vice Provost of Strategic Educational Initiatives at Baylor University.
Dr. Burger has been honored for his innovative work in developing educational and entertaining mathematics electronic textbooks. He has been a keynote speaker, invited special session speaker, or the conference chair at a number of American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
, Mathematical Association of America
Mathematical Association of America
The Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...
, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics was founded in 1920. It has grown to be the world's largest organization concerned with mathematics education, having close to 100,000 members across the USA and Canada, and internationally....
conferences.
Education
He graduated from Connecticut CollegeConnecticut College
Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut.The college was founded in 1911, as Connecticut College for Women, in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women...
in 1985, where he earned B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
Summa Cum Laude with Distinction in Mathematics. In 1990, he received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin, his thesis advisor having been Professor Jeffrey Vaaler. He did his postdoctoral work at the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
in Canada.
While currently a math professor, it is known that in the late 1980s Burger was an 'independent contractor' writer for Jay Leno.
His research interests include algebraic number theory
Algebraic number theory
Algebraic number theory is a major branch of number theory which studies algebraic structures related to algebraic integers. This is generally accomplished by considering a ring of algebraic integers O in an algebraic number field K/Q, and studying their algebraic properties such as factorization,...
, Diophantine analysis, p-adic analysis
P-adic analysis
In mathematics, p-adic analysis is a branch of number theory that deals with the mathematical analysis of functions of p-adic numbers....
, geometry of numbers
Geometry of numbers
In number theory, the geometry of numbers studies convex bodies and integer vectors in n-dimensional space. The geometry of numbers was initiated by ....
, and the theory of continued fraction
Continued fraction
In mathematics, a continued fraction is an expression obtained through an iterative process of representing a number as the sum of its integer part and the reciprocal of another number, then writing this other number as the sum of its integer part and another reciprocal, and so on...
s. He teaches abstract algebra
Abstract algebra
Abstract algebra is the subject area of mathematics that studies algebraic structures, such as groups, rings, fields, modules, vector spaces, and algebras...
, "The Art of Creating Mathematics", and Diophantine analysis. He has taught or been a visiting scholar at The University of Texas at Austin, Westminster College
Westminster College, Salt Lake City
Westminster College is a private liberal arts college located in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. The college comprises four schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health...
, James Madison University
James Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
, the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, and the Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
in Australia.
A pioneer in teaching
Edward Burger is a pioneer in rich, multimedia Internet lectures that, together with written material, form an electronic textbook. By providing students with the presence of a recorded instructor, the material is much more interactive and engaging compared to traditional text books. Together with Thinkwell, Burger "crafted the first-ever virtual, CD-ROM video, interactive, mathematics texts/courses" published over the World Wide Web; he is featured in several of the entertaining multimedia math lessons. Additionally, his lesson tutorial videos earned publisher Holt, Rinehart and Winston one of the 2007 Awards of Excellence from Technology & Learning, an academic publication.Burger has written and starred in number of educational videos, including the 24-lecture video series Zero to Infinity: A History of Numbers and An Introduction to Number Theory. He has delivered more than 400 lectures worldwide and has appeared on more than 40 radio and TV programs including ABC News Now
ABC News Now
ABC News Now is an American 24-hour news channel offered via digital television, broadband and streaming video at ABCNews.com and on mobile phones. It delivers breaking news, headline news each half hour, and wide range of entertainment and lifestyle programs. The channel is currently available in...
on WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
in New York and National Public Radio. He starred in the"Mathletes" episode of NBC's "Science of the Winter Olympics" series shown on the Today Show and throughout the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. That episode won a Telly Award.
In recognition for his work in multimedia education technology, The Association of Educational Publishers
Association of Educational Publishers
The Association of Educational Publishers is an American professional organization for educational publishers. It is a non-profit organization and is active in public awareness campaigns on effective educational resources, as well as aiding communication between educational organizations, such as...
awarded Burger with the 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award for Educational Video Technology
It should come as no surprise that someone so visually focused would embrace creativity as one of the cornerstones of his teaching methods:
Burger feels that "math trauma" is commonly inflicted upon America's elementary and middle-school students, particularly girls, having received a seventh-grade report card stating: "Eddie is a nice boy, but he'll never do well in arithmetic." The problem is not with math, but with the way in which it is taught. "When we teach mathematics, we are not sensitive to the audience. Teachers are performers in front of an audience. Some teachers don't realize they have to reach their audience."
He offers his students "challenging questions for which the solution is by no means apparent". For example, when teaching students about topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
, he asked students if it is "possible to take a cord of rope 6 feet (1.8 m) long and tie it snugly around your right ankle and your left ankle, take off your pants, turn them inside out, and put your pants back on without ever cutting the rope?" He proceeded to demonstrate the solution to that challenge, wearing huge Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
boxer shorts under his trousers, at the Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
in the summer of 2005. Failure is closely tied to creativity:
"As a professor, I'm basically performing three times a week. I like to be funny and to make my students laugh," he said. In addition to his math courses, Burger teaches a short course in comedy writing during the winter study program at Williams. Combining math with comedy comes from his days as a stand-up comic at the Laff Stop Comedy Club in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in the late-1980s.
Mathematical thinking
Burger states that "mathematics is basically an approach to solving difficult problems. The techniques and strategies that we can learn in mathematics are techniques and strategies we can use to solve any difficult problem." In the textbook he co-authored with Michael Starbird, The Heart of Mathematics, they offer their favorite top ten mathematical ways of thinking:- Just do it.
- Make mistakes and fail but never give up.
- Keep an open mind.
- Explore the consequences of new ideas.
- Seek the essential.
- Understand the issue.
- Understand simple things deeply.
- Break a difficult problem into easier ones.
- Examine issues from several points of view.
- Look for patterns and similarities.
Publications
Burger has written 12 books and has had more than 30 papers published in scholarly journals. With Michael StarbirdMichael Starbird
Michael P. Starbird is a Professor of Mathematics and a University of Texas Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his B.A from Pomona College and his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of...
, he coauthored The Heart of Mathematics: An invitation to effective thinking, for which they won a 2001 Robert W. Hamilton Book Award
Robert W. Hamilton Book Award
The Professor Robert W. Hamilton Book Author Award is presented annually to the best book-length publication by a staff or faculty member of the University of Texas at Austin...
, and Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz,, a humorous look at mathematics filed under both math and humor in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
catalog. Burger is also an associate editor for the American Mathematical Monthly
American Mathematical Monthly
The American Mathematical Monthly is a mathematical journal founded by Benjamin Finkel in 1894. It is currently published 10 times each year by the Mathematical Association of America....
and a member of the Editorial Board for [AK Peters Publishing].
Some of the books and papers he has authored or co-authored include:, 1993
- "Pleasures vs. Problems", February 2000
- Exploring the Number Jungle: A Journey into Diophantine Analysis (Student Mathematical Library, V. 8), ISBN 0-8218-2640-9, July 2000
- "Abandoning Dead Ends: Embracing Lively Beginnings", 2000
- "'Math Forum'—I couldn't keep my distance: A mathematical seduction, February 2002
- The Joy of Thinking: The Beauty and Power of Classical Mathematical Ideas: Part 1 & 2 (The Great Courses - Science & Mathematics),
- Making Transcendence Transparent: An intuitive approach to classical transcendental number theory, ISBN 0-387-21444-5, July 2004, ISBN 1-931914-41-9, 2004
- Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz: Making Light of Weighty Ideas, ISBN 0-393-05945-6, August 2005
- Matematicas, ISBN 0-03-092628-9, 2007
- Mathematics: Course 2, Holt, ISBN 0-03-038512-1, January 2007
- Algebra 1, Holt, ISBN 0-03-035827-2, January 2007
- Extending the Frontiers of Mathematics: Inquiries into proof and argumentation, ISBN 1-59757-042-7, March 2007
- Algebra 2, Holt, ISBN 0-03-035829-9, August 2007
- Just 7: The number for happiness, love, and success, to be published in 2009 by Twelve
Additionally, Burger has created virtual video textbooks on CD-ROM and on the web for Thinkwell on the topics of "College Algebra", 2000; "Pre-Calculus", 2000; "Calculus", 2001; "Intermediate Algebra", 2001; "Beginning Algebra", 2004; "Trigonometry", 2006; and "Prealgebra", 2007.
Professional positions
Burger has held the following professional positions:University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
- Visiting Lecturer, Summer 1990; Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 1994; Visiting Scholar, Summer 1997
University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Postdoctoral Fellow, 1990-1991
Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
- Assistant Professor, 1990-1996; Associate Professor, 1997-2000; Professor of Mathematics, 2001 - present; Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, 2003-2006; Gaudino Scholar, 2008-2010; Lissack Professor for Social Responsibility and Personal Ethics, 2010 - present
James Madison University
James Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
- Visiting Scholar, October 1993
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
- Visiting Assistant Professor, Spring 1995; Stanislaw M. Ulam Visiting Professor, 1998-1999 and 2002-2003
Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Visiting Fellow, Summer 1999
Westminster College
Westminster College, Salt Lake City
Westminster College is a private liberal arts college located in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. The college comprises four schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health...
- Genevieve W. Gore Distinguished Resident, March 2001
Mass Interaction
- Mathematics Consultant, Summer 2001
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
- Cecil and Ida Green Honors Professor, Fall 2001
American Mathematical Monthly
American Mathematical Monthly
The American Mathematical Monthly is a mathematical journal founded by Benjamin Finkel in 1894. It is currently published 10 times each year by the Mathematical Association of America....
- Associate Editor, 2002 - present
The Educational Advancement Foundation
- Member of the Board of Trustees, 2004-2008
AK Peters Publishing
- Member of the Editorial Board, 2005-present
NUMB3RS
NUMB3RS
Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
in the Classroom Project, CBS-TV/Paramount Studios/Texas Instruments
- Mathematics Advisor, 2005-2007
The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
- Member of the Board, 2009 - present
Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
- Robert Foster Cherry Professor for Great Teaching, 2010-2012
- Vice Provost for Strategic Educational Initiatives, 2011-present
Selected honors and awards
Some of the honors and awards Burger has received include:- 2010 Profile in The Chronicle of Higher EducationThe Chronicle of Higher EducationThe Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
, "Teaching Math as Narrative Drama" (October 3, 2010) - 2010 Telly Award, for the "Mathletes" episode of the NBC-Universal television series "The Science of the Olympic Winter Games" (the entire series won a 2011 Emmy Award)
- 2010 Game Changer, Named by The Huffington PostThe Huffington PostThe Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
; "HuffPost's Game Changers salutes 100 innovators, visionaries, mavericks, and leaders who are reshaping their fields and changing the world." - 2010 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching from Baylor UniversityBaylor UniversityBaylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
- 2007 Award of Excellence, for "educational mathematics videos that break new ground", Technology & Learning magazine
- 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award, for Educational Video Technology, The Association of Educational PublishersAssociation of Educational PublishersThe Association of Educational Publishers is an American professional organization for educational publishers. It is a non-profit organization and is active in public awareness campaigns on effective educational resources, as well as aiding communication between educational organizations, such as...
- 2006 "100 Best of America", Listed in Reader's DigestReader's DigestReader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
Annual Special Issue as Best Math Teacher - 2003 Residence Life Academic Teaching Award, University of Colorado at Boulder
- 2001 Robert W. Hamilton Book Award, for "The Heart of Mathematics"
- 1988 Mathematics Teaching Award, The University of Texas at Austin
Burger is the Lissack Professor for Social Responsibility and Personal Ethics and was the Gaudino Scholar (2008–2010) at Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, where he was also awarded the 2007 Nelson Bushnell Prize for Scholarship and Teaching.
Burger has been honored by The Mathematical Association of America
Mathematical Association of America
The Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...
on several occasions: 2001, Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics; 2001-2003, George Pólya Lecturer; 2004, Chauvenet Prize
Chauvenet Prize
The Chauvenet Prize is the highest award for mathematical expository writing. It consists of a prize of $1,000 and a certificate, and is awarded yearly by the Mathematical Association of America in recognition of an outstanding expository article on a mathematical topic. The prize is named in...
; and 2006, Lester R. Ford Award