March 6, 2008

A Maharishi University of Management professor receives a lifetime achievement award. Eric Hart, adjunct associate professor of mathematics was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Iowa Council of Teachers of Mathematics at their annual meeting in West Des Moines.

Judith Slezak presented the award, citing Dr. Hart’s work in helping to provide a world-class math education for all Iowa students.

She listed many of his achievements, including his work in the area of math education for over 25 years, his national recognition as expert in discrete mathematics, and his over 130 presentations at conferences all over the country and internationally. He has also directed several National Science Foundation projects to provide professional development for mathematics teachers across the U.S.

“I was surprised and deeply honored by the award,” Dr. Hart said. “It’s a pleasure working with so many great colleagues in Iowa.”

Dr. Hart has been a leading figure nationally in work on the high school mathematics curriculum, along with recent work on the Iowa Core Curriculum, dealing with math as a connected whole instead of fragmented elements, making math relevant to students’ lives, and getting students actively engaged in the curriculum.