Dr. Jeneva Clark, University of Tennessee – 2023 MAA Southeastern Section Distinguished Teaching Award Recipient
Dr. Jeneva Clark is a Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Tennessee (UTK). In addition to being the only faculty member in the UTK Math Department who holds a Ph.D. in Education, her experiences teaching in high school, junior college, four-year college, and an R1 institution give her a uniquely extensive perspective on education. In 2019, she received the University of Tennessee College of Arts and Sciences Lecturer Excellence in Teaching Award. Also in 2019, Dr. Clark was nominated for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, an award administered by NSF on behalf of The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Dr. Clark has all the marks of a great educator: excellent evaluation scores, great feedback from and rapport with her students, contributions to the success of her department including the development and supervision of math courses, and active engagement in math education research, including and publishing and speaking engagements. While at UTK, Dr. Clark has obtained numerous grants to sponsor her pedagogically innovative projects. Her team received the 2019 Interdisciplinary Partnerships Award for the $1.4M NSF Noyce grant, VolsTeach for Appalachia (VFA): Strengthening the STEM Teacher Pathway from Community College to a Four-Year University, a project to refocus STEM coursework on culturally relevant pedagogy and to recruit and prepare STEM teachers. Further, in 2017, 2018, and 2019, Dr. Clark received the Summer Pre-College Service Award for Outstanding Service and Participation within the Summer Pre-College Programs.
Dr. Duha Hamed, Winthrop University – 2023 MAA Southeastern Section Distinguished Teaching Award by a Beginning College Mathematics Faculty Member Recipient
Dr. Duha Hamed is an engaging and innovative mathematics professor. She is an exceptionally caring instructor who genuinely connects with each of her students, resulting in an immediate and lasting impact on their young lives and future successes. Dr. Hamed’s student evaluations demonstrate the dual nature of her strengths as an educator. Her students not only frequently reference newfound appreciation and understanding of mathematics and statistics, but also rave about the consideration and time she takes to get to know them personally– learning their names and backgrounds, and attending to their ongoing life stressors. The words “cares,” “caring,” “concerned,” and related synonyms appear frequently in Dr. Hamed’s teaching evaluations.
In addition to her profound success teaching mathematics and statistics to university students, Dr. Hamed brings an invaluable perspective on cultural diversity to campus, and is always open to thoughtfully sharing her experiences as a Muslim woman living and teaching in an environment entirely different than the one in which she was raised. Winthrop University prides itself on its goal of cultural education for faculty, staff, and students, and Dr. Hamed is a key contributor to this initiative. Former department chair Dr. Tom Polaski once stated at a college faculty assembly that “Dr. Hamed is the math department global initiative”.
Dr. Ron Taylor, Berry College – 2023 MAA Southeastern Section Distinguished Service Award Recipient
Dr. Ron Taylor is no stranger to accolades or awards. He has won a variety of prizes ranging from the college level up to national awards from the MAA, all while being an enthusiastic cheerleader for our section and its impact on students of mathematics in the southeastern United States. As one of the nominators commented, Dr. Taylor is “a walking section advertisement” that sticks in your mind like a Super Bowl ad. Indeed, he has said on numerous occasions that our section meetings are “like just a bunch of friends getting together”; and the service to we as friends has been remarkable for a number of years.
In fact, Dr. Taylor is all but synonymous with one service role in particular, so much so that even mentioning that activity will be equivalent to identifying the winner. This came through clearly from the remarks of nominators and students alike, so we decided to turn to seek out a more objective opinion — one from an undisputed expert on the subject. According to ChatGPT, our winner has since 2011 been “organizing a competition named for the popular game show ‘Jeopardy!’ which promotes mathematical problem-solving and teamwork among undergraduate students in the Mathematical Association of America’s Southeastern Section (MAA-SE).” Indeed, although Dr. Taylor is also a highly respected researcher and educator in the field of mathematics, he may be best known in our section for his excellent stewardship of Math Jeopardy. Or as ChatGPT said it, “He has been instrumental in organizing Math Jeopardy and has worked tirelessly to make it a success.”