Citation, Biography, and Response for 2020 Haimo Award to Dr. Mark Tomforde
Citation
Prof. Tomforde has had a deep and positive impact at all levels of mathematics
education. He has promoted the participation of members of underrepresented groups
in mathematics and has increased interest in mathematics engagement and college
attendance in middle and high schools surrounding the University of Houston (UH). He
has empowered students at UH to become "stewards of the discipline", teaching by
example that service is an integral component of a STEM career and that an advanced
degree carries a responsibility to the wider community.
An exceptional teacher, prolific scholar, and advisor of numerous
undergraduate-research projects, Master's tutorials, Ph.D. theses, and an
NSF postdoc, Prof. Tomforde has won teaching awards at UH and from the MAA Texas
Section. He has recruited, retained, and mentored members of underrepresented groups
spectacularly at all levels, including by enrolling over 70 UH students in the Math
Alliance, an organization whose goal is to make sure every underrepresented or
underserved American student with talent and ambition has the opportunity to earn a
doctoral degree in a mathematical science. Through the Math Alliance he has
mentored undergraduates at other institutions. He has found funding to double
the number of UH students who can attend the organization's annual Field of
Dreams conference and given invited talks at the conference. In addition,
Prof. Tomforde is a co-founder and co-organizer of Gulf States Math Alliance
(GSMath), one of seven regional alliances, comprised of members of the Math
Alliance in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. He facilitates and promotes
associated opportunities in the Gulf Coast region.
At the local level, Prof. Tomforde reached out to Houston's Third Ward, Sunnyside,
and East End communities when he developed and directed the Cougars and Houston Area
Math Program (CHAMP). For six years, Prof. Tomforde worked in collaboration with
neighborhood high schools and middle schools to provide a wide variety of
mathematical activities. Ms. Tai G. Ingram, Principal and School Leader at
KIPP Liberation Middle School, brings CHAMP's impact to life when she writes,
"Simply put, Dr. Tomforde has helped to make math cool at KIPP Liberation . . . As our
students found success with math, they were able to wipe away their fears and
develop a growth mindset. The same kids who once held the mantra of 'Math is hard!'
now remind me that 'Math is the universal language.' This critical mindset shift
around math was groundbreaking for students who had failed the Texas-mandated math
STAAR exam numerous times in their past." She continues that "As an inner-city
middle school principal, it has been really hard to find programs interested in
working long-term with my building full of brilliant black and brown children. I
greatly appreciate Dr. Tomforde's consistent desire to serve as a thought partner,
supportive neighbor, and coach to my math teachers and students. Notably, I have
always appreciated his intentionality in the selection and pairing of strong CHAMP
mentors with my students. It has been extremely powerful for my students to meet and
work with their math mentors who look like them, share similar backgrounds, and often
have grown up in neighborhoods surrounding my school. These connections have shown my
scholars that with hard work, college is a reality and math can lead to their
preferred career." CHAMP has received local accolades as well as two major national
awards: the AMS Award for Mathematics Programs that Make a Difference and a Phi Beta
Kappa award for Broadening Participation in STEM, both in 2018.
Prof. Tomforde has encouraged and supported students and colleagues in other ways too
numerous to mention exhaustively. As examples, he has built a multifaceted
collaboration between UH and Texas Southern University (TSU), an HBCU in Houston. He
has recruited faculty from UH to serve as Math Alliance mentors. He has revitalized,
established, and led student organizations, serves on MAA committees and as a Project
NExT consultant, and disseminates a wide variety of materials on multiple web sites
to guide faculty and students. More than one student described how their interactions
with Prof. Tomforde changed and facilitated their career trajectories. One spoke for
many when she wrote, "I never would have had the courage to take a graduate course
without Dr. Tomforde's encouragement, and I am grateful that he saw the ability in
me that I did not see in myself."
The MAA recognizes the great positive impact Prof. Tomforde has had on students in
his city and neighborhoods, at his own institution, in his region, and in the national
mathematics community. The MAA is honored to present him with the Deborah and Franklin
Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.
Biography
Mark Tomforde was raised in the small town of Lake City, Minnesota, which is
nestled in the scenic Mississippi River Valley. He earned a B.A. in Mathematics
from Gustavus Adolphus College, and went on to obtain an M.A. and Ph.D. in
Mathematics from Dartmouth College. He was an NSF postdoc at the University of
Iowa for three years, and subsequently taught for one year at the College of
William & Mary. He is currently a professor at the University of Houston. He was
also a Project NExT Fellow (sky dot, 2002) and a Project NExT Consultant
(2014--2015). Dr. Tomforde has been greatly influenced by the liberal arts
educations he received at Gustavus and Dartmouth, and he attributes many of
his successes in research, teaching, and outreach to the training and mindset
provided by this background. Although now at a large public university, he
strives to infuse the educations of his students with these same liberal arts
values, as he encourages students to think critically, gain multiple perspectives,
and approach learning as a life-long process.
Response
I am incredibly honored to receive the Haimo award. In my life I have had the good
fortune to be taught, trained, and mentored by several excellent professors. There
are too many to thank here, but I do wish to express my gratitude to four that I found
particularly influential: my undergraduate professors, Jeff Rosoff and John Holte; my
Ph.D. advisor, Dana P. Williams; and my postdoctoral advisor, Paul Muhly. Each of
these individuals exemplifies the ideal of the teacher-scholar, and I have made great
effort to emulate them as I strive to integrate the multiple roles and responsibilities
of a successful mathematician. I also thank the excellent teachers, colleagues, peers,
and friends I have had, many of whom have influenced me much more profoundly than they
realize. Finally, I thank the students I have known throughout the years. They have
taught me at least as much as I have taught them. I am particularly grateful for the
numerous students that have volunteered to help with various outreach activities I have
organized and led. Their willingness to get involved has been the driving force behind
much of what I have accomplished.