Sharing Mathematics: An Unfinished Tapestry

It was the summer of 2009 when I agreed to take on the editorial role for Education Notes beginning in 2010. Ed Barbeau had been a mentor to me particularly with respect to problem solving, a relationship that began as a graduate student of Ed’s in the Master’s of Science in Teaching at University of Toronto in the late 1980’s. Ed’s strong support and recommendation in succeeding him as an editor was appreciated. The opportunity would build upon two of my interests, namely, writing and networking. Meanwhile, my academic career continues to navigate that teetering span between mathematics and mathematics education.

My familiarity with the Canadian mathematical community at large would be valuable in drawing forth potential authors of pieces for Education Notes. However, I felt that two perspectives would be better than one and gave thought to the idea of a co-editor. Fifteen years and 90 issues of CMS Notes later, I write this piece in my final issue as a co-editor. Both Kseniya Garaschuk (2018 – present) and Jennifer Hyndman (2010 – 2017) have been delightful to work with as co-editors. Mathematicians are people first and foremost. Life goes on around us and through losses and challenges, whether health of family members or difficult times, the sharing of responsibilities and the give and take of picking up the reins have served us well. As a faculty member primarily in education with a keen interest in mathematics, it has been beneficial to collaborate with Kseniya and Jennifer as faculty in mathematics with keen interests in education. The blends of local knowledge, awareness of activities, along with generally being able to share writing and editorial responsibilities as needed, have enriched the experience. Thank you Kseniya and Jennifer!

Community Connection

Reflecting upon years in the role it is community that comes to the forefront. Whether through conversations, written exchanges, or personal encounters, it is about building relationships. Education Notes offers a window into the works of others in that broader mathematical circle. Many contributions have grown out of authors sending articles about endeavours that appear as one-off issues. Yet collectively these single pieces add to a picture of the Canadian mathematical community with glimpses into other places. Various articles have responded to calls on themes such as outreach or invitations to individuals to write about projects. Education Notes has also provided a forum for initiatives such as First Year Math and Stats in Canada (FYMSIC) or specific education sessions or working groups to share ideas, summaries, or invitations for participation. The range of contributions and contributors adds to the richness.

People’s stories fascinate me. My finest honour as a mathematician came through the CMS during this editorial period. I was named the 2013 recipient of the Adrien Pouliot Award. The recognition reinforced a personal commitment to outreach that extended into the work around the Notes. The title of my prize lecture, An Unfinished Tapestry, was inspired by reviewing the list of prior recipients. All but two of these people had played pivotal roles along my mathematical path whether as collaborators, mentors, teachers, colleagues, or some blend of these. The initial recipient, Ed Barbeau, was mentioned already.  My respect for the second recipient, Bruce Shawyer, was articulated in the February 2022 CMS Notes piece https://notes.math.ca/en/article/remembering-bruce-shawyer-mathematician-musician-educator-gardener-loving-husband-father-and-grandfather/. I could go on. Rather I will go back to 2009 to share a story that depicts the intertwining of paths and impacts. The connection to Education Notes will become apparent.

Sharing Mathematics

Spring 2009 had featured a personally significant mathematical event as a co-organizer (with Rick Brewster and Fae DeBeck) of Sharing Mathematics: A Tribute to Jim Totten, a conference held in Kamloops to honour Jim’s legacy. Three plenary talks along with a range of presentations and social time figured into this event. The plenary talks addressed mathematical problem solving, teaching and outreach respectively. The complete proceedings including the plenary talks, numerous presentations, and anecdotes about Jim are accessible at https://unbscholar.lib.unb.ca/handle/1882/22500.

This event took place in May 2009. It was shortly after that I agreed to edit Education Notes and when thoughts went to a possible co-editor, the reacquainting with Jennifer Hyndman at that gathering led me to invite Jennifer to be a co-editor. About ten years earlier we had been on the CMS Education Committee together and in the early 80’s undergraduates at Waterloo. Paths cross in curious ways. We collaborated on Education Notes for eight years. The initial issue under our editorship (Volume 42, Issue 1) featured Harley Weston’s plenary talk on outreach entitled Some New Initiatives at Math Central. Jennifer’s fascinating plenary talk, Hands-free Teaching, had appeared shortly beforehand in October 2009 (Volume 41, Issue 6).

My initial collaborations with Jim Totten came through work on a BC math contest while I was at the former Okanagan University College in the mid-1990’s. However, it was through the CMS that we collaborated closely as Jim succeeded the forementioned Bruce Shawyer as the editor-in-chief of Crux Mathematicorum with Mayhem. The torch was passed along via Vazz Linek and Shawn Godin before landing in the hands of Kseniya Garaschuk who has edited Crux Mathematicorum since 2014. As a long-time Crux editorial board member and more recently as Associate Editor of Mathemattic, the secondary school-oriented portion of the journal, I have worked closely with Kseniya over many years. Kseniya graciously accepted an invitation to take over from Jennifer as a co-editor of Education Notes. That takes us to today and the connection with Sharing Mathematics holds another curious tie.

I take this opportunity to welcome the incoming editor who will take my place and work alongside Kseniya in the new year. Responses to a request for stories about Jim for the proceedings included several contributions from people not present at the event. One such contribution came from a person who knew Jim from the community and the classroom as both a student of Jim’s and a fellow golfer, and that person is Egan Chernoff.

Going forward: A call to reach out

One of the foci during my tenure has been to highlight mathematical outreach. It is in that spirit of reaching out that Education Notes can effectively facilitate heightened awareness of mathematical activities. As far as outreach goes, I’ll sign off with a request to all readers to tap a broader audience by encouraging a colleague down the hall, your child’s math teacher, or perhaps a mathematically curious friend to drop in online and read a few issues of Education Notes. If you have not done so, reach out and take a look at the ATOM (A Taste of Mathematics) series https://cms.math.ca/publications/atom-booklets/ with a range of enriching mathematical ideas. I draw attention to the most recent addition (Volume XVII), namely, Mathematical Logic Puzzles on a Grid authored by Susan Milner. The fully downloadable collection has been enjoyed by elementary and high school teachers as well as so-inclined armchair mathematical folk of many ages. While Crux Mathematicorum is an international problem-solving journal, the section Mathemattic offers challenging problems and articles well suited to the development of youthful mathematical minds. Many problem solvers will find one of the levels appealing to consider. The CMS is working to enhance outreach in mathematics and education. Your support in the reaching out process is welcomed.

Gratitude

Thank you all for the privilege of serving in an editorial role with Education Notes for the past 15 years. I appreciate the many helping hands at CMS over the years, particularly Sarah Watson, who has facilitated the recent transitions and directions. Kseniya, thank you so much for working together these past seven years and staying aboard to facilitate the transition. Egan, I wish you well in the role and look forward to seeing how the shape of Education Notes unfolds in the future. Thanks everyone.