Assistant Professor Elizabeth Arnold was honored by the Mathematical Association of America’s Rocky Mountain Section with the 2024 Early Career Teaching Award during its annual meeting on May 20. The award is given to instructors who demonstrate excellence in the classroom and are building a lasting influence outside of it.
Arnold is a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics at Colorado State University. Her research and teaching broadly revolves around the preparation of future high school mathematics and statistics educators at CSU. That includes teaching the annual Methods and Materials for Teaching Mathematics course for pre-service teachers – one of the final classes for students enrolled in education programs working towards their certifications. The course offers exposure to interdisciplinary teaching methods and gives students opportunities to pull together what they have learned before heading into a real classroom setting to begin their student teaching.
Her research and coursework also include activity in mathematical modeling and content courses such as discrete mathematics and real analysis, with applications again in preparation of pre-service teachers.
Arnold has also led numerous community outreach efforts during her time in the department. She co-directs the weeklong GirlsGetMath@CSU summer math program for high school students with Assistant Professor Jamie Juul and recently worked with Postdoctoral Fellow Jocelyn Rios to run a bilingual family math night entitled Cafecito con Matemática. Offered to schools in Colorado, Cafecito con Matemática engages Spanish speaking students and families in fun math games, puzzles and exploratory activities. She has also worked with the Natural Sciences Education and Outreach Center at CSU on local water quality testing experiments that can help future teachers learn how to conduct research in the field and communicate findings.
Mathematics Professor Hortensia Soto and Department Chair Alexander Hulpke nominated Arnold for the award. Arnold said she was honored to receive it and be a member of the department.
“This role and the department have given me an opportunity to collaborate with amazing colleagues, and it is through these collaborations that we have supported the preparation of our secondary pre-service mathematics teachers,” she said. “I love mathematics and appreciate all of the opportunities I’ve had to engage with CSU students.”
Arnold received her Ph.D. from Montana State University in mathematics education and worked as a professor at James Madison University before coming to CSU in 2020. She received the College of Natural Sciences’ Early Career Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023.
