NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

3/08/2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES ­Dr. Richard DeVault, an associate professor of mathematics at Northwestern State University, received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America, Louisiana-Mississippi section. The award is presented annually to an outstanding college or university instructor of mathematics.

The announcement was made during the MAA's Louisiana-Mississippi regional meeting in Gulfport, Miss. DeVault attended the conference with several colleagues and students. Nominees are judged on documented success in teaching effectiveness, their influence in teaching beyond their classroom and their own institution.

"I was really surprised, so much so that I didn't know what to say," said DeVault, who knew he had been nominated by his colleague Dr. Stan Chadick, but didn't expect to win. DeVault will be entered in the national competition for next year's Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College of University Teaching of Mathematics.

"This is nice because it's not just a university award, it's for all teachers in Louisiana and Mississippi," DeVault said. "That's why I didn't think I would win."

"The conference has a student competition," he explained. "Some go and make presentations. We usually take a large contingency to represent the university." DeVault made a presentation on "Global Behavior of Solutions of the Nonlinear Difference Equation."

DeVault grew up in Jamestown, R.I., and earned his undergraduate degree and Ph.D. at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. He has been at NSU since 1996 and is director of JOVE, a research program for science and math majors at NSU. In 2001, he received the Mildred Hart Bailey Research Award, awarded by Northwestern. He was pleased to have been recognized for his research as well as for teaching.

"I like research but teaching is much more important," he said. "I really like being with the students. It's a great job. I always say you could pay me $1 million to do something else and I wouldn't do it. This is what I am supposed to do."

The Mathematical Association of America is the largest professional society that focuses on undergraduate mathematics education. The MAA's mission is to advance mathematical sciences at the collegiate level through education, research, professional development, public policy and public appreciation. Members include university, college and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students, pure and applied mathematicians, computer scientists, statisticians and many others in academia, government, business and industry.

Main Menu