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UNC Asheville Mathematician Sam Kaplan Honored with Distinguished Teaching Award

April 17, 2012

Sam Kaplan, associate professor of Mathematics at UNC Asheville, has been awarded the Southeastern Section Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Award for Distinguished Teaching of Mathematics. He was honored at the MAA's Southeastern Section Spring 2012 Meeting at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia.

A member of the UNC Asheville faculty for 13 years, Kaplan earns high marks from UNC Asheville students, one of whom commented in an evaluation, "his excitement for calculus radiates through his lectures and makes you love calculus." He has mentored more than 25 UNC Asheville students with their undergraduate research projects. Kaplan also spent three summers teaching in a research program, funded by the National Science Foundation, which brings students from across the country to engage in projects supervised by UNC Asheville mathematics faculty.

Kaplan was instrumental in establishing the Asheville Initiative in Mathematics (AIM), a program created to support and to enhance mathematics appreciation and education in the community. Through Kaplan's efforts, many Asheville and Buncombe County K-12 math teachers have received professional development training. AIM has also brought high-profile speakers to Asheville, attracting many non-mathematicians to community Math Literacy Summits.

An exponent of interdisciplinary learning, Kaplan has also integrated mathematics into courses he has taught in Humanities, History and Women's Studies courses. Kaplan is a past recipient of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, and UNC Asheville's University Service Award.