[cmath] HARLEY WESTON TO RECEIVE THE 2008 CMS ADRIEN POULIOT AWARD

[Graham Wright]

For release: July 9, 2008

HARLEY WESTON TO RECEIVE THE 2008 CMS ADRIEN POULIOT AWARD

The Canadian Mathematical Society is pleased to announce that Professor Harley 
Weston of the University of Regina is the winner of the 2008 Adrien Pouliot 
Award. Dr. Weston will receive the award at the Society's 2008 Winter Meeting 
in Ottawa, Ontario.

The award is an acknowledgment of Dr. Weston's outstanding contributions to 
mathematics education at the local, regional, and national levels. Harley has 
devoted his career to the advancement of mathematics and mathematics education 
in his home province (Saskatchewan), in Canada and beyond. Key among his 
contributions has been his creation of Math Central Website and his outreach to 
Aboriginal communities.


It was Harley's vision and dedication that led to the creation of the vital 
educational website Math Central, and since its inception this site has been 
tirelessly maintained by him. Math Central is a collection of internet services 
designed for teachers and students of mathematics at the K-12 level and which 
currently averages more than 120,000 hits per day. In addition to maintaining 
the site Harley is active in responding to students, teachers and the general 
public who send mathematics questions to Math Central.

Throughout his career, Harley has recognized the importance of mathematics 
education to Aboriginal students. To this end, he has been and continues to be 
engaged in many activities that examine mathematical concepts inherent in 
Aboriginal culture and life. In 2006, he participated in and made a 
presentation at the BIRS workshop on First Nations Mathematics; he introduced 
Aboriginal content into his classes; and coauthored an electronic note on 
Frieze designs in Indigenous Art. Further, he was involved in several 
educational trips to Aboriginal communities and schools.

Among his other contributions is Math on the Move. This initiative takes the 
activity based model of the University of Regina Math Camp and delivers it to 
schools outside the major urban centers in Saskatchewan. Harley was also 
instrumental in developing and delivering an online version of a finite Math 
course which is specifically designed for aspiring elementary teachers.

For most of his career, Harley Weston was a leader in opening lines of 
communication between K-12 students and teachers, professors of Education, 
Aboriginal communities and professional mathematicians. "Throughout, his 
approach has been informed by a respect for the beauty and utility of 
Mathematics as a discipline, and by a desire to ensure that more people are 
able to benefit from the fruits of that discipline." says Dr. Nader Mobed, Head 
of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Regina.

Dr. Weston received his honors B.Sc. in 1962 from McMaster University. He then 
completed his M.Sc. (1964) and Ph.D. (1967) degrees at Lehigh University. In 
1967, he joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University 
of Regina where he stayed until his retirement in 2005. He is Professor 
Emeritus at the Department Mathematics and Statistics, University of Regina. 
Dr. Weston is the recipient of the 1992, University of Regina Alumni 
Association Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the 2008 PIMS 
Education prize.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Graham P. Wright	or		Dr. Joseph Khoury
Executive Director			CMS Education Committee
Canadian Mathematical Society		Dept. of Mathematics
 					and Statistics
Tel: (613) 562-5702			University of Ottawa
Cel: (613) 290-3046			Tel: 613-562-5800 ext 3487
E-mail: director at cms.math.ca 	   	E-mail: jkhoury at uottawa.ca