[cmath] BRIAN FORREST TO RECEIVE THE 2007 CMS EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD

[Graham Wright]

BRIAN FORREST TO RECEIVE THE 2007 CMS EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD


Ottawa Ontario - The Canadian Mathematical Society is pleased to award 
the 2007 CMS Excellence in Teaching Prize to Professor Brian Forrest, 
of the University of Waterloo's Department of Pure Mathematics. The 
award will be presented at the Society's 2007 summer meeting in 
Winnipeg.

The award recognizes sustained and distinguished contributions in 
teaching at the post-secondary undergraduate level at a Canadian 
institution. Thomson Nelson, a well-known Canadian publisher, is a 
supporter of this Award.

Brian Forrest's outstanding teaching has previously been recognized by 
the University of Waterloo, most notably in 2000 through Waterloo's 
Distinguished Teaching Award. His citation at that time spoke to his 
?ability to convey the beauty and elegance of mathematics to students 
at all levels", and to his contagious excitement and enthusiasm for 
teaching mathematics. Former students refer to him as the best 
university instructor they have encountered - someone who stands out 
both as a lucid expositor and as a caring mentor.

His colleagues describe him as the most effective and committed 
teacher they know, someone who consistently obtains stellar 
evaluations and who devotes uncounted hours to his students. He is 
patient and thorough, and succeeds at delivering rigorous and 
demanding material in ways that resonate with students. His letter of 
nomination describes his "meticulous approach to teaching, integrating 
homework assignments and lectures so carefully that students not only 
practice past skills, but also begin to struggle with new concepts in 
their homework just as they are being introduced in lecture." In his 
role as undergraduate advisor, he has carefully guided hundreds of 
students. He is a frequent mentor of undergraduate research projects, 
the author of extensive undergraduate course notes, and the 
co-developer of a respected interactive CD-ROM now used at the 
University of Waterloo for distance education in mathematics.

In parallel with his achievements in teaching, Dr. Forrest has been a 
driving force for curricular development in his department and 
faculty. Together with colleagues, his accomplishments in this area 
include completely restructuring the Waterloo calculus curriculum, 
developing an innovative new program in computational mathematics, 
overhauling the general program in mathematics to give it both 
cohesion and focus, and introducing specialized options that combine 
mathematical study with engineering, teaching, or finance.

Brian Forrest received his Ph.D. from the University of Alberta in 
1987 under the supervision of Professor A.T. Lau. After two years at 
Queen?s University as a Visiting Assistant Professor, he joined the 
Pure Mathematics department at the University of Waterloo, where he 
has taught for the last 18 years. In addition to his regular academic 
duties, he served a four-year term as Chair of his department. He is 
currently on leave from his appointment as Associate Dean for 
Co-operative Education in the Faculty of Mathematics. Dr. Forrest's 
research is in the field of abstract harmonic analysis.

About the Canadian Mathematical Society

Founded in 1945, the Canadian Mathematical Society is the main 
national organization whose goal is to promote and advance the 
discovery, learning, and application of mathematics. The Society's 
activities cover the whole spectrum of mathematics: scientific 
meetings and publishing of research material, education at all levels, 
popularization of mathematics. The education activities include 
competitions, mathematics camps in all provinces, posters for 
students, meetings, etc. The CMS organizes national Fora in 
mathematical education. For more details: (www.cms.math.ca).

For more information, contact:

Dr. Graham P. Wright
Executive Director
Canadian Mathematical Society
Tel: (613) 562-5702
Cel: (613) 290-3046
director at cms.math.ca

Dr. Joseph Khoury
CMS Education Committee
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Ottawa
Tel: 613-562-5800 ext 3487
Jkhoury at uottawa.ca