Patrick X. Rault, associate professor of mathematics at SUNY Geneseo, has received the prestigious Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) to recognize the quality of his undergraduate teaching. The award ceremony took place in August at the 100th anniversary conference of the MAA in Washington, D.C.
The honor recognizes beginning college or university faculty whose teaching has been extraordinarily successful and whose effectiveness in teaching undergraduate mathematics is shown to have influence beyond their own classrooms. He will receive $1,000 from the association and will be make a presentation at the MAA national meeting.
"The year I came to SUNY Geneseo, I was inspired by the Alder Award speeches at our national conference, so I am honored to be joining their company,” said Rault, who joined the Geneseo faculty in 2008. “Since joining the college, my supportive colleagues have helped me to bring new research experiences to students outside the classroom and new inquiry-based taste-of-research experiences to the students in my classes. The latter has led to my co-founding of the Upstate New York Inquiry-Based Learning Consortium, which is bringing such taste-of-research experiences to students from across the state."
Geneseo Department of Mathematics Chair Chris Leary noted that Rault has been recognized nationally in his continuing involvement in undergraduate research projects, beginning with his co-authoring peer reviewed mathematics papers with five different undergraduates. After receiving the Council on Undergraduate Research’s Faculty Mentoring Award in 2013, Rault was elected a councilor for that national organization.
“He is constantly involved with mentoring students,” said Leary. “He encourages them to pursue mathematics in all of its forms. He also is keenly focused on improving mathematics pedagogy, not only in his own classroom, but on a regional and national scale, as well.”
The late Henry Alder was a mathematics professor at the University of California-Davis and highly active in the MAA. The organization established the award in 2003 and presented the first awards the following year. Rault will be among three receiving the award this year.