UNL's Judy Walker earns national mathematics teaching honor

Judy Walker, associate professor of mathematics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has become accustomed to seeing two comments paired consistently on her students' evaluations: this is the hardest class I have ever taken; I loved it more than any other class.

Such divergent comments reflect Walker's teaching ability, an ability that gained national recognition Jan. 14 when she received the Mathematical Association of America's Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.

To Walker, teaching is simple: "Math is beautiful. It is my job as a professor of mathematics to expose students to that beauty."

While she may make teaching sound and look simple, there has been evidence of Walker's passion for and commitment to the profession since she joined UNL's math department in 1996. Not the least of which is a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation for Nebraska Mentoring through Critical Transition Points, of which Walker is project director.

"I think it is an incredibly important discipline," Walker said. "So much is based on mathematics. It is not necessarily the most glamorous, so it is easy for the public to direct funding away from mathematics to other fields, but so much of what is exciting and glamorous in the other sciences is based on mathematics."

The Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics honors extraordinary success in teaching, documented effectiveness, being a national influence in the field and fostering curiosity and excitement about math among students.

"We are extremely excited about Judy and consider her to be a role model -- a complete faculty member -- in all ways," said John Meakin, chair of the UNL mathematics department. "It's not just that she is an excellent classroom teacher: Judy's influence extends well beyond the classroom, having national scope, and brings major recognition to herself and to our department."

CONTACTS: Judy Walker, Assoc. Professor, Mathematics, (402) 472-4560;

and John Meakin, Professor & Chair, Mathematics, (402) 472-7244