Math education doctoral student Levi Molenje named Project NExT fellow

Patrick Farrell
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Levi Molenje, a doctoral student in Syracuse University’s Mathematics Education Program, has been selected as a Project NExT fellow for 2008-09. Project NExT is a professional development program of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). The project is designed to prepare outstanding new or recent Ph.D.s in the mathematical sciences for all aspects of an academic career, from improving the teaching and learning of mathematics to participation in professional activities. The project also provides participants an opportunity to network with peers and mentors in the field of mathematics education.

As a fellow, Molenje will participate in numerous Project NExT-sponsored events in the coming year, including special sessions during the MAA summer meeting (the 2008 Mathfest) in Madison, Wis., and at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, D.C., next January. During these sessions, Project NExT fellows explore and discuss subjects relevant to beginning faculty, such as innovative approaches to introductory and advanced courses, the use of writing to help students learn mathematics, and alternative methods of assessing student learning.

Molenje was born in Kabras Division, Kakamega District, Kenya. He earned his B.S. degree in mathematics and mathematics education at Kenyatta University and taught high school mathematics before beginning his graduate studies. He earned an M.S. degree in mathematics at the University of Nairobi, where he also served as a mathematics instructor.

Molenje’s research at SU has focused on how the use of technology may improve the understanding of mathematics (especially algebra) and how teachers’ beliefs affect the use of the graphing calculators in high school classrooms. He has accepted a position in the mathematics department at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., which he begins in the fall.

The Mathematics Education Program at Syracuse University is a joint program of the Department of Mathematics in The College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education’s Teaching and Leadership program. The program is committed to the integration of theory and practice through university-school partnerships and extensive field-based experiences for all students.