SFU's Veselin Jungic awarded 2011 PIMS Education Prize

Vancouver, BC – Dr. Veselin Jungic of Simon Fraser University is the recipient of the 2011 PIMS Education Prize.

This prize, awarded by the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, recognizes individuals who have played a major role in encouraging activities which have enhanced public awareness and appreciation of mathematics. As well as those who foster communication among various groups concerned with mathematical education at all levels.

“Veselin Jungic is an amazing educator, who shows remarkable energy and vision in developing initiatives to enhance the learning of mathematics at all levels. Moreover he works as a team builder, bringing out the best from all of those involved in collaboration. We are delighted to be able to recognize his many contributions to the PIMS community,” commented PIMS director, Alejandro Adem.

Dr. Jungic is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at Simon Fraser University, who has distinguished himself through a variety of teaching, outreach and community activities. As a teacher he has received many awards, including Simon Fraser University’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2007.

Dr. Jungic’s contributions to outreach include his prominent role in “Taste of Pi”, a PIMS/SFU enrichment program for high school students and the co-development of a distance-education version of introductory calculus in which lectures are available as video streams. He has played a leading role in SFU Aboriginal university preparation programs and setting up mentorship programs for Aboriginal students at the Vancouver Friendship Center and at the Native Education College.

Last year Dr. Jungic produced and co-authored the animated movie “Small number counts to 100” in both English and Blackfoot, which is part of an initiative to develop curricular materials in an Aboriginal context for which he recently obtained a PromoScience grant from NSERC.

The 2011 PIMS Education Prize will be awarded during the annual ‘Changing the Culture’ conference in Vancouver on April 29, 2011.

2011 PIMS Education Prize recipient: Dr. Veselin Jungic