2019
Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics Aaron Wootton, University of Portland

Dr. Wootton is one of the humblest, kindest, most intelligent, and most generous people I have ever known. In addition to making him a great colleague, these traits contribute to making him a great teacher. He possesses a genuine and obvious care for students, often meeting with them for hours on end outside of class and modifying his instruction based on their feedback, which he requests often. Quite rare for a pure mathematician, he recognizes the needs of the more applied students and learns new applied mathematics. He created a new course on cryptography and wrote his own text when he couldn't find a good one at the undergraduate level. He also started teaching statistics so that he can better serve/teach/advise all of our students. In class he designs clever and engaging examples to excite students about mathematics. He has a unique way of reaching struggling students that I truly admire and attempt to emulate. He has created a host of course notes and worksheets for various courses that he freely shares with others. He has served as a contributer and consultant for Webwork. He mentors newer/younger faculty in teaching and is one of the first people we turn to for advice. His efforts affect the wider community through his long-term involvement in the Mathematics Consortium Working Group, where he has helped produce two new edition textbooks-one in Applied Calculus and one in Precalculus. He is also a huge proponent and participant in undergraduate research (published with undergraduates, ran 2 REUs) and recently founded a new book series (published by Springer) entitled Foundations in Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (FURM), which is dedicated to providing mentors and students open research problems in mathematics. This book series has already been an enormous success, and I have no doubt it will continue to play a critical role in promoting and advancing undergraduate research in mathematics. I could go on and on, but I am instructed to be brief. Dr. Wootton has been and continues to be a role model for me and all other members of my department and beyond. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition.
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