Mathematics
College of Arts and Sciences
January 18, 2019
The Oregon Academy of Science (OAS) has announced Dr. Stephanie Salomone, University of Portland Associate Professor of Mathematics, has been awarded their 2019 Outstanding Educator Award for Higher Education. Dr. Salomone will be honored at an awards presentation and conference at Linfield College at 1:00 p.m. on February 23, 2019. This marks the second year in a row that the award, which is given to only one educator annually, has been given to a University of Portland College of Arts and Sciences faculty member and the fourth time since 2013.
Dr. Salomone is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics at UP and was recently appointed the Director of the University’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Outreach Center, a collaborative unit among the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the University’s Schools of Education and Engineering whose mission is to strengthen STEM education in K-12 school settings.
“Stephanie Salomone is, first and foremost, an excellent teacher and her efforts to improve campus instruction, particularly related to STEM disciplines, is amazing,” said Dr. Thomas G. Greene, Provost. “Her students have benefited from her carefully designed and executed tutelage. Her leadership in teaching has helped dozens of faculty members improve their instructional practices and her pedagogical influence on campus is paralleled only by her influence in the K-12 field facilitated through various major grants and community engagement initiatives.”
Dr. Salomone has been teaching mathematics at the University of Portland since 2005, when there were only nine full-time mathematics faculty. Since her arrival, the department has grown into 14 full-time faculty members. Dr. Salomone uses an Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) strategy in her classes, which is a teaching method that focuses on deeply engaging students and providing students with opportunities to authentically learn by collaborating with their peers. She has also worked to help other mathematics faculty adopt this approach in order to enhance the learning and enjoyment of students in some of the most challenging undergraduate mathematics classes. Dr. Salomone is the recipient of the University’s 2009 Outstanding Teaching Award.
She is also currently the Principle Investigator (PI) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Noyce Scholars and Interns Program at the University of Portland. She is the PI of the NSF IUSE: EHR REFLECT program at UP and the PI of a subcontract for the NSF-funded Western Regional Noyce Alliance grant.
“Stephanie has been making contributions to STEM education her entire career, since she was a graduate student at UCLA,” noted Dr. Herbert A. Medina, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “At UP, she has not only transformed the way we teach many courses in the mathematics department, her pedagogical work has influenced faculty in all STEM disciplines including engineering. Her work has also made positive, significant contributions in local K-12 schools and higher educational institutions in the PNW and other parts of the nation. We are so blessed and lucky to have her on the UP faculty.”
Dr. Salomone serves on the Executive Leadership Team for the Portland Metro STEM Partnership, one of 13 STEM Hubs in Oregon. She has worked on professional development projects for in-service teachers, including appointments with the Central California Mathematics Project (CSU-Stanislaus) and the UCLA Math Program for Teachers. She was a 2004-2005 NSF GK-12 Fellow for Science and Mathematics Inquiry in Los Angeles Urban Schools.
She is also on the Board of Directors for Saturday Academy, a Portland non-profit whose mission is to engage children in learning, particularly in STEM. “Dr. Salomone has contributed to the STEM education of children throughout our region as part of her board service to Saturday Academy and her encouragement of STEM college majors to join the ranks of K-12 STEM teachers” said Jeri Janowsky, Executive Director of Saturday Academy. “We are so fortunate to have her creativity, intellect and devotion.”
Salomone’s recognition reflects the consistent caliber of CAS faculty at the University of Portland. Past recipients of the OAS’s Outstanding Educator Award for Higher Education include Dr. Jacquie Van Hoomissen, Biology, 2018; Sr. Angela Hoffman O.S.B., Chemistry, 2014; and Dr. Robert F. Butler, Environmental Science, 2013.
About the Oregon Academy of Science
The Oregon Academy of Science promotes scientific research and education throughout the State of Oregon. Divisions of the Academy represent all areas of the natural sciences and social sciences. The Academy encourages participation by research and applied scientists and educators from all fields. Discipline sections work to encourage the communication among Oregon scientists both private and public through the annual OAS meeting. The annual OAS meeting acknowledges contributions by outstanding university and K-12 educators demonstrating dedication to the advancement of science education. The 2019 conference marks the OAS’s 78th Annual meeting and distribution of awards. Additionally, each year the Academy acknowledges an Oregon scientist who has made outstanding contributions in their field.
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