The 2019 Award for Impact on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics has been awarded to M. Vali Siadat, Richard J. Daley College, for his many sustainable and replicable contributions to mathematics and mathematics education at both the pre-college and college level. (Photo by Payam Bahrami.)

About M. Vali Siadat

M. Vali Siadat is a distinguished professor of mathematics at Daley College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. An accomplished mathematician with two doctoral degrees, Siadat’s life and work reflect a passionate dedication to student achievement in mathematics, focusing on the critical period between late high school and early college. He led the Project Access/Chicago Prep program, an integral part of a NASA national mathematics project targeting promising low-income and minority students. In addition to directing the local program and teaching and mentoring 80–100 middle and high school students every summer from 1996 to 2004, he developed the curriculum related to mathematical logic and computer science for the national program.

Dr. Siadat is perhaps best known for his Keystone Project in the which he worked on improving freshman performance through student assessment, building study skills, and the use of mathematics to improve fluid intelligence.  Built on his belief that mathematics can be a keystone to student learning, this low-cost program for teaching remedial mathematics is based on frequent feedback and student support. In a two-year study involving hundreds of community college students, the methods led to an increase in student success in the elements of algebra course to 59%, compared to 18% in the control group. It also led to a 12.3% increase in reading comprehension, and an increase in retention from 67% to 74%.

Siadat has made significant contributions towards improving mathematics education at the pre-college and two-year college levels through regional and national projects, research, and presentations. His influence is not just limited to the students at his own institution, as is evident from the many honors he has received from various regional and national organizations, including the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Mathematical Association of America, the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Instructional Administrators, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Illinois Community College Board, the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, and Northeastern Illinois University. His work is a gift both to his many generations of students and to mathematics education.

The AMS Committee on Education is delighted to award Dr. M. Vali Siadat the 2019 AMS Award for Impact on Teaching and Learning of Mathematics.

About the Award

Established by the AMS Committee on Education (COE) in 2013, the Award for Impact on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics is given annually to a mathematician (or group of mathematicians) who has made significant contributions of lasting value to mathematics education. The US$1,000 award is given annually to a recipient selected by the COE. The endowment fund that supports the award was established in 2012 by a contribution from Kenneth I. and Mary Lou Gross in honor of their daughters Laura and Karen.

See more about the award.

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