Vilma María Mesa Narváez (born 1963) is a Colombian-American mathematics educator whose research topics have included secondary-school curriculum development, college-level

calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...

instruction, mathematics in

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

s, international perspectives in mathematics education, and inquiry-based learning. She is a professor of education and mathematics at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, where she is affiliated with the Center for the Study of Higher and Post-secondary Education.

Education and career

Mesa earned her bachelor's degrees in computer science and mathematics at the University of Los Andes (Colombia) in 1986 and 1987, respectively, and became a computer programmer for the Colombian government and in the private sector. From 1988 to 1995 she worked as a researcher at the University of Los Andes, working in mathematics education and authoring textbooks on mathematics and statistics for applications including engineering and social sciences. In 1996, she began graduate study in mathematics education at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, where she earned her master's degree in 1996 and completed her Ph.D. in 2000. Her dissertation, ''Conceptions of Function Promoted by Seventh- and Eighth-Grade Textbooks from Eighteen Countries'', was jointly advised by

Jeremy Kilpatrick Jeremy Kilpatrick (September 21, 1935, in Fairfield, Iowa – September 17, 2022, in Athens, Georgia) was an American mathematics educator. He received the Felix Klein Medal for 2007 from ICMI (The International Commission on Mathematics Instru ...

and Edward Arthur Azoff. After postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan, she stayed on at the University of Michigan as a coordinator for the master's program in curriculum development and as an instructional consultant until she was hired in 2005 as an assistant professor of mathematics education in the School of Education. She was tenured in 2014 and added a joint appointment in the university's mathematics department in 2015. In 2016, she visited the University of Santiago, Chile as a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

. Mesa was Associate Editor for the ''

Journal for Research in Mathematics Education ''Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME)'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal within the field of mathematics education. The journal is published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and it appears five times a year ...

'' from 2000-2004 and is associate editor for '' Educational Studies in Mathematics''.

Recognition

Mesa is the 2022 winner of the Louise Hay Award for Contributions to Mathematics Education, where she was recognised "for her distinguished contributions to mathematics education research at the collegiate level, for her teaching and mentorship, and as an advocate for access to mathematics for women and members of underprivileged populations." In 2022, Mesa was awarded the

's Outstanding Undergraduate Research Opportunity Mentor Award.

References

External links

Home page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mesa, Vilma 1963 births Living people 21st-century American mathematicians American women mathematicians 20th-century Colombian mathematicians Colombian women scientists Mathematics educators University of Los Andes (Colombia) alumni University of Georgia alumni University of Michigan faculty