[21-02-2016 (TORONTO)] The Fields Institute is proud to announce that Dr. Jean-Marie De Koninck of University of Laval is this year’s recipient of the Margaret Sinclair Memorial Award Recognizing Innovation and Excellence in Mathematics Education.

De Koninck has worked to promote mathematics and mathematics education for more than 40 years, both within the scholarly community as well as through many and varied outreach programs engaging students, teachers and the public at large.

“In his capacity as a highly active proponent of international mathematics outreach, Professor de Koninck has shared his love of mathematics with the public and invited them to join him in exploring its beauty and usefulness,” said Janine McIntosh of the Australian Mathematical Institute commenting on De Koninck’s reach beyond Canada.

McIntosh commended Jean-Marie’s organizational efforts and initiatives, including one that brought people together for an international math outreach workshop at BIRS just a few months ago.

Diverse projects ranging from his play Pluton va en appel! to the multimedia production Show Math, have exemplified the reach of his work as he continues to share the richness and intrigue of mathematics with others. Demonstrating the energy and enthusiasm shown by Dr. Margaret Sinclair herself, Prof. De Koninck is a worthy recipient of this honour.

“I am very happy and honored to receive the Margaret Sinclair Award. Sharing my enthusiasm and passion for mathematics with kids of all ages has been a tremendous human experience, but obtaining this prestigious award in recognition of my efforts is unexpected and overwhelming,” said Dr. Jean-Marie De Koninck at the time of the announcement.

Dr. De Koninck has been a researcher and professor of mathematics at Université Laval for more than 40 years and is well known to the scientific community for his work in analytic number theory.

As an academic he is the author of 15 books and 127 peer reviewed articles in scientific journals.

Professor De Koninck has also hosted a science outreach television show for Canal Z and TFO called C'est mathématique! In 2005 he created the Sciences and Mathematics in Action (SMAC) Program which has as its stated goal to increase the interest in both science and mathematics.

He was also very active in the media during the ten years he acted as President of the Table québécoise de la sécurité routière. He is now a member of the Board for the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec. Many have also seen him as a color-commentator for nationally televised swim events.  

The Margaret Sinclair Memorial Award recognizes an educator in Canada who has demonstrated innovation and excellence in promoting mathematics education at the elementary, secondary, college or university level. This annual award comprises a $5000 prize and inscription of the winner’s name on a plaque to be installed at the Fields Institute.

Each year a candidate is selected from a group of individuals that have shown great enthusiasm for enhancing the learning environment and displaying novel ways of teaching mathematics.  Every candidate must have served as a role model for other teachers and had an inspirational influence on students and/or colleagues. As with every award of this type, there are many individuals who are deserving of recognition, but there can only be one winner.

About Margaret Sinclair: Margaret Sinclair passed away on her 62^nd birthday, February 21, 2012 after a brave struggle with a rare form of cancer. Until then she was a tenured professor in the Faculty of Education, Graduate Program in Education, York University. During her remarkable career she taught at the elementary, secondary and university level. A vibrant and creative woman, Margaret followed an untraditional path to her impressive accomplishments in life. While raising five children, Margaret earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Waterloo, and a master’s degree in the Mathematics for Teachers program from York University. In 2001, at age 51, while still a mathematics department head and then a vice-principal, Margaret completed her PhD in education at the University of Toronto.

Although she was driven by mathematics, Margaret’s passion was learning and sharing her knowledge and expertise with others through teaching, research and writing. She loved educating prospective teachers, using innovative ways to inspire them and their students. 

Margaret Sinclair was posthumously inducted as a Fields Institute Fellow in June 2012.

Media Contact:

Adam Zarboni, Communications Officer

The Fields Institute
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