John Quintanilla

Current Semester Teaching: Math 1650: Precalculus General Academic Building 206 MTWR 10:00-10:50 This class is taught for the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, a residential program located here at UNT for gifted high school students from all over the state of Texas. Math 3680: Applied Statistics General Academic Building 438 MW 12:30-1:50

Math in the Media Are you skeptical about the usefulness of learning mathematics? Don't tell that to the writers of Home Improvement! Sports Illustrated 7/19/1999

I have been teaching mathematics at the University of North Texas for ten years. Earlier in my career, I was a member of the Texas Section of Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching), a program for new Ph.D.s in the mathematical sciences who are interested in improving the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics. The following links capture perfectly my opinion of the drivel that's being taught in place of mathematics in elementary and secondary schools today. "MTV Math Doesn't Add Up," by Marianne Jennings (12/17/96) That So-Called Pythagoras," by John Leo (5/26/97) "A Failure to Produce Better Students," by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (6/9/97) "President Clinton's Mandate for Fuzzy Math," by Lynne Cheney (6/11/97) "Spare Texas schoolchildren from `Rain Forest Algebra'", by Dr. Richard Neill, representing District 11 (including Denton County) on the Texas State Board of Education (11/2/97) "Put Down That Calculator, Stupid!" by David Gelernter (5/21/98) "Testimony to the United States House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families," by Martha Schwartz (6/11/98) "The New New Math," by Martin Gardner (9/24/98) "Statewide Mathematics Assessment in Texas", by Paul Clopton, Wayne Bishop and David Klein (11/9/98) Adding it All Up: What Does It Really Mean to Pass the TAAS?", by Shaila Dewan (3/4/99) High School Students and Lab Rats, by Debra J. Saunders (3/12/99) Mathematically Correct home page News and reviews about the current state of mathematics education.

Honors received for teaching: Princeton University Engineering Council Excellence in Teaching Award (1995) Honorary Member, Golden Key National Honor Society (1999) Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Joseph B. Whitehead Educator of Distinction Award (2001, 2003) UNT President's Council Teaching Award (2004) Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics Award (2005) Honorary Alumnus, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (2005)

Before starting as a professor here at UNT, I did my graduate work at Princeton University (MA '94, PhD '97) in the Statistics and Operations Research division of the Department of Civil Engineering and Operations Research; this division has since become the Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering. My advisor was Salvatore Torquato, who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Chemistry and the Princeton Materials Institute and is also director of the Complex Materials Theory Group. Before studying at Princeton, I graduated from Grace Brethren Christian School ('88) in Clinton, Maryland, and did my undergraduate work at Stanford (BS '92, MS '92), earning coterminal degrees in Mathematics. I am also an alumnus of the Study of Exceptional Talent.

In the past, I attended the meetings of the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship and Campus Crusade for Christ at Stanford. These are two student groups, among many others, which seek to disciple Christian students in their faith and to offer opportunities to the student body to examine the claims of Christianity. I also attended Westerly Road Church in Princeton and Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California.

On the lighter side...