UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nate Brown is something of a myth buster in addition to being a professor of mathematics at Penn State’s Eberly College of Science. He contends that math is a skill, not a trait, and that instructors don’t teach math, they teach students. He also said he believes that society has been infected with race and gender stereotypes about who has the ability to learn mathematics.
In spring 2022 Brown was one of two Penn State faculty to earn the 2022 Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching, one of the University’s highest awards for teaching.
His nominating students said they value his approachability during office hours and dedication to knowing his students and believing in their potential. His teaching is infused with empathy and compassion, they said, as he works to instill students with confidence, self-worth and a growth mindset.
“Nate teaches calculus differently from anyone else whose class I have sat in on,” said Diane Henderson, a fellow professor of mathematics at Penn State.
She said he improves his teaching with research on education and educational psychology and works to create an inclusive and equitable learning environment.
For Brown, this work has been part of a long campaign to improve teaching and learning in mathematics by focusing on the student, which required changing his own outlook on life and learning.
“The Eisenhower Award is very meaningful because it validates a major shift in my teaching, from the traditional ‘sage on the stage’ model to an evidence-based approach which centers the needs of students,” Brown said. “Education researchers have known for decades that student-centered pedagogy leads to better learning, but research mathematicians have been very slow to change their instruction style. I hope this award helps raise awareness of the many ways we can better serve our students.”
Brown founded and leads the STEM Diversity Lab, which works on a number of projects and NSF-funded research with the goal of social justice in the context of STEM education.
About the Milton S. Eisenhower Award and How to Nominate
The Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching is given each year by the university to two tenured faculty members, one from University Park and one from a Commonwealth Campus. Eisenhower Award recipients are not only expected to demonstrate excellence in undergraduate teaching, they also must have shared their expertise and served as a teaching mentor to other Penn State educators. The award comes with a $2,500 cash prize.
Any member of the greater Penn State community can nominate a faculty member for a teaching award by completing a form on the Schreyer Institute’s website, which also provides the eligibility criteria. Nominees chosen by their college or campus to be considered for an award must provide supporting documents such as recommendation letters, a teaching philosophy statement, and evidence of their teaching improvement activities.
Although nominations are accepted year-round, those submitted before June 30, 2023, will be considered for the 2024 awards. The nomination deadline has already passed for the 2023 awards, which will be announced in April 2023 with other University faculty and staff awards. The Eisenhower Award is one of several University undergraduate teaching awards announced each spring.