Rosenbaum Keynote Speaker at Math Disabilities Conference

Robert Rosenbaum, the University Professor of Mathematics and the Sciences, emeritus, and chair of the Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science (PIMMS), will present the keynote address at a workshop on preventing math learning difficulties Oct. 16.

In his talk, titled “The Vicious Versus,” Rosenbaum will deplore “the all-too-common dichotomy that pits ‘pure’ mathematics against ‘applied’ mathematics.” He will argue that “each type of mathematics enriches the other, thus illuminating the significance and beauty that give the subject its attractiveness.”

Rosenbaum will address “Learning Foundations,” which provides educational software solutions to companies throughout New England. The meeting will take place in Trumbull at Cooperative Educational Services, one of six regional educational service centers providing educational and support services in Connecticut.

Over the course of Rosenbaum’s 55 years at Wesleyan, he has been a professor, dean, provost, academic vice-president, acting president and chancellor. He was instrumental in establishing one of the nation’s first “mathematics clinics” for mathematics-phobic students. He is the author or co-author of four mathematics texts and the recipient of several honorary degrees. He has directed a host of highly acclaimed National Science Foundation-supported institutes for teachers and students, and has been acclaimed for his establishment of PIMMS, which works to meet the needs of Connecticut’s large urban districts, the poorest and most educationally depressed.

It is estimated that Rosenbaum, 92, has volunteered 50,000 hours to these and other math-related pursuits.