Zweng Awardees for 2023-24

Sofia Abreu, Ashley Fabry, Alicia Matthews-Johnson, and Sabrina Zarza, PRIME mathematics education doctoral students, have been awarded the Dr. Marilyn Zweng Endowed Graduate Student Award in Mathematics Education for 2023-24.

Dr. Marilyn Zweng, a mathematics educator who completed her undergraduate work at Michigan State University, generously contributed funds establishing an endowment to provide fellowships to PRIME students. She earned her PhD from the University of Wisconsin. She was a professor of mathematics and head of the mathematics department at the University of Iowa. In Iowa, she created a TV show called “Mathematics with Marilyn.” Dr. Zweng passed away in August 2019 and will be remembered as a philanthropist and an incredible intellectual.

Zweng fellowship recipients are selected based on how they have been active ambassadors of mathematics education and what the student plans to do to extend, deepen, or change their ambassador work.

Ambassadors of mathematics education exhibit active involvement in improving mathematics teaching and learning (pre-K-16+), publications and/or presentations that reach out to a broad community such as K-12 teachers, policymakers, etc., and/or service to mathematics education at MSU (e.g., mentoring) or nationally (e.g. organizing conferences).

Sofia Abreu is a fifth-year student in the mathematics education doctoral program. She commented that her work as an active ambassador of mathematics education is "amplified in Dr. Higinio Dominguez's project, Animating Mathematical Concepts, where we are collaborating with elementary and middle school teachers to reconnect with mathematical concepts as vibrant and dynamic forces, understanding and foregrounding their colonial entanglements in order to imagine a (feminist decolonial) otherwise by infusing mathematics teaching with philosophy, art, movement, and the vibrancy of materials—transforming in this way how we understand mathematics, learning, and teaching." 

Through this work, they printed a comic book titled Young Philosophers: What can they teach us about the concept of space?, illustrated by Sofia. The comic book follows a conversation about space that unfolded in a fifth-grade classroom.

She continued, "In the coming year, I want to deepen my ambassador work by creating a series of short comics to share how (re)sensitizing ourselves to the violence that we perpetuate through our field can also open us to imagine and live (feminist decolonial) otherwise possibilities to transorm mathematics education." Sofia noted, "I am applying for funding to publish these comics for a broad community of teachers, students, and researchers in our field as well as present this work at conferences such as RUME, PME-NA, and AERA. I would be honored and grateful to receive this generous and supportive fellowship." 

Ashley Fabry is a third-year mathematics education doctoral student. She taught high school mathematics for six years before coming to PRIME, and noted, " While teaching I realized I had a passion for improving mathematics education and teacher preparation. I hope to turn this passion into a career working with pre-service teachers (PSTs)."

Through her teaching and research assistantships, Ashley noted she has had many opportunities to start being an ambassador for mathematics education. She noted the deep conversations with PSTs about complex instruction, math identity, task design, and collaborative problem solving was inspiring.  This past year she has helped lead professional development for CMP teachers using a digital platform, attended and presented at conferences for teachers and teacher educators, and is helping prepare the newest CMP curriculum materials.

Ashley commented, "With the funds from this fellowship, I intend to replace my old laptop with a new one to use for classes and research, purchase a qualitative data analysis software license, and hopefully start saving to compensate participants for my dissertation study."

Alicia Matthews-Johnson is a fourth-year mathematics education doctoral student. She has over 20 years of mathematics teaching experience in Detroit area schools. Alicia mentored many middle school girls in the Detroit area and influenced several minority students to attend college with the ambition of majoring in a STEM field.

Her goal is to become a math educator at an Historically Black College/University (HBCU), where she also plans to recruit and nurture future African American math teachers. Alicia commented, "This aspiration is connected to the focus of my practicum where I am exploring the teaching practices of African American math teachers."

She remarked, "With the Zweng Fellowship, I will be able to obtain coding software, small amounts of stipend funding for research participants, and travel support to Detroit to meet with participants." Alicia also stated that the fellowship will allow her to attend the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) MATHFest, a three-day meeting held each year to encourage students to pursue advanced degrees in mathematics and mathematics education.

Sabrina Zarza is starting her second year as a math ed doctoral student. She taught for multiple years in California and most recently a year in Michigan before beginning her doctoral studies. She commented, "Within the first year of my career as a High School mathematics teacher, I earned the role of department chair, followed by an Administrative role the following year."  In her first year in the PRIME doctoral program Sabrina offered many hours of mentorship and service to first and second year doctoral students, as well as prospective students. She visited her Alma Mater of California State University - Fullerton last spring in hopes of building an academic relationship between PRIME and the students in the Master's in Mathematics Program there. Sabrina served on the Math Ed Colloquium Committee, planned and attended the social events for the admitted student recruiting weekend in addition to other recruiting event functions, and is serving as a mentor for two new students. She graciously offered her time and fruits of her cooking to math ed doctoral students throughout the year.

Sabrina remarked, "If awarded this fellowship, I would be able to continue this service without the financial burden that gas and food (hosting) has been this past year. Futhermore, this money would create travel opportunities to places that would otherwise be financially impossible to access, allowing me to widen the network in which I can conduct my ambassador work."

Congratulations to Sofia Abreu, Ashley Fabry, Alicia Matthews-Johnson, and Sabrina Zarza on receiving the prestigious Zweng Award!