Mathematical Literacy and Abstraction in the 21st Century

Ed Dubinsky received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Michigan in 1962 and for the next 25 years engaged in research in theoretical mathematics. In the mid‐80′s he became interested in mathematics education and has worked exclusively in the area since then. In his research, he tries to understand how a person's mind might be working when he or she tries to understand mathematical concepts at the postsecondary level. Based on this research, he has conducted large‐scale curriculum development projects in calculus, discrete mathematics, abstract algebra and cooperative learning. He has been editor or co‐editor of UME Trends, Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education, and the Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching. He has held faculty positions at 8 universities in 5 countries on 3 continents: Fourah Bey College (Sierra Leone), University of Ghana, Tulane University, McMaster University, Polish Academy of Sciences, Clarkson University, Purdue University, and Georgia State University. Dr. Dubinsky is presently retired and consults with several universities on education matters.