FYMSiC News
Announcements
With great sadness, we remember our original FYMSiC team member, Laura Daniela Gutierrez Funderburk, who served as the Repository Project Coordinator. Many of our FYMSiC friends may not have known Laura, but she played a pivotal role in developing the first-year mathematics and statistics course repository which is still available on the FYMSiC website. The Repository was the initiative that helped launch FYMSiC at its inaugural annual conference in 2018 at the Fields Institute.
Laura was a student of Veselin Jungić at Simon Fraser University and went on to become an accomplished data scientist and researcher, achieving remarkable success at a young age.
The FYMSiC community will miss Laura and will not forget her. Rest in peace.
The 2026 CMS MathEd Meeting (Online) is happening again (for the third time!) thanks to the success of the inaugural meeting. Complementing the in-person mathematics education sessions at the Summer and Winter CMS meetings, the 2026 CMS MathEd Meeting (Online) will feature fabulous plenary talks and fantastic presentations on a variety of themes in mathematics education, as well as provide ample time for comments and discussion. This mathematics education meeting (online) will take place over two days and prior to the in-person CMS Winter meeting.
2026 CMS MathEd Meeting (Online) information: https://winter26.cms.math.ca/mathedonline
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH, 2026, (FROM 17:00 EST TO 20:00 EST)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH, 2026, (FROM 11:00 EST TO 15:00 EST)
FANTASTIC PLENARY SPEAKERS
France Caron (Université de Montréal)
Tyler Holden (University of Toronto, Mississauga)
Do you wish to present? No problem!
Presentation proposals can be submitted here: https://winter26.cms.math.ca/mathedonline
Deadline to submit a presentation proposal is on Friday, October 2nd, 2026.
The organization and the registration for this event will be handled by the CMS. The event is FREE for anyone wishing to attend.
Hello friends,
Sharing the Save-the-Date notice about the Learning and Teaching of Calculus Across Disciplines 3 (CALC 3DISC) conference to take place June 21-25, 2027 in Paris, France. See the document below for more information and for sharing with the FYMSiC community.
Conference information [pdf file]: CalcConf4_June_2027_SAVE_THE_DATE
Ana Duff
Congratulations
Awards
Jamie Mulholland (Senior Lecturer, Simon Fraser University) received the 2026 Canadian Mathematical Society Adrien Pouliot Award. Press release:
https://cms.math.ca/news-item/dr-jamie-mulholland-to-receive-the-2026-adrien-pouliot-award/
Darja Barr (Senior Instructor, University of Manitoba) received the 2026 Dr. and Mrs. H. H. Saunderson Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Manitoba. Press release:
https://umanitoba.ca/about-um/provost-vice-president-academic/academic-supports-faculty/awards
Mayada Shahada (Assistant Professor (Teaching), University of Calgary) received the 2026 Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Scienecs Education Prize. Press release:
https://www.pims.math.ca/news/2026/04/dr-mayada-shahada-honoured-pims-education-prize
Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication
to mathematics and statistics education!
For past FYMSiC News, please visit the Past News.
FYMSiC Online Teaching Meetups
Online Teaching Meetups are a great virtual space to have a conversation about math and stats teaching and learning with students and educators. Each meetup has a specific theme such as ‘How to teach ‘em math proofs in first-year and beyond?’ or ‘What is CEGEP?’ or ‘Transitioning to university: high school teachers’ experiences and views’, which may be accompanied by a couple of presentations – but for sure, a healthy, therapeutic and cathartic dialogue is always there about teaching and learning!
Upcoming meet up …
♦ Monday, November 16th, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. EST
Zoom link: https://mcmaster.zoom.us/my/zoomwithmiroslav?pwd=YThCVlNoMEtKU09mUXlCUGdURlgrZz09
(No passcode needed.)
Title: Inclusivity in Mathematics
In this month’s meetup we will hear from two of our amazing colleagues. Between and after the talks there will be time for Q&A and discussion.
Stacey Smith?, University of Ottawa
Title: Teaching While Trans
Abstract: Gender transitioning is on the rise among students, but it’s also happening among faculty too. This talk defines some transgender basics and highlights some of the challenges faced in academia as a result of transitioning from male to female. These include name changes and publications, university and online journal bureaucracies and interactions with students and colleagues. Finally, tips will be provided on how to be a good trans ally and small but helpful changes that can be made in the classroom to make the environment more inclusive.
Veselin Jungic, Simon Fraser University
Title: Ethnomathematics as a vehicle of inclusivity
Abstract: I will talk about my recent experience with using ethnomathematics in teaching a remedial mathematics course to students enrolled in the Simon Fraser University’s Indigenous Languages Program.
See you then, FYMSiC! 🙂
Most recent meet up …
♦ Monday, October 19th, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. EDT
Title: Gen AI and your teaching of mathematics and statistics courses
Abstract:
We would like to hear from our FYMSiC friends if gen AI has affected the way they teach mathematics and statistics courses, and if so, in what ways. Whether you are actively incorporating Gen AI into your courses, experimenting with different approaches, or choosing not to use it, we would like to hear about your experiences, challenges, and ideas.
Among the questions/issues we plan to explore:
* Are you using gen AI in teaching your course? If so, how are you using it?* Have you modified how you teach specific mathematical concepts?
* Are students learning math as well as/ better/ worse than before gen AI? Do you have any evidence?
* Have you changed the format of your assessments because of gen AI?
* Are you using gen AI to help you with the logistical organization of your courses? If so, is it effective? Good experiences to share?
Save the date …
♦ Winter 2027 term dates are coming soon . . .
For past FYMSiC Online Teaching Meetups & Events and Resources mentioned and discussed, please visit the Meetups page.
Other Math & Stats Education Events
♦ November 27th — 28th, 2026 [Online]: 2026 Canadian Mathematical Society MathEd Meeting (Online)
♦ December 11th — 14th, 2026 [In Person]: 2026 Canadian Mathematical Society Winter Meeting, Montréal, Québec
♦ May 5th, 2027 [Online]: FYMSiC Online Conference
♦ May 28th — 31st, 2027 [In Person]: 2026 CMS Summer Meeting, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Fields Institute Mathematics Education Forum
Meeting Information: http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/centres/centre-mathematics-education
The Fields Institute Mathematics Education Forum promotes discussion of issues in mathematics education at all levels, with special emphasis on education in the Province of Ontario. The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences serves as the host of the Forum, but does not determine the agenda or the conclusions of the Forum. It is the goal of the Forum to consider objectively new ideas and diverse views in mathematics education, to facilitate consensus and to promote the enhancement of mathematics education in Ontario and Canada.
The Forum’s mandate is to foster the development of new ideas, methodologies and materials with respect to possible changes that could improve education in mathematics, and to work for the implementation of such changes.
University of Waterloo Mathematics Teaching Seminar
The Mathematics Teaching Seminar at the University of Waterloo is a biweekly meeting featuring discussions on undergraduate mathematics teaching. Participants in the seminar include lecturers, research faculty, and graduate students from all four of Waterloo’s mathematics departments and the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, as well as faculty members and teaching enthusiasts from around the world. Those who would like to attend are encouraged to reach out to the organizers, Burcu Tuncer Karabina and Chelsea Uggenti.
FYMSiC Newsletter
Current issue …
Issue 19 – July 22nd, 2026
Our twentieth issue is coming out in January 2027. If you wish to contribute to our Newsletter, please visit the Newsletter page.
Please send your contributions in Microsoft Word or LaTex (source) formats to: newsletter@firstyearmath.ca
For the twentieth newsletter issue, the contribution deadline is Friday, January 29th, 2027, by 11:59 p.m. (PST).
FYMSiC Latest Share ….
Thanks to Fraser Turner (Mount Allison) for sharing some fantastic Desmo graphs for a Data Science class!
Hey there, just thought I’d share a few Desmos graphs I’ve found to be useful for my Intro to Data Science class:
Demonstration of different Means (showing how they’re sensitive to large and/or small values):
https://www.desmos.com/calculator/avcnasrcmt
Exploring the Binomial Distribution:
https://www.desmos.com/calculator/egrtrednku
This one is the main one I think is useful, where given a specific probability distribution (3 are pre-defined already), you can run randomized “experiments”:
https://www.desmos.com/calculator/rpab3fzdr1
Note for that one I’d suggest using the auto-scaling feature when switching between the probability density histogram and the frequency histogram:
Feel free to share around in whatever format! Attribution isn’t necessary.
Sharing is caring, FYMSiC! 🙂
FYMSiC Recent Publications
- Burazin, A., & Lovric, M. (2026). Nonequivalent definitions: not so painful fact of life in mathematics. For the Learning of Mathematics, 46(1). Retrieved from: https://flm-journal.org/index.php?do=show&lang=en&vol=46&num=1
Supported by …
