Daily News

Jennifer Beineke Honored for Teaching Excellence at WNEU

SPRINGFIELD — Jennifer Beineke has been named the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award at Western New England University (WNEU). She is a professor of Mathematics in the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. Winners of this prestigious award are nominated by students, faculty, and administrators for outstanding contributions as educators and advisors.

During the review process, current and former students praised Beineke as somebody who “made me see the beauty of mathematics” and “always pushed us to be our best.” Another added, “when I walked out of her classroom for the final time, I knew I was a different student and person than the one who had walked in.”

Faculty members describe Beineke as having “a natural gift for explaining challenging concepts,” and “using a variety of methods to engage students in thinking about and solving problems.”

Beineke, who has been teaching at WNEU since 2001, received undergraduate degrees in mathematics and French from Purdue University, and earned her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from UCLA. Her research is in the area of analytic number theory. In conjunction with the National Museum of Mathematics, she recently co-edited the three-volume series The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects.