Robin A. Ward
Director of Curriculum Integration, Rice University School Mathematics Project
Clinical Assistant Professor of Mathematics,
Wiess School of Natural Sciences
Robin A. Ward is from Newtown Square, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. She received a B.A. in math/physics from Immaculata College in 1986 and, upon graduating, worked as an aerospace engineer for General Electric in Valley Forge, PA. While working for GE, she attended Villanova University and received a M.A. in mathematics in 1989. After working in the corporate world for seven years, Robin developed a strong interest in working in academia. Thus, in 1993, she began a doctoral program in mathematics education at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, and received her Ph.D. in 1997.
Since then, Robin has worked as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA, and as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Arizona. Robin is now a Clinical Assistant Professor of Mathematics and the Director of Curriculum Integration at the Rice University School Mathematics Project.
During her two-decade career as a mathematics educator, Ward has received over $10,000,000 in numerous grants from NASA, NSF, TEA, and the U.S. Department of Education, all geared towards improving preK-12 teachers’ mathematical and pedagogical knowledge. Dr. Ward is a two-time recipient of a Stanford-ASEE fellowship, where she partnered with NASA Dryden to develop web-based materials for K-12 teachers that showcase the work of NASA scientists.
Robin is an enthusiastic advocate and supporter of using the visual arts in the teaching of mathematics and the vast majority of her research, professional development, and writing reflects this passion. Her book, Math + Art = Fun: Activities for Discovering Mathematical Magic in Modern Art, provides children with the opportunity to put on their “math goggles” and to use the visual arts as a lens to explore mathematics. Peruse a variety of her integrated math-art ideas and resources on RUSMP’s From STEM to STEAM: Visual Arts Integration page.
Dr. Ward has been published nationally and internationally in numerous journals and she is the author of five teacher resource books on using art and children’s literature in the mathematics classroom. She has also authored seven children’s counting books. She is regularly heard encouraging teachers and students to “Put on their math goggles®!” as a means to see mathematics in their world.
Click here to explore books authored by Robin.
Robin currently resides in Austin, TX and is married to Chris DelConte, Director of Athletics at the University of Texas. They have two daughters, Sienna and Sophia Arabella.