Malgorzata Dubiel is a Polish mathematician and mathematics educator who works as a senior lecturer at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

Vancouver, Canada Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Me ...

Education and career

Dubiel is the daughter of a Polish military rocket scientist and engineer. She has a Ph.D. from the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

, supervised by

theoretical computer scientist Theoretical computer science is a subfield of computer science and mathematics that focuses on the abstract and mathematical foundations of computation. It is difficult to circumscribe the theoretical areas precisely. The ACM's Special Inter ...

and

mathematical logic Mathematical logic is the study of Logic#Formal logic, formal logic within mathematics. Major subareas include model theory, proof theory, set theory, and recursion theory (also known as computability theory). Research in mathematical logic com ...

ian Victor W. Marek. In 1982, she moved to Canada. At Simon Fraser, her courses include classes for future mathematics teachers, and remedial mathematics classes for students who did poorly in high school mathematics. She was president of the Simon Fraser University Faculty Association for two terms from 1994 to 1996, and again from 2004 to 2005.

Outreach

Dubiel is known for her studies of Canadian primary and secondary school mathematics textbooks, and for pointing out problems in these texts caused in part because they were written by education professionals without consulting any mathematicians. Although she values creativity imagination in mathematics, and uses it in her own lessons, she has also stated that it "must not come at the expense of basic math skills, clear instructions and practice". She has also served as president of the Canadian Math Education Study Group and co-chair in 2009 of the Canadian Mathematics Education Forum. She is the founder of an annual mathematics workshop for female graduate students in mathematics, Connecting Women in Mathematics Across Canada. She organizes the annual Changing the Culture conference for mathematics teachers at the

Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) is a mathematical institute created in 1996 by universities in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States to promote research and excellence in all areas of the mathematical science ...

, and is the creator of a series of exhibits and activities about mathematics in British Columbia shopping centers. She also leads multiple programs for high school mathematics.

Recognition

Dubiel became a 3M Canadian National Fellow for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in 2008. The award citation noted her exceptional ability to instill mathematical confidence in entering students, her creative use of cartoons and fairy-tale stories to foster students' mathematical imagination, and her work publicizing mathematics and

numeracy Numeracy is the ability to understand, reason with, and apply simple numerical concepts; it is the numerical counterpart of literacy. The charity National Numeracy states: "Numeracy means understanding how mathematics is used in the real world ...

to the public. She was the 2011 recipient of the

Adrien Pouliot Award The Adrien Pouliot Award is presented annually by the Canadian Mathematical Society. The award is presented to individuals or teams in recognition of significant contributions to mathematics education in Canada. The inaugural award was presented i ...

of the

Canadian Mathematical Society The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS; French: ''Société mathématique du Canada'') is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to advancing mathematical research, outreach, scholarship and education in Canada. The Society se ...

for her contributions to mathematics education in Canada. She also won a 2011

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

Women of Distinction award. In 2018 the

listed her in their inaugural class of fellows.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubiel, Malgorzata Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century Polish mathematicians 20th-century Canadian mathematicians Polish women mathematicians Canadian women mathematicians Polish mathematics educators Canadian mathematics educators Academic staff of Simon Fraser University Polish emigrants to Canada 20th-century women mathematicians 21st-century Polish mathematicians 21st-century women mathematicians 21st-century Canadian mathematicians Fellows of the Canadian Mathematical Society 20th-century Canadian women scientists 20th-century Polish women scientists Polish lecturers Canadian lecturers