Four Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids Campus Math students recently attended the 2009 Minnesota Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (MinnMATYC) conference in Duluth April 30-May 2, and two of the students gave presentations to those in attendance. The students, Tanya Prader, Loan (Mei) Luu, Bethelhem Beyene and Aida Mitiku, are part of the MinnMATYC Mentoring Program for students interested in entering the profession of mathematics teaching at the two-year college level. The students attended special events and sessions and met students of similar interests as well as mathematics teachers and faculty from Minnesota.

Future math teachers: Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids Campus Math students, Mei Luu (back left), Bethelhem Beyene, Aida Mitiku and Tayna Prader (front from left) and Mathematics instructor Megan Breit-Goodwin (back right) at the 2009 Minnesota Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (MinnMATYC) conference recently in Duluth.

Beyene and Luu presented their experiences as peer tutors along with Anoka-Ramsey Math Faculty member, Megan Breit-Goodwin in a session titled: “Peer Tutor Led Review Sessions in Developmental Mathematics.” Beyene and Luu worked with Breit-Goodwin in her Mathematics 0210 courses to structure and lead review sessions prior to midterm exams during the spring semester. The project was part of Breit-Goodwin's Project ACCCESS (Advancing Community College Careers: Education, Scholarship and Service) fellowship that she holds through the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC). 

"It was great to share what we did with other math faculty from around the state," says Luu. “The conference was an enriching experience that has encouraged me to become a math teacher, and I feel like I am a part of MinnMATYC." 

Beyene also participated in a panel discussion titled: “What REALLY Works in Our Math Courses? Ask the Students.” The panel was composed of four students in community and technical institutions around the state of Minnesota and was moderated by Diana Hestwood, retired mathematics faculty member from Minneapolis Community and Technical College and coordinator of the MinnMATYC Mentoring Program. 

“The MinnMATYC Mentoring Program is a great opportunity for Anoka-Ramsey students to learn about the field of mathematics education and to network with other students, teachers and college faculty from around the state,” says Breit-Goodwin.

Support For Students
To aid with their studies and their presentations at the conference, both Luu and Beyene were supported through Student Resources at Anoka-Ramsey. Luu was supported through TRIO, a federally-funded program by the U.S. Department of Education designed to provide access and opportunity for modest income students who are the first in their family to attend college.

Beyene was supported through the North Star STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics ) Alliance Grant, which offers students help to make the transition from high school to college and university programs, peer-to-peer learning opportunities for undergraduate research, industry internships and professional development, and college preparation for science and engineering courses in high schools.

The statewide Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and STEM alliance consists of 16 colleges and universities, led by the University of Minnesota, has the primary goal of doubling the number of baccalaureate degrees earned by minority groups that are historically under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“LSAMP is such a wonderful program,” says Arun Goyal, Anoka-Ramsey’s Dean of STEM. “By helping the students in mathematics education, the program provides students the opportunity to be engaged outside the classroom with their peers and junior colleagues.”

For more information about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) studies at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, visit our Academic Departments Web page.