By Royce Gustafson, Student Communications Intern
Paul Martin, professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin – Marathon County (UWMC), is fascinated with his career field. A brief look into his office reveals Martin’s dedication, where there are three-dimensional physical models based on the rediscovered work of Archimedes, the ancient Greek mathematician. Martin not only studies his field continually, but he also reads about its history, particularly geometry and calculus. “If you’re going to go out and get a Ph.D. in something, you have to be fairly interested,” Martin notes.
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Math professor Paul Martin works with UWMC student Steve Kahan on a calculus problem. |
Martin was honored with the 2011 Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award. Only three members in the entire faculty system of 13 UW Colleges received this honor. Martin says others at UWMC could have won the award as well. “There are people right down the hall who are as equally deserving as I am,” says Martin. “Each department got to submit one person. So I think it must have been a really tough decision. I was lucky enough to come out on top.”
Martin’s interest in mathematics started with a strong foundation in reading, reasoning, and making logical choices as he grew up on the family farm in the Town of Rib Falls, 25 miles outside of Wausau. Martin’s older brothers would talk about their high school courses, such as chemistry, which piqued his intellectual curiosity. Martin eventually became a student at UWMC in 1978. From there he went to UW-Madison and received a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. After working for a pharmaceutical company for several years, he returned to Madison and completed graduate work in mathematics. Martin has been teaching at UWMC since 1994 and became a full professor in June 2011.
As a teacher, Martin stresses the importance of reasoning over memorization. “I like to present relevant ways of seeing and using mathematics and try to give it meaning,” Martin explains. “I think all higher learning is about reasoning. After becoming familiar with the principles of algebra, geometry and trigonometry, those concepts become second nature and are foundational for understanding the study of calculus and beyond.”
Martin applies many practical exercises with his students. For example, one class project dealt with measuring home insulation, comparing the depth of the insulation against heating costs. Because of the study’s findings, Martin and one of the students modified the insulation in their homes which resulted in actual energy savings. In addition, some of Martin’s students shared their findings with 80 area contractors at a construction conference. A web applet was also uploaded to the internet for anyone’s use. Other cross-discipline projects Martin has done with his students have included using trigonometric functions to synthesize music, and demonstrating how an old parabolic satellite dish can be used to make an effective solar cooker.
“I think UW – Marathon County provides a portal to almost any career path,” says Martin. “It’s local, rigorous, and fairly inexpensive. Students can receive additional attention if they need it, and also get extra attention if they want to do something special. It’s a great place for students to get an excellent start to any field of study.”
By Royce Gustafson - student communications intern
UW – Marathon County (UWMC) has an inspiring student in Athens, Wis. native Darin Weiks.
For the first 18 years of his life, Weiks had Glycogen Storage disease, a rare liver disorder that left him unable to live a normal life. Fortunately he received an organ donation in October 2009. Now he wants to “pay it forward”.
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Darin Weiks |
Weiks says that the positive influence of his doctors had a lasting effect on him. “You know when you’re young and your parents always ask you: 'What are you going to be when you grow up?' Since I was very young, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor like Doogie Howser. As it turns out, I still want to be a pediatrician.”
With newfound strength and health he currently attends UWMC. “This is actually the first year that I'm living by myself,” Weiks reveals. “When I had the disease, I'd get hooked up to a machine at night. Now that I've had surgery, I just take pills twice a day.”
On campus Weiks has the support of both the faculty and the staff. “I've had professors come up to me and say, 'Oh, I've seen you on TV. How are you?'” Weiks explains. The news coverage came in late September when the UWMC Women's Volleyball team held an awareness event, called “Recycle Life”, prior to one of its games.
Co-captain Dana Pieczynski learned about organ donation through Weiks and brought it to the attention of her team. “All of us decided we wanted to raise awareness to a different issue this year,” notes Pieczynski. “Knowing Darin, we thought it would be good to raise awareness about something that has impacted all of us.”
Weiks has spent time in the Student Union Hall during lunch handing out free items with a former UWMC student to raise donor awareness. However, most of the time he is attending classes. Currently, he finds his chemistry and child development classes to be particularly good because of the way they are taught by the professors. “They make it interesting,” Weiks says. “You learn quite a bit.”
Weiks is a positive influence at UWMC. “Darin is awesome all around,” says Pieczynski. “To be honest, I've never heard anyone have anything negative to say about him. Once people know and understand his background and all that he’s been through, it’s hard for anyone not to absolutely fall in love with his story and the challenges his family has faced.”
In his motivation to become a pediatrician, Weiks says UWMC is giving him the right “building blocks” to start his college years. “It's just like a high school in the fact that you know a lot of people. I like that aspect of this campus. It's a good experience to come here and get your 'two years' done in a challenging environment and then transfer to a four-year university where the curriculum might be comparable to what you'd expect here.”
Brian Becker
Office:
(715) 261-6296
Fax: (715) 261-6333
E-mail: brian.becker@uwc.edu
