Keith Weber, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at Rutgers University, received his Ph.D. in 2001 from Carnegie Mellon University. His first published paper in collegiate mathematics education was in 2001: "Student difficulties in constructing proofs: The need for strategic knowledge," published in Educational Studies in Mathematics, a highly regarded international journal.

Dr. Weber has 25 publications in refereed journals and 5 articles in press, most of which are in the leading journals in mathematics education. A recent article (2008) in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, is particularly impressive. This article, "How mathematicians determine if an argument is a valid proof," offers a novel perspective on the work of mathematicians and important implications for teachers of undergraduate mathematics. Additionally, Dr. Weber is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award and has another National Science Foundation grant shared with colleagues at Rutgers. In 2009, he received the Rutgers Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence. Dr. Weber has made impressive contributions to the Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education Special Interest Group of the Mathematical Association of America (SIGMAA on RUME); he has served as an Executive Board Member and Program Chair for this SIGMAA. His selection for this award was based on his strong research program and his work in implementing this program. His work is theoretically based, product oriented, and pedagogically sound. He has a deep understanding of mathematical content that is evident in all his writing. He demonstrates how research in mathematics education can be cumulative: based on previous works and aimed at bridging existing gaps.

Biographical Note
Keith Weber is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. He earned a B.S. and M.S. in mathematics and an M.A. and Ph.D. in instructional science from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Weber has won several prestigious awards, including the 2006 Early Career Publication Award from the Research in Mathematics Education Special Interest Group of the American Education Research Association, the 2007 Early Career Award from the National Science Foundation, and the Best Paper Award at the 12th Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education in 2009. Dr. Weber's current research is on students' reading and comprehension of proofs.

Response from Keith Weber
I am honored to receive this prestigious award. I am grateful to my dissertation committee for preparing me to be a successful researcher in mathematics education. My committee — John R. Hayes (a cognitive psychologist), Fred Reif (a physics educator), and James Cummings (a mathematician) — were not researchers in mathematics education. Each generously agreed to mentor me even though they would gain no professional benefit for doing so. I would especially like to thank Annie and John Selden, who have made it their professional mission to improve the quality of research in collegiate mathematics education. Finally, I am indebted to all of those who have mentored me (including Lynne Reder, Annie and John Selden, and Carolyn Maher) and all of my collaborators who have made my professional experience so enjoyable.