UTEP Faculty Profiles

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Lawrence M. Lesser

Professor
Mathematical Sciences

Office Building: Bell Hall
Office Room: 213
Phone: (915) 747-6845
Email: Lesser@utep.edu

Expertise: See Research Profile in Expertise Connector

Bio

Backgrounds include: UTEP Professor, statistics/math education researcher, journal editor, teaching awards winner, teaching center director, PI (NSF grants), textbook author, keynote speaker, state agency statistician, high school teacher, award-winning songwriter.

Awards and Honors

nominated by peers to be a Fellow of the American Statistical Association - American Statistical Association (02/28/2025)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/09/2025)
honorable mention (19+ times since 2016) in CAUSE blind international educational cartoon contest (24+ 1st-place wins are listed individually) - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/01/2024-12/31/2024)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (08/09/2024)
(longlisted for) The Rosenthal Prize for Innovation and Inspiration in Math Teaching - National Museum of Mathematics (05/01/2024-05/31/2024)
nominated by peers to be a Fellow of the American Statistical Association - American Statistical Association (02/01/2024-02/28/2024)
article chosen for discussion at an international CAUSE Research Reading Meeting - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (10/20/2023)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (10/10/2023)
2nd-place (song) in biennial national educational contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2023-05/31/2023)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (04/11/2023)
nominated by peers to be a Fellow of the American Statistical Association - American Statistical Association (03/01/2023)
2nd-place in the Film category - STEM Art and Film Festival competition at Sigma Xi's 2022 International Forum on Research Excellence (11/06/2022)
2nd-place in the Performing Arts category - STEM Art and Film Festival competition at Sigma Xi's 2022 International Forum on Research Excellence (11/06/2022)
plaque presented publicly at CFLD Conference "in recognition and appreciation of your valuable contributions to faculty success and development" - UTEP Center for Faculty Leadership and Development (08/10/2022)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/09/2022)
winner in the 2022 educational activity competition sponsored by eCOTS - Electronic Conference on Teaching Statistics (05/09/2022)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (02/07/2022)
ASAGivesBack statistical meme contest -- the winner of the non-student category - American Statistical Association (12/01/2021)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (08/01/2021-08/31/2021)
Waller Distinguished Teaching Career Award - American Statistical Association (08/10/2021)
Jewish Wisdom Fellowship (related to my math-and-religion scholarship) - Hadar (06/01/2021-06/30/2021)
2nd-place (poetry) in biennial national educational contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2021-05/31/2021)
two winning limericks in the 2021 National Limerick Day (May 12) "Poetic Math" contest - National Museum of Mathematics (04/28/2021)
winner in the 2021 Open Set math song contest - National Museum of Mathematics (03/01/2021-03/31/2021)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (02/09/2021)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (10/09/2020)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (06/08/2020)
selected as interviewee in series on prominent statistics educators - Journal of Statistics Education (03/01/2020-03/31/2020)
first-place (non-student category) in ASA Day (honoring 180th anniversary of ASA) haiku contest - American Statistical Association (12/01/2019-12/31/2019)
nominee for the 2020 William D. Warde Statistics Education Award - Mu Sigma Rho (the national honorary society for statistics) (01/01/2019-12/31/2019)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (09/01/2019-09/30/2019)
4th-place award in biennial national educational song contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2019-05/31/2019)
Grand Prize winner (in Mid/Advanced Career category) of 2019 NSF We Are Mathematics Video Competition - National Science Foundation (05/03/2019)
inaugural inductee of UTEP Academy of Distinguished Teachers - The University of Texas at El Paso (04/01/2019-04/30/2019)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (02/11/2019)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/01/2019-01/31/2019)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (11/01/2018-11/30/2018)
recommended to CBMS (Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences) by national organization (TODOS) for possible membership on the U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction - TODOS: Mathematics for All --> Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (10/01/2018-10/31/2018)
Nominated as College of Science Faculty Marshal for UTEP Fall 2018 Commencement - UTEP College of Science (09/14/2018)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (06/01/2018-06/30/2018)
a winning song in the 2018 Open Set math song contest held by the National Museum of Mathematics - National Museum of Mathematics (05/04/2018)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (04/01/2018-04/30/2018)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/01/2018-01/31/2018)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (12/01/2017-12/31/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (09/01/2017-09/30/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (08/01/2017-08/31/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (06/01/2017-06/30/2017)
1st-place and 2nd-place awards in biennial national educational song contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2017-05/31/2017)
both of my entries judged winners in spring 2017 math song contest (50 submissions total) - National Museum of Mathematics (03/21/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (02/15/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/01/2017-01/31/2017)
nominee for Robert J. Menges Award for Outstanding Research in Educational Development - Professional and Organizational Development Higher Education Network (11/01/2016-11/30/2016)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (10/01/2016-10/31/2016)
one of ten winners (out of all 150+ 2- and 4-year colleges in Texas) of a 2016 MINNIE STEVENS PIPER PROFESSOR award - Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation (05/02/2016)
certificate for "Outstanding Efforts in Securing Extramural Funding" - UTEP Office for Research and Sponsored Projects (02/02/2016)
three songs judged winners in fall 2015 math song contest - National Museum of Mathematics (11/01/2015-11/30/2015)
third-place award in biennial national educational song contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2015-05/31/2015)
first-place award in international Pi Day of the Century haiku contest - Taylor & Francis (04/08/2015)
first place award in "Pi Day of the Century" song contest - National Museum of Mathematics (03/14/2015)
certificate for "Outstanding Efforts in Securing Extramural Funding" - UTEP Office for Research and Sponsored Projects (09/23/2014)
Best Online Submission prize, 2014 ASA's Got Talent competition - American Statistical Association (08/01/2014-08/31/2014)
US Professor of the Year (1 of UTEP's 3 nominees) - Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) (01/01/2013-12/31/2013)
Bronze Medal winner, "Best Statistics Education Web/Census at School Lesson" - American Statistical Association (08/01/2013-08/31/2013)
Provost's Faculty Fellow-in-Residence (for CETaL), 2013-14 - UTEP Provost's Office (06/01/2013-06/30/2013)
2 of the top 3 awards in biennial national educational song contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2013-05/31/2013)
named UTEP's sole nominee for a 2013 Minnie Stevens Piper Professor award - Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation (10/31/2012)
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award (at 2012 International Sun Conference on Teaching and Learning) - International Sun Conference on Teaching and Learning (03/02/2012)
1st-prize winner in 2 categories of 2011 "Quantitative Literacy in the Media" contest - quantitative literacy Special Interest Group of the Mathematical Association of America (01/01/2012-01/31/2012)
appointed service in 2011-2012 on the Professional Development Services Committee - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (06/01/2011-06/30/2011)
UT System Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award - UT System Board of Regents (06/06/2011)
Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching - UTEP College of Science (05/06/2011)
Title IX Champion - Frontera Women's Foundation (03/01/2011-03/31/2011)
(nominee)Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics - Mathematical Association of America (01/01/2010-12/31/2010)
elected 2011-2013 Publications Chair (and member of Executive Committee) - American Statistical Association's Section on Statistical Education (01/01/2010-12/31/2010)
Martha H. Salmon Leadership Award (nominee) - College Board (Southwestern Region) (01/01/2010-12/31/2010)
US Professor of the Year (1 of UTEP's 3 nominees) - Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) (01/01/2010-12/31/2010)
Publications Chair (3-year term started Jan. 1, 2011) - American Statistical Association (Statistical Education Section) (05/01/2010-05/31/2010)
Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics Award - Southwestern Section of the Mathematical Association of America (04/01/2010-04/30/2010)
Annie and John Selden Prize for Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (nominee) - Mathematical Association of America (01/01/2008-12/31/2008)
2008-2011 member of the CETaL(Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) Council of Fellows - UTEP (08/01/2008-08/31/2008)
dept. nominee for John R. Bristol Award for Excellence in Teaching of Science - College of Science (01/01/2008-01/31/2008)
recognized (by TODOS President) for Exemplary Contributions as a Leader in TODOS, 2006-07 - TODOS: Mathematics for ALL (01/01/2007-12/31/2007)
Waller Education Award (nominee several times) - American Statistical Association (01/01/2006-12/31/2006)
Gladys M. Thomason Distinguished Service Award (finalist) - Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (01/01/2001-12/31/2001)

Education

Ph D in Mathematics Education, The University of Texas at Austin (1994)
MS in Statistics, The University of Texas at Austin (1989)
BA in Mathematics; Mathematical Sciences (double major), Rice University (1986)

Artistic and Creative Performances and Exhibits

Art - Art Works in Publication - Levels of MEANing (08/01/2024-08/05/2024). Bridges 2024 Exhibition of Mathematical Art, Craft, and Design. Richmond, VA. Lawrence Lesser.

Publications

Correspondence [Outliers] The Mathematical Gazette 109 574 (2025), Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Greenhouse Effect: Using Student-Generated Agricultural Data to Warm Up Students for Data-Based Decision Making Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education (2025), Shonda Kuiper, Abhishek Chakraborty, Tyler George, Lisa W. Kay, Lawrence M. Lesser, Ginger Rowell, Dennis Pearl, Scott Crawford, Anna Olsen.
Belonging [mathematical poetry] Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 15 1 (2025), Lawrence M. Lesser.
What they remember may not be what they understand: A study of mnemonic recall and performance by introductory statistics students Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education 32 4 (2024), Megan Mocko, Amy E. Wagler, Lawrence M. Lesser, Wendy S. Francis, Jennifer M. Blush, Karly Schleicher, Patricia Barrientos.
What They Remember May Not Be What They Understand: A Study of Mnemonic Recall and Performance by Introductory Statistics Students Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education 32 4 (2024), Megan Mocko, Amy E. Wagler, Lawrence M. Lesser, Wendy S. Francis, Jennifer M. Blush, Karly M. Schleicher, Patricia S. Barrientos.
Levels of MEANing Bridges Richmond 2024 [juried] Exhibition Catalog: Mathematical Art, Craft, and Design 2024 (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Pedestrian Injury Rates by Age [statistical poetry] CAUSEweb (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
All You Need is Math… to Write a “Hit” Song! (refereed proceedings paper) Proceedings of Bridges 2024: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Education, Culture 2024 (2024), Jason I. Brown, Lawrence M. Lesser.
On and On: Infinity in Song (refereed proceedings paper) Proceedings of Bridges 2024: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Education, Culture 2024 (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
One More Part of Me (mathematical song in refereed proceedings paper) Proceedings of Bridges 2024: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Education, Culture 2024 (2024), Jason I. Brown, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Prime After Prime [mathematical lyric] Proceedings of the 2024 Bridges Conference (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Pea and Sun [mathematical lyric] Proceedings of the 2024 Bridges Conference (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
"Florence Nightingale”, “Sir Francis Galton”, in E.R. Lutken (curator), “Mathematical Graffiti: Bridges 2023 Clerihew Collection” Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 14 2 (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Game On! Significance 21 2 (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
(April 2024). Balderdash, Claptrap, Clerihew: Lesser Takes Another Turn for the Verse [5 clerihew poems: “William Sealy Gosset”, “Sir Ronald Fisher”, “Reverend Thomas Bayes”, “William Playfair”, and “Jerome Cornfield”] Amstat News 562 (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
UTEP Mathematical Sciences Department News NMMATYC Newsletter 37 1 (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Personalized education through Individualized Pathways and Resources to Adaptive Control Theory-Inspired Scientific Education (iPRACTISE): Proof-of-concept case studies for designing and evaluating personalized education Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education 32 2 (2024), Sy-Miin Chow, Jungmin Lee, Jonathan Park, Pabhani K. Don, Tracey Hammel, Michael Hallquist, Eric Nord, Zita Oravecz, Heather Perry, Nilam Ram, Lawrence M. Lesser, Dennis Pearl.
(Eds.) Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics TODOS: Mathematics for ALL 15 1 (2024), Ksenija Simic-Muller, Anthony Fernandes, Carlos N. Gómez Marchant, José M. Hinestroza, Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, Lawrence M. Lesser.
E(X) [mathematical/statistical poetry] Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics 15 1 (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser.
A survey on how college students in a statistical literacy course apply statistics terms to people Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education 32 1 (2024), Lawrence M. Lesser, Martin Santos.
With statistical means, she writes [peer-reviewed statistical poem] Consilience 14 (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Authors' Response to Michael Martin Teaching Statistics 45 3 (2023), Dennis K. Pearl, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Visualizing statistical edutainment: What you see is what you get Teaching Statistics 45 3 (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser, Dennis Pearl.
Shifting Pre-Calculus from Gatekeeper to Gateway at a Hispanic-Serving Institution Mathematics Association of America MAA Notes 96 (2023), Elsa Y. Villa, Lawrence M. Lesser, Erika L. Mein.
(Eds.) Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics TODOS: Mathematics for ALL 14 2 (2023), Maria del Rosario, Ksenija Simic-Muller, Marta Civil, Anthony Fernandes, M. Alejandra C. Sorto , Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, Lawrence M. Lesser.
COOKIE(X) = 1/2 [mathematical/statistical poetry] Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 13 2 (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Convergence Bridges 2023 Poetry Anthology (Tessellations Publishing) (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Matched Pairs Bridges 2023 Poetry Anthology (Tessellations Publishing) (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Permutation Bridges 2023 Poetry Anthology (Tessellations Publishing) (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Unexpected Expected Value Haiku Bridges 2023 Poetry Anthology (Tessellations Publishing) (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover [mathematical/statistical lyric] Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Weighting [statistical lyric] Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Type Two [statistical poem with associated lesson support] Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Hotel Called Infinity [mathematical lyric] Pinolia (Almuzara Books) (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Noncalculus Derivations of Least Squares Estimates Journal of Probability and Statistical Science 21 1 (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Still TEEMing with Enthusiasm: A History of TODOS’ esTEEMed Journal Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics 14 1 (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
(Eds.) Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics TODOS: Mathematics for ALL 14 1 (2023), Marta Civil, Ksenija Simic-Muller, M. Alejandra C. Sorto , Craig Willey, Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Ellipse [mathematical/statistical poetry] Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics 14 1 (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Statistical edutainment: An experimental way to teach for good measure. Teaching Statistics 45 1 (2023), Dennis Pearl, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Won Over [mathematical poetry] Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 13 1 (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Sound Off: Staring down stereotypes [selected for NCTM's national journal club] Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12 115 12 (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
God Bless the ASA [statistical lyric] Amstat News (American Statistical Association) 544 (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Statistical edutainment: You’re the subject for our next subject! Teaching Statistics 44 3 (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser, Dennis Pearl.
Higher Meanings: A Speaker Series Connecting Mathematics and Religion Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 12 2 (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser, Patricia S. Barrientos, Ben Zeidman.
Culturally Responsive Teaching of Probability: La Lotería and Toma Todo Proceedings of the Electronic Conference on Teaching Statistics (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Statistical edutainment as a means to vary how we teach summary statistics Teaching Statistics 44 2 (2022), Dennis Pearl, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Stats anxiety [letter] Significance 19 2 (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Letter to the Editor (on Yang & Idris 2021 paper) Statistics Education Research Journal 21 1 (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Fib(ula); The Big Fib [mathematical poetry] Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 12 1 (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Take a Chance on Statistical Edutainment Teaching Statistics 44 1 (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser, Dennis Pearl.
(Eds.) Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics TODOS: Mathematics for ALL 13 1 (2022), Marta Civil, Ksenija Simic-Muller, M. Alejandra C. Sorto , Craig Willey, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Variation [statistical lyric] Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
x-bar 12-bar blues [statistical lyric] Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
R is for Rhyme? Statistics Class "Stanza Part" with Poetry! Proceedings of the Joint Statistical Meetings, Statistics and Data Science Education Section 2021 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Mathematics and Poetry: Arts of the Heart Springer, Cham (2021), Gizem Karaali, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Poll Position: A Sampling of Statistical Edutainment Teaching Statistics 43 3 (2021), Dennis Pearl, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Mixed Messages about Pandemic Yield Conspiracy; The Point of Inflection Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 11 2 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Power of a Double Take: Doubling Back to Show Growth in a Pandemic Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 11 2 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Fourth VOICES Conference On Teaching STEM With Song Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 11 2 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Statistical Edutainment: Putting it to the Test Teaching Statistics 43 2 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser, Dennis Pearl.
Presenting Mathematical Poetry Across Disciplinary Lines Bridges 2021 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
You Are Overdoin' If You Cancel Everything [mathematical poetry] Texas Mathematics Teacher 67 1 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Factor!al Countdown [mathematical poetry] The Mathematical Intelligencer 43 1 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
99.73% [statistical poetry] Amstat News 526 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Adjusted R Square [statistical poetry] Amstat News 526 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Significance [statistical poetry] Radical Statistics 128 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Cancel [mathematical poetry] Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics 12 1 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Statistical edutainment that lines up and fits Teaching Statistics 43 1 (2021), Dennis Pearl, Lawrence M. Lesser.
(Eds.) Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics TODOS: Mathematics for ALL 12 2 (2021), Marta Civil, Ksenija Simic-Muller, M. Alejandra C. Sorto , Craig Willey, Lawrence M. Lesser.
(Eds.) Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics TODOS: Mathematics for ALL 12 1 (2021), Marta Civil, Ksenija Simic-Muller, M. Alejandra C. Sorto , Craig Willey, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Cantor's Ternary Palindrome [mathematical visual poetry] Poetrishy, published by Small Press and SuSy Research 1 (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Cardinality [mathematical poetry] Texas Mathematics Teacher 66 2 (2020), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Statistical Edutainment: Correlation recreation Teaching Statistics 42 3 (2020), Lawrence M. Lesser, Dennis Pearl.
A Modest Proposal The Mathematical Intelligencer 42 3 (2020), Gizem Karaali, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Statistical Edutainment that Counts Teaching Statistics 42 2 (2020), Dennis Pearl, Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Point of Inflection [mathematical poetry] Radical Statistics 126 (2020), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Interview With Larry Lesser Journal of Statistics Education 28 1 (2020), Allan J. Rossman, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Is memorization the name of the game? Undergraduates’ perceptions of the usefulness of physiology songs Advances in Physiology Education 44 1 (2020), Gregory J. Crowther, Jason Wessels, Lawrence M. Lesser, Jennifer L. Breckler.
Statistical Edutainment with Confidence Teaching Statistics 42 1 (2020), Dennis Pearl, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Singalong for statistics [letter] Significance 17 1 (2020), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Statistical Poetry Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 10 1 (2020), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Book of Numbers: Exploring Jewish Mathematics and Culture at a Jewish High School White Plum Publishing (2020), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Mathematics, statistics, and (Jewish) culture: Reflections on connections White Plum Publishing (2020), Lawrence M. Lesser, Amy E. Wagler.
(Eds.) Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics TODOS: Mathematics for ALL 11 3 (2020), Marta Civil, Ksenija Simic-Muller, M. Alejandra C. Sorto , Craig Willey, Lawrence M. Lesser.
(Eds.) Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics TODOS: Mathematics for ALL 11 2 (2020), Marta Civil, Ksenija Simic-Muller, M. Alejandra C. Sorto , Craig Willey, Lawrence M. Lesser.
(Eds.) Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics TODOS: Mathematics for ALL 11 1 (2020), Marta Civil, Ksenija Simic-Muller, M. Alejandra C. Sorto , Craig Willey, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Redesigning a statistics literacy course to prepare pre-service teachers to teach (statistics to) English language learners Palgrave Macmillan (2020), Lawrence M. Lesser.

Presentations

Memorable models for learning: Modeling making (a meaningful multitude of) human- and AI-created mnemonics (2025), Volume Iowa State University, Megan Mocko, Lawrence M. Lesser.
A Survey on How College Students in a Statistical Literacy Course Apply Statistics Terms to People (2025), Volume Iowa State University, Lawrence M. Lesser, Martin Santos.
Poems and Lyrics for Teaching Statistics! (2025), Volume Iowa State University, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Student Creation of Mnemonics with and without AI in a Master’s-Level Business Statistics Course (2025), Volume Gainesville, FL, Megan Mocko, Lawrence M. Lesser, Alejandra Lugo , Megan Shein.
Water is Torah: Swimming (and Singing) in the Sea of Talmud (2025), Volume IDRB 2.215, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Reflections on impact of a 6-talk international speaker series connecting mathematics and religion (2024), Volume New York City's Streicker Center, Lawrence M. Lesser, Ben Zeidman.
What They Remember May Not Be What They Understand: A Study of Mnemonic Recall and Performance by Introductory Statistics Students (2024), Megan E. Mocko, Amy E. Wagler, Lawrence M. Lesser.
(8-minute part of) 2024 Bridges Poetry Reading (2024), Volume Science Museum of Virginia (Richmond, VA), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Judaism and Mathematics: How We Count (2024), Volume Richmond, VA, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Levels of MEANing (2024), Volume Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA), Lawrence M. Lesser.
On and On: Infinity in Song (2024), Volume Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Unlock the Poet in Your Students (and You) with Statistics/Data-Informed Poetry (2024), Volume online, Sara Stoudt, Lawrence M. Lesser.
How We Empathize With Others: Researching Perspectives (2024), Volume El Paso, TX, Jose D. Villalobos, Lawrence M. Lesser, Ben Zeidman.
Formula for a Hit: Using Song to Teach Math and Statistics! [keynote] (2024), Volume El Paso Community College (Administrative Services Center), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Rowboat (2024), Volume IDRB 2.215, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Values to Count On: Philosophizing about Mathematics, Numbers, and Infinity with Young Children (2024), Volume El Paso, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Redesigning in the Wild: Adventures in Reimagining the Core (2024), Volume El Paso, TX, Lawrence M. Lesser, Samantha Patterson.
Redesigning in the Wild: Navigating a Course Redesign Effort in an R1 Environment (2023), Volume Louisville, KY, Samantha Patterson, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Communication Rumination: Engaging with Sci-comm and Edutainment [keynote] (2023), Volume State College, PA, Lawrence M. Lesser, , .
The Status of Confounding (2023), Lawrence M. Lesser, Milo Schield.
Poetry + Math = A Meaningful Path! [plenary] (2023), Volume El Paso Community College (Administrative Services Center), Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Multicultural Impact of Aesop's Fables (Panel Discussion) (2023), Volume UTEP Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall, Selfa A. Chew-Melendez, Lawrence M. Lesser, Maria C. Morales, Alireza Vaziri Rahimi.
Parables and Parabolas: A Jewish Perspective on Aesop's Fables (2023), Volume UTEP Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Music of the Spheres (which won 2nd place in the Performing Arts category) (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Project SMILES (which won 2nd place in the Film category) (2022), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Using Language to Confront Misconceptions (2022), Volume online and in-person at University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Aligning Goals to Audience: Context for a Statistical Literacy Course (keynote) (2022), Volume online and in-person at University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM), Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Future of Higher Education (Plenary Panel) (2022), Volume UTEP , Lawrence M. Lesser, Beth L. Brunk-Chavez, Clifton S. Tanabe, Ann C. Gates.
Sound Off! Staring Down Stereotypes (2022), Volume https://www.nctm.org/online-learning/Webinars/Details/617, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Divinity and Infinity: Exploring the Infinite in Mathematics and Judaism (2022), Volume (virtual), Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Point of Inflection [mathematical poem] and The Dogs Don't Know [song] (2022), Volume Union East Gallery, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Culturally Responsive Teaching of Probability: La Lotería and Toma Todo (2022), Volume (virtual), Lawrence M. Lesser.
our (Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education) work on educational mnemonics (2022), Volume (ended up being virtual), Megan Mocko, Lawrence M. Lesser, Amy E. Wagler, Wendy S. Francis.
Connecting Mathematics and Religion: A General Audience Speaker Series for Community Engagement (2022), Volume El Paso, Lawrence M. Lesser, Patricia S. Barrientos, Ben Zeidman.
Jewish and Mathematical Views of the Infinite (2021), Volume University of Maryland, Lawrence M. Lesser.
discussant for David Novick's talk in math-and-religion speaker series (2021), David G. Novick, Ben Zeidman, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Poetry + Math = A Meaningful Path (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
moderator of Snezana Lawrence talk in math-and-religion speaker series (2021), Snezana Lawrence, Lawrence M. Lesser.
co-chairing/facilitating the entire day-long conference (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
moderator of Kreinovich/Kosheleva talk in math-and-religion speaker series (2021), Olga M. Kosheleva, Vladik Y. Kreinovich, Lawrence M. Lesser.
(6-minute part of) 2021 Bridges Poetry Reading (2021), Volume online, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Presenting Mathematical Poetry Across Disciplinary Lines (2021), Volume online, Lawrence M. Lesser.
R is for Rhyme? Stats Class 'Stanza Part' with Poetry! (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Take-Away Thoughts on "Expanding Opportunities" (part of multi-presenter Closing Session) (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Integrating Educational Fun into Teaching Statistics (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser, Dennis Pearl .
moderator of Victor Katz talk in math-and-religion speaker series (2021), Victor Katz, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Stats Class 'Stanza Part' with Poetry! (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Which Mnemonics do College Students Recall, Explain, and Apply? (2021), Megan Mocko, Amy E. Wagler, Lawrence M. Lesser, Wendy S. Francis.
moderator of Kim Jongerius talk in math-and-religion speaker series (2021), Kim R. Jongerius, Lawrence M. Lesser.
UNO Colloquium: Poetry and Mathematics (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Divinity and Infinity (opening talk in the series "Higher Meanings: Exploring Connections Between Religion and Mathematics") (2021), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Connecting QL/SL/QR with DEI (Diversity Equity & Inclusion) (2021), Volume online, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion for Statistics Education: Part Two (2020), Volume virtual (Zoom), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion for Statistics Education: Part One (2020), Volume virtual (Zoom), Lawrence M. Lesser.
interview (and reading) about my STEM poetry, etc. (2020), Lawrence M. Lesser.
Stochastic Terrorism (2020), Volume (virtual) opening of exhibit curated by Eliana Grijalva, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Using Educational Fun Items to Increase Student Learning and Engagement (2020), Volume online, Lawrence M. Lesser, Dennis K. Pearl .
Bayesian Network Analysis of Log File Data from Students Using SMILES Interactive Statistics Songs (2020), Volume (virtual), Dennis Pearl, Matthew Beckman, Neil Hatfield, Yiyun Gong, Sean Klavans, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Engaging Students in Statistics through the Arts (2020), Volume (virtual), Lawrence M. Lesser, Merryl Goldberg, Lucy C. Irving.
A Reading of Poetry with Mathematics (organizers) (2020), Volume United States, Gizem Karaali, Lawrence M. Lesser, Douglas Norton.
presentation of four mathematical poems (2020), Volume United States, Lawrence M. Lesser.

Grants

externally-funded travel for November 2024 Scientists in Synagogues national workshop (because of my 2021-2022 funded project)
Higher Meanings: Exploring Connections Between Religion and Mathematics
(REU supplement for) Project SMILES: Student-Made Interactive Learning with Educational Songs for Introductory Statistics(supplement proposal written by SMILES PIs, with $ administered through Penn State for simplicity; it supported some of our research)
(VOICES supplement for) Project SMILES: Student-Made Interactive Learning with Educational Songs for Introductory Statistics(supplement proposal written by all 3 SMILES PIs, with $ administered through Penn State for simplicity; it supported some of my research travel)
MATH:EAGER:Collaborative Research: SMILES (Student-Made Interactive Learning with Educational Songs) for Introductory Statistics [DUE]

Current/Future Courses

Term	Course	Section	Syllabus
Spring 2025	MATH 5396 - Graduate Research	26267
Spring 2025	RSRC 4033 - Undergraduate Research	25382

Past Courses

Select Term:

Term	Course	Section	Syllabus
Fall 2024	MATH 5396 - Graduate Research	12780
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	12923	Syllabus
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	13192	Syllabus
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	13193	Syllabus
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	13213	Syllabus
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	13214	Syllabus
Fall 2024	MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed	17058	Syllabus
Spring 2024	MATH 5396 - Graduate Research	27927
Spring 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	25438	Syllabus
Spring 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	25457	Syllabus
Spring 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	28030	Syllabus
Spring 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	28154	Syllabus
Spring 2024	RSRC 4033 - Undergraduate Research	26535
Fall 2023	MATH 5396 - Graduate Research	13249
Spring 2023	MATH 5396 - Graduate Research	27017
Spring 2023	MATM 5361 - Qualitative Res. in Math Ed	27541	Syllabus
Fall 2022	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11203	Syllabus
Fall 2022	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11204	Syllabus
Fall 2022	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	14994	Syllabus
Fall 2022	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	17211	Syllabus
Spring 2022	MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed	29353	Syllabus
Fall 2021	MATH 5396 - Graduate Research	16084
Fall 2021	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11207	Syllabus
Fall 2021	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11414	Syllabus
Fall 2021	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11546	Syllabus
Fall 2021	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	11251	Syllabus
Spring 2021	MATM 5361 - Qualitative Res. in Math Ed	28389	Syllabus
Spring 2021	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	22088	Syllabus
Fall 2020	MATH 5396 - Graduate Research	18163
Fall 2020	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	11302	Syllabus
Fall 2020	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	11303	Syllabus
Fall 2020	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	11304	Syllabus
Spring 2020	MATH 5396 - Graduate Research	28480
Spring 2020	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	23382	Syllabus
Spring 2020	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	22391	Syllabus
Fall 2019	STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat	11383	Syllabus
Fall 2019	STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat	11384	Syllabus
Fall 2019	MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed	18357	Syllabus
Spring 2019	STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat	21258	Syllabus
Spring 2019	MATM 5361 - Research Methods in Math Ed	28366	Syllabus
Fall 2018	STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat	11485	Syllabus
Fall 2018	STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat	11486	Syllabus
Fall 2018	MATH 4370 - Topics Seminar	17866	Syllabus
Spring 2018	MATH 5396 - Graduate Research	27768	Syllabus

Course Evaluations

Term	Course	Section	Evaluation
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	12923	Evaluation
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	13192	Evaluation
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	13193	Evaluation
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	13213	Evaluation
Fall 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	13214	Evaluation
Fall 2024	MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed	17058	Evaluation
Spring 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	25438	Evaluation
Spring 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	25457	Evaluation
Spring 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	28030	Evaluation
Spring 2024	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	28154	Evaluation
Spring 2023	MATM 5361 - Qualitative Res. in Math Ed	27541	Evaluation
Fall 2022	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11203	Evaluation
Fall 2022	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11204	Evaluation
Fall 2022	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	14994	Evaluation
Fall 2022	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	17211	Evaluation
Spring 2022	MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed	29353	Evaluation
Fall 2021	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11207	Evaluation
Fall 2021	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11414	Evaluation
Fall 2021	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	11546	Evaluation
Fall 2021	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	11251	Evaluation
Spring 2021	MATM 5361 - Qualitative Res. in Math Ed	28389	Evaluation
Spring 2021	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	22088	Evaluation
Fall 2020	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	11302	Evaluation
Fall 2020	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	11303	Evaluation
Fall 2020	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	11304	Evaluation
Spring 2020	MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I	23382	Evaluation
Spring 2020	STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy	22391	Evaluation

Bio

Awards and Honors

nominated by peers to be a Fellow of the American Statistical Association - American Statistical Association (02/28/2025)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/09/2025)
honorable mention (19+ times since 2016) in CAUSE blind international educational cartoon contest (24+ 1st-place wins are listed individually) - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/01/2024-12/31/2024)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (08/09/2024)
(longlisted for) The Rosenthal Prize for Innovation and Inspiration in Math Teaching - National Museum of Mathematics (05/01/2024-05/31/2024)
nominated by peers to be a Fellow of the American Statistical Association - American Statistical Association (02/01/2024-02/28/2024)
article chosen for discussion at an international CAUSE Research Reading Meeting - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (10/20/2023)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (10/10/2023)
2nd-place (song) in biennial national educational contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2023-05/31/2023)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (04/11/2023)
nominated by peers to be a Fellow of the American Statistical Association - American Statistical Association (03/01/2023)
2nd-place in the Film category - STEM Art and Film Festival competition at Sigma Xi's 2022 International Forum on Research Excellence (11/06/2022)
2nd-place in the Performing Arts category - STEM Art and Film Festival competition at Sigma Xi's 2022 International Forum on Research Excellence (11/06/2022)
plaque presented publicly at CFLD Conference "in recognition and appreciation of your valuable contributions to faculty success and development" - UTEP Center for Faculty Leadership and Development (08/10/2022)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/09/2022)
winner in the 2022 educational activity competition sponsored by eCOTS - Electronic Conference on Teaching Statistics (05/09/2022)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (02/07/2022)
ASAGivesBack statistical meme contest -- the winner of the non-student category - American Statistical Association (12/01/2021)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (08/01/2021-08/31/2021)
Waller Distinguished Teaching Career Award - American Statistical Association (08/10/2021)
Jewish Wisdom Fellowship (related to my math-and-religion scholarship) - Hadar (06/01/2021-06/30/2021)
2nd-place (poetry) in biennial national educational contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2021-05/31/2021)
two winning limericks in the 2021 National Limerick Day (May 12) "Poetic Math" contest - National Museum of Mathematics (04/28/2021)
winner in the 2021 Open Set math song contest - National Museum of Mathematics (03/01/2021-03/31/2021)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (02/09/2021)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (10/09/2020)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (06/08/2020)
selected as interviewee in series on prominent statistics educators - Journal of Statistics Education (03/01/2020-03/31/2020)
first-place (non-student category) in ASA Day (honoring 180th anniversary of ASA) haiku contest - American Statistical Association (12/01/2019-12/31/2019)
nominee for the 2020 William D. Warde Statistics Education Award - Mu Sigma Rho (the national honorary society for statistics) (01/01/2019-12/31/2019)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (09/01/2019-09/30/2019)
4th-place award in biennial national educational song contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2019-05/31/2019)
Grand Prize winner (in Mid/Advanced Career category) of 2019 NSF We Are Mathematics Video Competition - National Science Foundation (05/03/2019)
inaugural inductee of UTEP Academy of Distinguished Teachers - The University of Texas at El Paso (04/01/2019-04/30/2019)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (02/11/2019)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/01/2019-01/31/2019)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (11/01/2018-11/30/2018)
recommended to CBMS (Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences) by national organization (TODOS) for possible membership on the U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction - TODOS: Mathematics for All --> Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (10/01/2018-10/31/2018)
Nominated as College of Science Faculty Marshal for UTEP Fall 2018 Commencement - UTEP College of Science (09/14/2018)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (06/01/2018-06/30/2018)
a winning song in the 2018 Open Set math song contest held by the National Museum of Mathematics - National Museum of Mathematics (05/04/2018)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (04/01/2018-04/30/2018)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/01/2018-01/31/2018)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (12/01/2017-12/31/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (09/01/2017-09/30/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (08/01/2017-08/31/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (06/01/2017-06/30/2017)
1st-place and 2nd-place awards in biennial national educational song contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2017-05/31/2017)
both of my entries judged winners in spring 2017 math song contest (50 submissions total) - National Museum of Mathematics (03/21/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (02/15/2017)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (01/01/2017-01/31/2017)
nominee for Robert J. Menges Award for Outstanding Research in Educational Development - Professional and Organizational Development Higher Education Network (11/01/2016-11/30/2016)
first-place in blind international educational cartoon contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (10/01/2016-10/31/2016)
one of ten winners (out of all 150+ 2- and 4-year colleges in Texas) of a 2016 MINNIE STEVENS PIPER PROFESSOR award - Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation (05/02/2016)
certificate for "Outstanding Efforts in Securing Extramural Funding" - UTEP Office for Research and Sponsored Projects (02/02/2016)
three songs judged winners in fall 2015 math song contest - National Museum of Mathematics (11/01/2015-11/30/2015)
third-place award in biennial national educational song contest - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2015-05/31/2015)
first-place award in international Pi Day of the Century haiku contest - Taylor & Francis (04/08/2015)
first place award in "Pi Day of the Century" song contest - National Museum of Mathematics (03/14/2015)
certificate for "Outstanding Efforts in Securing Extramural Funding" - UTEP Office for Research and Sponsored Projects (09/23/2014)
Best Online Submission prize, 2014 ASA's Got Talent competition - American Statistical Association (08/01/2014-08/31/2014)
US Professor of the Year (1 of UTEP's 3 nominees) - Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) (01/01/2013-12/31/2013)
Bronze Medal winner, "Best Statistics Education Web/Census at School Lesson" - American Statistical Association (08/01/2013-08/31/2013)
Provost's Faculty Fellow-in-Residence (for CETaL), 2013-14 - UTEP Provost's Office (06/01/2013-06/30/2013)
2 of the top 3 awards in biennial national educational song contest sponsored by CAUSE - Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (05/01/2013-05/31/2013)
named UTEP's sole nominee for a 2013 Minnie Stevens Piper Professor award - Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation (10/31/2012)
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award (at 2012 International Sun Conference on Teaching and Learning) - International Sun Conference on Teaching and Learning (03/02/2012)
1st-prize winner in 2 categories of 2011 "Quantitative Literacy in the Media" contest - quantitative literacy Special Interest Group of the Mathematical Association of America (01/01/2012-01/31/2012)
appointed service in 2011-2012 on the Professional Development Services Committee - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (06/01/2011-06/30/2011)
UT System Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award - UT System Board of Regents (06/06/2011)
Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching - UTEP College of Science (05/06/2011)
Title IX Champion - Frontera Women's Foundation (03/01/2011-03/31/2011)
(nominee)Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics - Mathematical Association of America (01/01/2010-12/31/2010)
elected 2011-2013 Publications Chair (and member of Executive Committee) - American Statistical Association's Section on Statistical Education (01/01/2010-12/31/2010)
Martha H. Salmon Leadership Award (nominee) - College Board (Southwestern Region) (01/01/2010-12/31/2010)
US Professor of the Year (1 of UTEP's 3 nominees) - Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) (01/01/2010-12/31/2010)
Publications Chair (3-year term started Jan. 1, 2011) - American Statistical Association (Statistical Education Section) (05/01/2010-05/31/2010)
Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics Award - Southwestern Section of the Mathematical Association of America (04/01/2010-04/30/2010)
Annie and John Selden Prize for Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (nominee) - Mathematical Association of America (01/01/2008-12/31/2008)
2008-2011 member of the CETaL(Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) Council of Fellows - UTEP (08/01/2008-08/31/2008)
dept. nominee for John R. Bristol Award for Excellence in Teaching of Science - College of Science (01/01/2008-01/31/2008)
recognized (by TODOS President) for Exemplary Contributions as a Leader in TODOS, 2006-07 - TODOS: Mathematics for ALL (01/01/2007-12/31/2007)
Waller Education Award (nominee several times) - American Statistical Association (01/01/2006-12/31/2006)
Gladys M. Thomason Distinguished Service Award (finalist) - Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (01/01/2001-12/31/2001)

Ph D in Mathematics Education, The University of Texas at Austin (1994)
MS in Statistics, The University of Texas at Austin (1989)
BA in Mathematics; Mathematical Sciences (double major), Rice University (1986)

Artistic and Creative Performances and Exhibits

Start Date

2024-08-01

End Date

2024-08-05

Type

Art - Art Works in Publication

Title

Levels of MEANing

Publications

Correspondence [Outliers] The Mathematical Gazette 109 574 (2025), Lawrence M. Lesser.
The Greenhouse Effect: Using Student-Generated Agricultural Data to Warm Up Students for Data-Based Decision Making Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education (2025), Shonda Kuiper, Abhishek Chakraborty, Tyler George, Lisa W. Kay, Lawrence M. Lesser, Ginger Rowell, Dennis Pearl, Scott Crawford, Anna Olsen.
Belonging [mathematical poetry] Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 15 1 (2025), Lawrence M. Lesser.
What they remember may not be what they understand: A study of mnemonic recall and performance by introductory statistics students Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education 32 4 (2024), Megan Mocko, Amy E. Wagler, Lawrence M. Lesser, Wendy S. Francis, Jennifer M. Blush, Karly Schleicher, Patricia Barrientos.
What They Remember May Not Be What They Understand: A Study of Mnemonic Recall and Performance by Introductory Statistics Students Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education 32 4 (2024), Megan Mocko, Amy E. Wagler, Lawrence M. Lesser, Wendy S. Francis, Jennifer M. Blush, Karly M. Schleicher, Patricia S. Barrientos.

Presentations

Memorable models for learning: Modeling making (a meaningful multitude of) human- and AI-created mnemonics (2025), Volume Iowa State University, Megan Mocko, Lawrence M. Lesser.
A Survey on How College Students in a Statistical Literacy Course Apply Statistics Terms to People (2025), Volume Iowa State University, Lawrence M. Lesser, Martin Santos.
Poems and Lyrics for Teaching Statistics! (2025), Volume Iowa State University, Lawrence M. Lesser.
Student Creation of Mnemonics with and without AI in a Master’s-Level Business Statistics Course (2025), Volume Gainesville, FL, Megan Mocko, Lawrence M. Lesser, Alejandra Lugo , Megan Shein.
Water is Torah: Swimming (and Singing) in the Sea of Talmud (2025), Volume IDRB 2.215, Lawrence M. Lesser.

externally-funded travel for November 2024 Scientists in Synagogues national workshop (because of my 2021-2022 funded project)
Higher Meanings: Exploring Connections Between Religion and Mathematics
(REU supplement for) Project SMILES: Student-Made Interactive Learning with Educational Songs for Introductory Statistics(supplement proposal written by SMILES PIs, with $ administered through Penn State for simplicity; it supported some of our research)
(VOICES supplement for) Project SMILES: Student-Made Interactive Learning with Educational Songs for Introductory Statistics(supplement proposal written by all 3 SMILES PIs, with $ administered through Penn State for simplicity; it supported some of my research travel)
MATH:EAGER:Collaborative Research: SMILES (Student-Made Interactive Learning with Educational Songs) for Introductory Statistics [DUE]

Current/Future Courses

Term

Spring 2025

Course

MATH 5396 - Graduate Research

Section

26267

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2025

Course

RSRC 4033 - Undergraduate Research

Section

25382

Syllabus

Past Courses

Select Term:

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 5396 - Graduate Research

Section

12780

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

12923

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

13192

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

13193

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

13213

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

13214

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed

Section

17058

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2024

Course

MATH 5396 - Graduate Research

Section

27927

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

25438

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

25457

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

28030

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

28154

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2024

Course

RSRC 4033 - Undergraduate Research

Section

26535

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2023

Course

MATH 5396 - Graduate Research

Section

13249

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2023

Course

MATH 5396 - Graduate Research

Section

27017

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2023

Course

MATM 5361 - Qualitative Res. in Math Ed

Section

27541

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2022

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11203

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2022

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11204

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2022

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

14994

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2022

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

17211

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2022

Course

MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed

Section

29353

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2021

Course

MATH 5396 - Graduate Research

Section

16084

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2021

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11207

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2021

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11414

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2021

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11546

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2021

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

11251

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2021

Course

MATM 5361 - Qualitative Res. in Math Ed

Section

28389

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2021

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

22088

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2020

Course

MATH 5396 - Graduate Research

Section

18163

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2020

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

11302

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2020

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

11303

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2020

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

11304

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2020

Course

MATH 5396 - Graduate Research

Section

28480

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2020

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

23382

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2020

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

22391

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2019

Course

STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat

Section

11383

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2019

Course

STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat

Section

11384

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2019

Course

MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed

Section

18357

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2019

Course

STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat

Section

21258

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2019

Course

MATM 5361 - Research Methods in Math Ed

Section

28366

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2018

Course

STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat

Section

11485

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2018

Course

STAT 1380 - Descriptive & Inferential Stat

Section

11486

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2018

Course

MATH 4370 - Topics Seminar

Section

17866

Syllabus

Term

Spring 2018

Course

MATH 5396 - Graduate Research

Section

27768

Syllabus

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

12923

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

13192

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

13193

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

13213

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

13214

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2024

Course

MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed

Section

17058

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

25438

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

25457

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

28030

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2024

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

28154

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2023

Course

MATM 5361 - Qualitative Res. in Math Ed

Section

27541

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2022

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11203

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2022

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11204

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2022

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

14994

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2022

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

17211

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2022

Course

MATM 5364 - Quant. Research in Math Ed

Section

29353

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2021

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11207

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2021

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11414

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2021

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

11546

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2021

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

11251

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2021

Course

MATM 5361 - Qualitative Res. in Math Ed

Section

28389

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2021

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

22088

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2020

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

11302

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2020

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

11303

Evaluation

Term

Fall 2020

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

11304

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2020

Course

MATH 1320 - Math for Social Sciences I

Section

23382

Evaluation

Term

Spring 2020

Course

STAT 1380 - Statistical Literacy

Section

22391

Evaluation

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Lawrence M. Lesser

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Lawrence M. Lesser

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