Save the Date
Northland Pioneer College in northeastern Arizona will host the ArizMATYC conference on Friday, October 7, 2022. The conference will be held at the Snowflake campus.

Join mathematics faculty from throughout the Southwest for a virtual Fall 2020 ArizMATYC Conference. This conference will be spread over two Fridays mornings, October 2 and October 16, and will feature two keynotes and a variety of breakout sessions to choose from.
By Kathryn Kozak (CCC, AMATYC President)
It is with sadness that I write today about the passing of David Graser. Dave, as most of us called him, was very involved in AMATYC. Dave was the digital products coordinator for Beyond Crossroads. He was also the chair of the Technology in Mathematics Education (TiME) committee and so he worked on the “Proctored Testing For Courses Taught At a Distance” position statement. He is the reason for this phrase “When tests are used as an assessment of student learning for classes taught at a distance” since his assessments in his classes were not tests and he wanted to make sure that faculty weren’t forced to use tests. Dave was always pushing the envelope in his teaching of students. Recently, he was involved in writing IMPACT and in the development of IMPACT Live! now part of myAMATYC (my.AMATYC.org). AMATYC has lost an incredible volunteer and leader.
Dave has been my friend for many years. I first met Dave at an ArizMATYC conference. ArizMATYC meets in conjunction with the statewide math articulation task force. Dave and I served on this task force for many years. We worked together integrating many of the ideas that we learned at AMATYC conferences into our state-wide mathematics curriculum. Dave was also the webmaster for ArizMATYC, creating and maintaining www.arizmatyc.org. He was also part of the LEC for the upcoming AMATYC Annual Conference in Phoenix in 2021. On the lighter side, it is because of Dave and his love of beer that ArizMATYC bi-annual affiliate meetings start with a pre-registration happy hour at a local brewery.
Dave taught at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona, since 1998. In the words of the president of Yavapai College, Lisa B. Rhine, “{Dave}was tireless in his pursuit of improving how math was taught. Dave had a passion for teaching and mentoring and would go above and beyond for his students.” He used mostly project based assessment and had published a project based math textbook. The mathematics department at Yavapai College is grieving as much as members of ArizMATYC and AMATYC. Dave’s love of mathematics and teaching was second only to that for his family, whom he always spoke of with affection and humor. Dave is survived by his wife, Leslie and their 10 year old son, Bowen. Dave will be missed by many and certainly AMATYC and ArizMATYC have lost a gem of a person, and I have lost a dear friend.
Dave’s obituary and tribute wall can be viewed at https://www.ruffnerwakelin.com/obituaries/David-Jay-Graser?obId=15091146#/celebrationWall
Comments from around the state:
I’m so very sad to hear this. He was a great man. I will miss his gentle teasing about not accepting Yavapai College’s job offer. To honor him a group of ArizMATYC people were working to nominate him for AMATYC’s Teaching Excellence award. He will be greatly missed. ~Laura
That is so very sad. I will miss his playful teasing, sarcastic wit, and outrageously funny stories. Math in Arizona lost a true advocate for mathematics and students. Please pass on Kristina and I’s condolences to his family and let us know if there is anything we can do to help his family financially. ~Andy
He was so young too! :(. ~Matt
He was a great voice of reason in our meetings and an advocate for students. I remember him talking recently of how valuable time was to him as a cancer survivor. It is heart wrenching to know his time has come to an end, and a great loss to our ArizMATYC and Arizona community. Will keep his family in my thoughts and prayers. ~Laurel
Dave will most certainly be missed! He was funny, witty, talented, and a friend to all. While I had many opportunities to hang around Dave at ArizMATYC and AMATYC meetings, none were more eventful and fun than the time we spent together in the Jacksonville airport following the AMATYC conference. Our flight home to AZ was canceled after extreme delays and the journey to find alternate flights left us stranded together for hours. I will cherish the delirious laughter and airport shenanigans we shared on that trip. My thoughts and prayers are with Leslie and Bowen, his friends and family, and his colleagues near and far. ~April
Extremely sad to hear of Dave’s passing. His last trip down to Tucson for the MAT142 conversation a year ago gave me hope he was doing well in the fight. My condolences to his wife and son. I always appreciated his viewpoint on statewide math and community college challenges. He will be missed. ~Jeff
This is devastating news…I also have appreciated David’s work to improve mathematics education. He will be missed indeed… ~Scott
Dave will be missed. His joy in trying new technology was contagious. He always was advocating for students and never lost his desire to learn new things. His gift for sharing his ideas, his mathematical gifts, and his love of beer will be missed. Thanks, Dave, for all you taught me! ~ArizMATYC WebPadawan
Join mathematics faculty from throughout the Southwest for the Fall 2020 ArizMATYC Conference. The conference will be held at the Tempe Campus of Rio Salado College in Tempe, Arizona on Friday, October 2, 2020.
If we cannot have the conference in person, we will switch to a virtual conference. More details.
Take good care,
~Shannon Ruth, ArizMATYC president
Bruce Bayly
University of Arizona
Dana Ernst
Northern Arizona University
Hosted By: Ben VanDerLinden and
The Fall ArizMATYC will be held at NAU on Friday, October 11.
Join your colleagues for a great experience in Milwaukee!
November 14-17, 2019
AMATYC Website with Details
The AMATYC Southwest Region is hosting a regional conference at Collin College – Preston Ridge in Frisco, TX (outside Dallas-Ft. Worth) on June 7-8, 2019. All are welcome – and please spread the word!
The conference theme is BIG Ideas in Texas! Where everything is bigger in Texas, we are certain you will gain BIG ideas that will enlighten and inspire you as a mathematics educator! Members of TexMATYC, along with the AMATYC Southwest Region, have been working diligently to create a wonderful conference for all to learn, grown, and enjoy.
Conference Highlights:
Do you have an idea or class activity to share with colleagues? Have you been involved in a project that others should know more about? Have you conducted research on the teaching and learning of mathematics that you would like to share with others? If so, come present your work at the AMATYC Southwest Regional Conference!
Presenter Application Deadline: May 10! Submit proposals here!
Early Registration Deadline: May 17th! Register here!
About Frisco, TX:
With a population of approximately 181,000, Frisco, TX is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, located about 25 miles away from Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airports. In 2017, Frisco was the fastest-growing city in the U.S. and also the fastest-growing city in the nation from 2000 to 2009. Money Magazine ranks Frisco as #1 in The Best Places to Live in America in 2018. With an average high/low temperature in June of 92°/73°, feel free to visit for a few extra days. If you love the outdoors or even prefer doing indoor activities, there is something for all, so take advantage of exploring Frisco to see why people love living in Frisco!
Join mathematics faculty from throughout the Southwest for the Spring 2019 ArizMATYC Conference. The conference will be held at the Main Campus of Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday, February 8. To kick off this amazing conference, Calculus, the Musical will playing on Thursday, February 7th at 7:00 pm for a special engagement at the Bulpitt Auditorium. The event is free to the public.
The conference will include a keynote by Dr. Uri Treisman, breakout sessions, a poster session, and vendor tables in addition to a delicious breakfast and lunch.
The spring conference of ArizMATYC will be a student-centered day of learning focused on increasing equity and access for students through mathematics. We invite participants to develop a talk or a poster session that they, their students, or both can present. Presentation formats will include standard, burst, and poster sessions. Presentations for the Spring ArizMATYC Conference can focus on topics such as instruction, history of mathematics, applied math, technology, strategies for success, opportunities for growth, and/or student success. Additional ideas might include: research in the classroom, students and collaborative learning, or group projects that work. Presenters and attendees are encouraged to explore the question around this conference’s theme: How do we promote equity and access for students through mathematics?
ArizMATYC Spring 2019 Conference Agenda
ArizMATYC Conference Program and Session Descriptions