ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Duha Hamed, a Winthrop University associate professor of mathematics, was recognized recently at the 2023 Southeastern Section of the Mathematical Association of America meeting for her teaching achievements.
During the association’s meeting March 9-11 at Coastal Carolina University, Hamed received the Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College Mathematics Faculty Award. The award is given to a faculty member who has been teaching seven years or less in the Southeastern section, which covers Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina.
Her nomination was led by colleague Trent Kull, an associate professor of mathematics. Colleagues, alumni and current students wrote letters of recommendation to praise Hamed for her innovations and her student-centered approach to teaching.
Hamed joined the Winthrop staff in 2016, and in addition to teaching classes, she is the faculty advisor for NERDs, the department’s student math club. In this role, she creates community and lets students have fun with math through escape rooms, integration bees and other social events.
“She creates a wonderful bond with her classes and establishes a motivating learning environment through her carefully crafted lessons and the attention she gives to each of her students,” said Professor Kristen Abernathy, chair of the Department of Mathematics. “She knows students by name within the first week of classes, and she makes students feel valued by continuing to mentor them even after the semester is completed.”
The dual nature of her strengths as an educator are revealed in her student evaluations, said Professor Tom Polaski, who was chair of the math department until this academic year. The students have a newfound appreciation and understanding of mathematics, and they are touched by the efforts Hamed makes to get to know and encourage them, he said.
Took Seven Years to Build Hamed's Village
Hamed said she is overjoyed and touched to win the award. “To believe in yourself is something, but for others to believe in you is something else,” she said.
Her earlier top achievements in academia, specifically promotion and tenure as a faculty member, were based on self-nomination. “But this one is different,” she said. “This award is more about my colleagues and students who believed in me and my abilities. It takes a village, and it took seven years to build mine!”
Having a high-achieving family was what led Hamed on a journey towards her Ph.D. “My only goal back then was to get my Ph.D. and make them proud. My goal now is way larger …. to present, represent and inspire!” she added. “I am proud to say that I worked hard, put in extra effort and always delivered from my heart.”
In addition to her profound success teaching mathematics and statistics to Winthrop students, Hamed shares with the campus her experiences as a Muslim woman living and teaching in an environment entirely different than the one in which she was raised. Winthrop prides itself on its goal of cultural education for faculty, staff and students, and Hamed is a key contributor to this initiative, colleagues said.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
