W. James “Jim” Lewis is Aaron Douglas Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. During the time he served as chair of his department, the department won the University-wide Department Teaching Award and an NSF Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. He has received many teaching awards including the University’s OTICA award and membership in UNL’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers. More recently, he was the Carnegie Foundation’s 2010 Nebraska Professor of the Year. He has served as President of the UNL Faculty Senate and President of the UNL chapter of AAUP. He has received the UNL Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Women Award for his support of opportunities for women in the mathematical sciences and UNL’s Louise Pound-George Howard Distinguished Career Award.

He is PI for two NSF Math Science Partnerships, the Math in the Middle Institute Partnership and NebraskaMATH. He was chair of the Committee that produced the CBMS report, The Mathematical Education of Teachers, and co-chair of the National Research Council committee that produced Educating Teachers of Science, Mathematics, and Technology: New Practices for the new Millennium. He was a member of the AMS Task Force that produced Towards Excellence: Leading a Doctoral Mathematics Department in the 21st Century, as well as the author of the first four chapters of this book. He was also a member of the NRC Committee that produced Preparing Teachers: Building Evidence for Sound Policy. He is a past chair of the Mathematical Association of America’s Coordinating Council on Education and the American Mathematical Society’s Committee on Education. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Louisiana State University.