Eagle Recognition

September 01, 2025

This past spring, Tanya Huffman, mathematics instructor III and co-director of the FGCU Mathletes Circle, and Dr. Daniel Kern, assistant professor of mathematics, were awarded the Seidler Student/Faculty Collaboration Fellowship Grant for an innovative project aimed at strengthening middle school mathematics education.

Alongside them, FGCU students Kayla Kerr, a software engineering student, and Mason Huffman, a mathematics and physics student, spent the summer collaboratively developing a specialized math workshop to prepare middle school students for the Mathematics Association of America’s AMC 8 (American Mathematics Competition). The workshop aims to boost students' mathematical problem-solving skills, confidence and interest in advanced math topics.

Three individuals standing in front of a whiteboard in a classroom setting. The whiteboard displays various mathematical equations and diagrams. The person on the left wears a black long-sleeved top and black pants with a silver belt. The person in the middle wears a black t-shirt and a red skirt. The person on the right wears a white graphic t-shirt and dark pants.

FGCU student Kayla Kerr; Tanya Huffman, mathematics instructor III; and FGCU student Mason Huffman, discuss problems from the American Mathematics Competition.

This project is a model for education that blends academic outreach with undergraduate mentorship, offering future educators and STEM professionals hands-on experience while supporting the next generation of mathematical thinkers.

Two individuals in a classroom stand in front of a whiteboard. One person, wearing a light gray short-sleeved button-up shirt and blue jeans, points to a diagram while the other, dressed in a beige short-sleeved T-shirt and dark blue pants, observes. The whiteboard displays mathematical equations.

Dr. Daniel Kern, assistant professor of mathematics, and FGCU student Mason Huffman, work on lesson planning.