Two retired UNI math profs author more than 1,000 articles

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Two retired University of Northern Iowa mathematics professors recently achieved a remarkable milestone: During a 40-year collaboration, they have written more than 1,000 joint papers that have been published in professional journals.















David Duncan and Bonnie Litwiller, who retired in 2005 and 2003, respectively, write about applications of mathematics concepts that can be used in the classroom, particularly at the middle school and secondary level. Their works have been published in most English-speaking countries, including England, Scotland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore.















Their goal, according to Litwiller, is to help teachers, who are responsible for so many lesson preparations, create novel ways to present a concept. An idea or an article might originate from a newspaper article, a television program, a book or any instance of the uses and abuses of mathematics, Duncan said. 'We look for a new twist or an extension of an idea.'















Litwiller, who now lives in Morton, Ill., has served on the board of directors of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the School Science and Mathematics Association and the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University in 2004.















Both she and Duncan were on the editorial board of Theta, a British mathematics education journal, and both served as president of the Iowa Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The two former UNI faculty members each received the Iowa Regents Award for Faculty Excellence.















Duncan, of Cedar Falls, served as head of the UNI department of mathematics from 1976 to 1990. He received the Phillip G. Hubbard Award for Outstanding Education at UNI in 2004.















The two show no sign of slacking off, when it comes to writing articles. They point out that their count of articles published is now up to 1,002.















'We are very proud of Bonnie and David,' said Jerry Ridenhour, head of the UNI Department of Mathematics. 'Their remarkable achievement clearly shows great dedication to the profession and to UNI.'