2025 Susan Gay Travel Scholarship Recipient
Doris Fulwider
Biography
Doris is a proud and enthusiastic second-year doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction in Mathematics Education at Purdue University. Previously, she earned a B.S. in Elementary Education, a Gifted and Talented Licensure, an M.S. in Elementary Education, and an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with a Concentration in Mathematics Education. In 2016, she was named Hazel Feldhusen Outstanding Teacher of the Gifted by the Indiana Association for the Gifted. After thirty years of teaching in the elementary classroom, Doris has developed an intense passion for teaching mathematics the way she wishes it had been taught to her. Although her research interests abound, she is dedicated to ensuring all young children experience the wonder, joy, and beauty of mathematics when they begin formal schooling. In that effort, Doris wants to support and inspire the next generation of elementary teachers to nurture and facilitate sense-making, especially around basic number combinations, and promote joyful learning through playing with complex mathematical ideas in the elementary classroom. She also values the role parents and caregivers play and plans to do work that supports their ability to engage in mathematical play with children. Aligned with her interests, she recently presented a session titled Playing with Fractal Patterns on the First Day of School: Second-grade Students Reimagine Math Class as a Space to Experience the Wonder, Joy, and Beauty of Mathematics at the Game-based and playful Approaches to Mathematics Education (GAME) conference in Rome, Italy. In a nutshell, Doris’ mission is to spread the joy of mathematics.