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Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education
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About CRMSE

At the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE), we are dedicated to advancing mathematics and science education at local, state, and national levels. We are an interdisciplinary community of scholars at San Diego State University engaged in research, curriculum development and dissemination, publications, presentations, and leadership roles in the community.

What Makes CRMSE Unique

  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: CRMSE faculty actively collaborate across six departments in both the College of Sciences and the College of Education.

  • External Funding: CRMSE faculty have secured over $50 million to conduct educational research since 2000. The funds have largely come from the National Science Foundation.

  • Integration of Scientific Research in Education with Implementation Projects: CRMSE faculty and staff conduct basic research on the nature and evolution of learning mathematics and science. Findings from this research are implemented through CRMSE initiatives and projects.

  • Reputation: CRMSE and its faculty have built a strong national and international reputation through numerous publications by faculty in top refereed journals and books, and the hosting of national and international conferences.

  • Uniqueness of Doctoral Program: The Ph.D. program in Mathematics and Science Education (MSED), operated jointly between CRMSE members at SDSU and faculty at UCSD, is helping to meet a critical need for researchers in mathematics and science education. CRMSE is uniquely qualified to address this critical shortage because MSED students are required to enter with a master’s degree in mathematics, biology, physics or chemistry.

History

CRMSE opened its doors in 1986 as a research center where SDSU faculty and students could collaborate on research, teaching, learning, and curriculum development. From the vision of Ed Silver with the support of Donald Short, the Dean of the College of Sciences at San Diego State University, CRMSE started as one room within the math department. By the end of the 1986/87 academic year, the center moved to its current space on Alvarado Road. Additional founding members included: Nicholas Branca, Fred Goldberg, Elsa Feher, Sandy Marshall, Doug McLeod, Judy Sowder, and Larry Sowder.

By 1987, the College of Education joined CRMSE in an effort to bring together the campus, students and community in a new way. CRMSE became the place on campus to come together and collaborate across multiple disciplines, particularly math and science. Original members included: Nadine Bezuk, Cheryl Mason, and Alan McCormack.

Within a few years after it was established, CRMSE faculty, together with faculty from the UCSD Colleges of Biological and Physical Sciences, partnered to develop a plan for a joint doctoral program in Mathematics and Science Education (MSED), which was approved by the California State University and University of California systems in 1993.