From TeacherWiki

Awards for Service to the Community

ASSISTments project has received several award for our service to the community. Two are listed below but other academic awards can be found [here]

Carnegie Mellon University Alumni Award 2010

Neil Heffernan received the "Alumni Achievement Award" awarded for exceptional accomplishments in one's chosen occupation in which one has effected a degree of progress and has become a leader, thereby bringing honor to the award recipient and to Carnegie Mellon.

Professor Neil Heffernan of the WPI Computer Science Department has just won a Carnegie Mellon University's alumni achievement award. A quote from a news release from Carnegie Mellon University describes this year's recipients:

• This year's recipients include the inventor of the computer mouse, an internationally renowned Japanese woodcut artist, a NASA International Space Station flight controller and co-founder of the Juicy Couture brand who are among 19 individuals Carnegie Mellon University's Alumni Association will honor during its 2010 Homecoming Weekend from Nov 4 - 6, 2010. A description of Neil's achievements which led to the award is summarized below:

• Neil Heffernan (SCS'01): Prior to conducting post-doctoral research at Carnegie Mellon, Heffernan taught math for two years at inner-city Baltimore schools through Teach for America. During his time in Pittsburgh and now as a faculty member at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, his love of teaching has translated into the development of intelligent tutoring systems. His research group has raised more than $9 million in grant funding from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education and other sources to advance the ASSISTment system. This educational technology, which is widely used throughout Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, empowers teachers and school administrators with actionable, detailed information about their students' skills, knowledge and achievements in mathematics.

More details about the award can be found on a news release on Carnegie Mellon University's website.

Community Leader for Public Education

Community Leader for Public Education award for their support, commitment, leadership and sustained efforts to enhance the educational opportunities of the students of the Worcester Public Schools.

Awarded by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. The award was presented at Worcester School Committee by the Superintendent.

Co-Creators Neil Heffernan and Cristina Heffernan with Interim Superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools Deirdre Loughlin.

The ASSISTments team including 4 GK-12 fellows and President Berkey of WPI. From left, Yue Gong (WPI Graduate Student), Dr. Janice Gobert (WPI Faculty), Dr Gale Nigrosh (WPS), Zach Pardos (GK-12 Fellow), Cristina Heffernan (WPI GK12 Program Manager), Dr Joe Beck (WPI Faculty), Dr. Neil Heffernan (WPI ASSISTment Director), Stephen Giguere (WPI Undergrad), Dennis Berkey (President of WPI), Shane Almedia (GK-12 Fellow), Zach Brodrick (GK-12 Fellow), Joe Politz (WPI Undergrad), Jozsef Patvarczki( WPI Graduate Student), Elijah Forbes-Summers (WPI Graduate Student), Ravi Singh (WPI Undergrad), Leena Razzaq (GK-12 Fellow) and Dovan Rai (Fulbright Fellow).

This page was created by Christina Heffernan