Dr. Carolyn King, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, received Volunteer of the Year Awards in 2016 and 2017 from the New York State Department of Corrections, for teaching mathematics at a transitional place of incarceration. The philosophy of education that fuels Dr. King’s passion for teaching mathematics can best be summarized by the mission of the City University of New York as articulated by the founder Townsend Harris (1847) which is to educate the “whole people”, and serve as a vehicle for the upward mobility of the disadvantaged in the City of New York. Carolyn has a Ph.D. in Urban Education (Mathematics) from the Graduate Center-City University of New York (IRADAC Fellow), an M.A. in Secondary Mathematics from New York University’s Steinhardt School (Jonathan Levin Fellow), and a B.S. in Operations Research from Columbia University’s-Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Before joining QCC in 2008, Dr. King taught mathematics at New York University Tandon School of Engineering, where she received two Dedicated Faculty Awards, 2002 and 2006, in recognition for the unique learning environments she created for teaching mathematics to prospective engineers. The lack of people of color, especially Black females, in STEM professions has been a persistent focus for Carolyn. She has worked with the NASA sponsored New York Space Grant Community College Partnership Program, (NYSG CCPP) to support undergraduate research for underrepresented students interested in pursuing careers in STEM disciplines and with Polytechnic’s (YES) Youth in Engineering and Science to introduce high school students to careers in STEM. Dr. King recently received a PSC-CUNY grant for her project: Black Girls Count! Black Girls and STEM, with the primary purpose to increase the number of Black females in undergraduate STEM programs at CUNY. Over the past four years, I have mentored four Black female students at QCC, all of whom liked math and science, but were unsure about possible career paths. To date, one has graduated with a B.S. in geosciences from Georgia State, two are in STEM programs at four–year institutions and one is now exploring environmental science at QCC.
With all that she has on her plate, this former professional dancer and avid sports fan, makes time to dance Salsa and cheer for her favorite sports team: GO DEVILS!!
