UH Mānoa College of Education (COE) Professor of Mathematics Education Linda Furuto was chosen by the American Mathematical Society (AMS) to deliver this year’s prestigious Einstein Public Lecture at the AMS Spring Western Sectional Meeting at Boise State University on March 7–8, 2026.
Furuto presented a keynote speech, titled Voyaging Toward Mathematical Unity Through Ethnomathematics, which provided insights about mathematics that can be drawn from the study of ethnomathematics and demonstrated how to support equitable teaching and learning environments.
Ethnomathematics is real-world problem-solving that empowers students to be locally-minded, global citizens through a sense of purpose and a sense of place. It challenges students to solve rigorous and worthwhile mathematical tasks that are relevant, meaningful, and contextualized by drawing on their strengths and the strengths of their communities.
“This is a huge and well-deserved recognition for Linda,” said Michelle Manes, Deputy Director at the American Institute of Mathematics. “This session was an opportunity for folks who do this important work to get together in community and share ideas, inspiration, successes, and struggles.”
Furuto was accompanied by three doctoral students from the COE and Department of Mathematics, Phillippe Rivera Fernandez-Brennan, Joseph Manfre, and Swarnalakshmi “Janani” Lakshmanan who presented their research in sessions and a special panel discussion on ethnomathematics during the conference. These students and Manes are all graduates of the Ethnomathematics Graduate Certificate (GCERT) program at the COE.
“Phil, Janani, and Joe are phenomenal teacher leaders and I am honored and humbled to have shared this time and space with them,” Furuto said. “I am also fortunate to have known and collaborated with Michelle over the past almost two decades. She is a renowned pillar in both mathematics and mathematics education at the local, national, and international levels.”
Fernandez-Brennan shared his dissertation research, connecting his proposed decolonization education framework and K–12 curriculum and pedagogical recommendations to ethnomathematics. He says one of the most meaningful moments of the AMS meeting was sharing space with his longtime mentor, Furuto, as well as presenting alongside fellow ethnomathematics educators and PhD students, Lakshmanan and Manfre.
“This experience will continue to shape how I approach my work and my classroom,” Fernandez-Brennan said. “I left the meeting feeling even more motivated to take up space in mathematics spaces, and to continue our work in ethnomathematics that creates transformative possibilities for our BIPOC students, particularly those who have been pushed to the margins of mathematics by dominant ideologies.”
Manfre’s presentation, Mathematics as a Noun versus a Verb: Implications of the Dichotomy’s Positionality in K-12 Education, explored the implications of what happens when the various stages of mathematics are positioned as nouns versus verbs within varied contextual environments while considering mathematics’ overall philosophical, psychological, and ecological purpose.
“The AMS convening was a rewarding experience to learn about advances in mathematics while also grounding myself in the work that I do as a mathematics teacher with an understanding of Ethnomathematics,” Manfre said. “I found myself grateful for the learning experiences I received in the Ethnomathematics graduate program which helped me understand the depth of relevance beyond the numbers to immersive place-based cultural experiences.”
Lakshmanan’s session addressed the question: “How does familiarity with proof-based mathematics impact female-identifying perceptions of place-based mathematics and mathematics education?”
“As a regular attendee of mathematics conferences and an early career mathematician, such events tend to be exercises in resisting the impulse of imposter syndrome,” Lakshmanan said. “This entire conference experience I felt as if I had a kind of shield surrounding me — as though my confidence was unshakeable. I know this is attributed to my companions and colleagues from the College of Education. We all felt the impact of Kumu Linda’s aloha and kuleana, and for that, I feel nothing but gratitude.”
To learn more about the world’s first academic program in ethnomathematics and the add-a-field of licensure in ethnomathematics through the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board, please see the Ethnomathematics program website.
Linda Furuto is a mathematics education professor at the COE where she is also the director of the Ethnomathematics Graduate Certificate and MEd in Curriculum Studies, Mathematics Education.
Phillippe Rivera Fernandez-Brennan teaches mathematics and is a curriculum coordinator at Hālau Kū Māna New Century Public Charter School. He is currently earning his PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from the COE.
Janani Lakshmanan, whose research areas include applied logic, theoretical computer science, extremal combinatorics, mathematical physics, and ethnomathematics, is working on her PhD in Mathematics from the UH Mānoa Department of Mathematics.
Michelle Manes was a mathematics professor at the UH Mānoa Department of Mathematics for many years and is currently the Deputy Director at the American Institute of Mathematics.
Joseph Manfre is a middle school mathematics teacher at Punahou School and former Hawaiʻi State Department of Education State Mathematics Education Specialist who is also in the COE Curriculum & Instruction PhD program.