Math Faculty Member Honored With “STEMMy” Award from Central Exchange

A member of the Rockhurst University mathematics faculty has been honored alongside other local female leaders in STEM for work that seeks to inspire a love of math in young people, particularly girls and young women.

Zdenka Guadarrama, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, received the WiSTEMM Educator STEMMy Award from women’s leadership organization Central Exchange during its 9^th annual STEMMy awards ceremony Oct. 27, recognizing her contributions to STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) disciplines through her Mathapalooza program.

Guadarrama founded Mathapalooza 10 years ago with a colleague at Rockhurst. At first, it was a one-day experience on campus, allowing area students to explore mathematics through creative activities and a career roundtable. Over time, the program has evolved into a dynamic portfolio of offerings with activities that can travel to schools, events that allow students to explore careers in math, professional development activities for teachers, and more. These programs reach thousands of community members each year and have been bolstered by community and corporate sponsorships. Through the program, Guadarrama seeks to spread not just an understanding of math, but the joy of the subject through play.

To have that work recognized, she said, was both humbling and invigorating for the work she does.

“I have had the fortune of working with many fantastic women in different areas of STEMM, so being recognized among them is a great honor,” she said. “The recognition of my work with Mathapalooza and Math Through Play also motivates me to persist when challenging myself in new directions, to continue engaging individuals of all ages, and to keep making a positive difference in our community.”