In Memory of Professor Uri Leron – 1938-2023
Short Bio
Uri Leron is Churchill Family Professor (Emeritus) of Science and Technology Education at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Among his recent interests are implications to mathematical thinking of evolutionary psychology, the “rationality debate” in cognitive psychology, and neuroscience.
He has a B.Sc. degree in physics and mathematics and a Ph.D. degree in mathematics, all from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He started off his professional career as a research mathematician at the universities of Oregon, UCLA, and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, specializing in abstract algebra (ring theory).
Halfway through his career he switched to working in mathematics and computer science education. His professional interests, all aimed at trying to bridge the gap between intuition and formalism – or between common sense and analytical thinking – have included the psychology of mathematical thinking, new formats for mathematical proofs, constructionist uses of digital interactive environments, and the teaching of mathematics and computer science in the high schools.
In 2005 He held a one-month Residency at the Rockefeller Center in Bellagio, Italy, for developing applications of evolutionary and cognitive psychology to the theory and practice of mathematics education. In 2010 he has been invited to give the opening plenary lecture of the PME-NA Annual meeting at Columbus, Ohio.
Some of the leading positions he held in various innovative projects are: Head of the “Tomorrow 98” National Project for reforming science and technology education in all Israeli schools, Head of the National Amos De-Shalit Center for Science Education, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Computers for Mathematics Learning (IJCML), Head of the Technion Department of Science Education, and Head of the Project ITTT (Information Technologies for Technion Teaching).
He has held visiting positions at the USA Universities of Oregon, UCLA, MIT, Berkeley and Stanford, and consulted with innovative projects in Bulgaria, Australia, The USA and the UK. He has published two books and has supervised some 20 graduate students for M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees.
