Trent University Statistician Receives Two National Awards for Teaching Excellence

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Dr. Wesley Burr, associate professor and chair of Mathematics & Statistics at Trent University, is the recipient of two national honours for teaching excellence, announced on Monday.

Photo courtesy of Trent University.

Burr received the Statistics Society of Canada’s (SSC) 2026 Early Career Educator Award and the Canadian Mathematical Society’s (CMS) 2026 Excellence in Teaching Award. 

“Stemming from his ability to combine expertise with enthusiasm and curiosity, Dr. Burr’s work is transforming the experience of learning math and stats for countless learners,” says Dr. Cathy Bruce, Trent president and vice-chancellor. “Some students are intimidated by mathematics, and Wesley is effectively changing that experience. He is helping students build confidence and competence in their learning journey of statistics. These national honours recognize Dr. Burr’s commitment to ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.” 

“Mathematics and statistics are fundamental for life and learning, particularly in the sciences, but like a language, you have to practice and speak it regularly to gain fluency. All it takes for kids to believe they can't do math is one bad year, so people close that door too early and shut themselves off from some really interesting possibilities,” explained Burr. “Like a story, courses in math and stats should take students on a journey. Students start somewhere, arrive somewhere else, and along the way they’re connecting ideas, reinforcing concepts and growing.”

Since joining Trent in 2016, Prof. Burr has taught 19 different courses, some as many as 13 times. 

This month, Burr will formally receive the CMS Excellence in Teaching Award at the 2026 CMS Summer Meeting in Saint John, N.B. and the SSC Early Career Educator Award at the 2026 SSC Annual Meeting in Hamilton.

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