Mary Cavanagh is the Executive Director of Practice, Research, and Innovation in Mathematics Education (PRIME) Center in the College of Liberal Arts and the Sciences (CLAS) at Arizona State University (ASU). She has served as Director of NSF-funded App Maker Pro (AMP): Motivating STEM Study and Teacher Updating through App Development (2015 – 2018), Assistant ASU Education Director for the NSF-STC Biology with X-ray Free Electron Lasers (BioXFEL) Project (2013-2016), Project Director for the Helios Education Foundation-funded project, STEM in the Middle for grades 5 – 8 students and teachers (2011 -2014), and Project Director for the NSF-funded Prime the Pipeline Project (P3) Putting Knowledge to Work for high school students and high school mathematics, science, and technology teachers (2008 –2013).
Prior to her work at ASU, Dr. Cavanagh served on many large, federally-funded projects through San Diego County Office of Education and Solana Beach School District, including: National Science Foundation ISE Division (PI), California Math Science Partnership Grant (Director), PI on three Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional State Grant and the Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) State Grant Programs: (two California Postsecondary Education Commission grants and one Improving Teacher Quality State Grant), U.S. Department of Education, Fund for the Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST) (Coordinator of curriculum development and professional development). She received her Ph.D. from Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College in Curriculum and Instruction.
Mary is the author or co-author of numerous publications which include articles for peer-reviewed journals, major mathematics textbook programs and supplementary mathematics, science and language arts curriculum materials, and online programs. She has taught university courses in California, Colorado and Michigan and conducted professional development throughout the United States as well as Department of Defense schools in Germany and Japan.
Mary's research focus is mathematics education, algebraic reasoning of young children, and science education.