Organization Description

Lee University is a private, comprehensive university located in Cleveland, Tennessee, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Lee is emerging as a leader in higher education in the southeastern region, and is consistently ranked in the "Top Tier" in the South by U.S. News & World Report (Comprehensive Medium-Size Universities). Lee is also ranked by Princeton Review's "Best Colleges," and is one of the 141 colleges named Best in the Southeast.

Over the past two decades, Lee has become one of the largest Christ-centered private institutions in Tennessee, and the largest in the Appalachian College Association. During that period, the university has seen a remarkable transformation that has included significant growth in its academic programs, student enrollment, faculty expertise, and diversity, as well as an expanded sense of mission and vision.

Participant Biographies

Professor Maher-Boulis is the longest-serving full-time faculty in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Lee University.  Originally from Egypt, she received her bachelor’s degree from the American University in Cairo and her master’s and Ph.D. from Florida State University in the field of Algebraic Topology. Her interests include incorporating real-life projects in all of her mathematics courses.  Maher-Boulis received several grants to develop workshops for in-service teachers on “Bringing Life to Mathematics” and incorporating “Career and Technical Content in High School Mathematics.”

Dr. Maher-Boulis founded several programs at Lee University, such as the degree on Actuarial Science and the Mathematics Internship Program where math majors get internship positions with local industrial corporations. She is active in the MAA, particularly with the Business, Industry and Government groups.  She has been a member of the BIG Committee and served BIG SIGMAA in the role of Secretary/Treasurer and Chair.

As part of SUMMIT-P, Lee’s project expands on the development of three courses, Algebra for Calculus, Concepts of Math (for math education majors) and Introduction to Statistics, all are 100-level courses, by working with partners from the chemistry, education and social sciences departments.

In her free time Dr. Maher-Boulis likes to travel, hike, play tennis and bake Egyptian desserts.

I began teaching in 2013 at Lee University, and I primarily teach sections of organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and various labs.   Collaborating with mathematics faculty has enhanced my teaching because I am able to bring more clarity to the topics and skills that students need to transfer into their chemistry courses.  In addition to teaching, I mentor students on undergraduate research projects because research is among the best ways to learn chemistry.  Many of my mentees are now in graduate programs. 

Dr. Poole holds a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama and specializes in Experimental Psychology, publishing his research in high-impact journals such as Psychological Science and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.  While teaching a variety of classes at Lee on research methods and statistics, Dr. Poole also conducts research with teams of undergraduate students, investigating topics such as emotion, motivation, and attention; regularly presents research at various national and regional conferences; and has received funding from Tennessee Higher Education Commission for the CATCH MATH2 (2017) grant project.  In his spare time, Dr. Poole and his wife enjoy traveling and watching old movies.

My teaching career began in 1997 after graduating from Lee University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Development with teacher certification. In 2000, I received a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University. In 2010, I completed my Doctoral Degree from The University of Tennessee network in Learning and Leadership with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction.

2021 SUMMIT-P Annual Meeting Poster Submission

We present the SUMMIT-P work at Lee University during the past 4+ years and the accomplishments of the project.