Local math professor honored

Calabasas resident David L. Pagni, a veteran mathematics professor at California State University Fullerton who’s been called "one of the most respected math educators in the world," is among the five winners of the California State University Wang Family Excellence Awards. He was selected from nominees from throughout the 23-campus CSU system, and has won a cash award of $20,000.

Pagni joined the Fullerton faculty in 1969 and has received more than $13.6 million in federal grants to improve the way mathematics is taught in the Santa Ana Unified School District and to improve math programs in four Orange County school districts.

He earned his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin and is described as "a leader in his field" by Ephraim Smith, vice president for academic affairs at Cal State Fullerton.