I try to do what worked for my dental practice patients: explaining in a calm, reassuring manner what was happening at each step of the procedure. Now, I try to help students grasp algebra topics with which they might have struggled in the past, says Ward, whose accident with a table saw during a woodworking project prompted him at the age of 55 into a new career of teaching math.
Math has always been a vital part of Wards life; he met Sally, his wife of 35 years, in a math class in high school and led his three sons as a volunteer for the junior high school extracurricular program MathCounts for a decade. His sons, Michael, Tim, and Chris, are now enjoying successful careers as a physician, lawyer, and computer scientist.
Ward continues to bridge math skills to dentistry concepts in his scholarly research. His thesis explores how the Golden Ratio, popularized in Dan Browns The DaVinci Code, can be found in cosmetic dentistry tactics. According to Ward, beautifully proportioned upper front teeth have been shown to fit inside a golden rectangle. And for those in need of bridges or dentures to replace their missing front teeth, the Golden Ratio, or Phi, can be used as a starting point to determine where to place the bottom edges of the teeth forming the smile in relation to the base of the nose to the tip of the chin, which are also divided in the golden proportion.
After graduation Ward will continue teaching at Rutgers-Camden and will begin to instruct more advanced math courses, including statistics and pre-calculus.
At this point in my life Im just as proud, if not prouder, of this degree as the doctor of dental medicine degree I earned 32 years ago, says Ward, who will walk in the 6 p.m. commencement activities on Thursday, May, 17.
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