The course is now required for all elementary school teachers, and seems to be the preferred math course to meet the liberal education requirement, Thornton said. But Thornton's influence on teachers reaches beyond the Math 203 requirement. Most every semester, I've taught at least one course that's aimed at certification of teachers. An awful lot of my students are secondary math teachers and elementary teachers. Thornton has also taught the geometry course and graduate courses in topology, his technical specialty.
Topology is an abstract study of how points are joined together.
In addition to developing courses for teachers and math novices, Thornton also has worked in other arenas. Sandy Scofield, director of the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education, said Thornton's skills and demeanor will be missed. I keep telling him that he needs to clone himself before we can let him fully retire. Thornton was involved with the statewide systemic initiative grant which formed the Nebraska Math and Science Initiative. Additionally, Thornton worked with the Nebraska Math Scholars Program and the Western Math Scholars Program.