Dr. Linda H.L. Furuto
was born and raised in Hau‘ula, O‘ahu. She is a Professor of Mathematics Education and Director of the Ethnomathematics Graduate Certificate and M.Ed. Curriculum Studies, Mathematics Education programs at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM). Prior to joining UHM, Dr. Furuto was an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Head of Mathematics and Science at the University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahu. Dr. Furuto completed her Ph.D. at UCLA, master’s degree at Harvard University, and bachelor’s degree at BYU. Research interests include quantitative research methodology, mathematics achievement, ethnomathematics, and educational access and equity.Over the past 15 years, Dr. Furuto has been a Visiting Scholar of Mathematics at the University of Tokyo, worked in the Boston Public Schools as a research-practitioner in Harvard University’s Inventing the Future project, taught secondary mathematics and music at the Fiji Technical College, conducted research for World Expos at the U.S. Department of State, collaborated with the East-West Center on the International Forum for Education 2020, and was a member of the 2025 National Assessment of Educational Progress Mathematics Visioning Panel.
Dr. Furuto’s publications and work have appeared in Oxford University Press, Mathematical Association of America, and the International Congress on Mathematical Education Invited Lectures, among others. She has also been featured as a guest and keynote speaker on National Public Radio, National Geographic, Smithsonian Institution, PBS Hawai‘i, Pacific Business News, and the first-ever keynote panel at the 2021 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference on Asian American/Canadian & Pacific Islanders Visibility and Invisibility: Creating Space of Learning and Unlearning in Mathematics.
She is a recipient of the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents Medal for Excellence in Teaching, University of Hawai‘i President’s Green Initiative Award, BYU Alumni Achievement Award, Pacific Business News’ Top Forty Under 40, and a nominee for the U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Dr. Furuto’s teaching philosophy is symbolically expressed through voyages of Hōkūle‘a, “star of gladness,” a double-hulled canoe of the Polynesian Voyaging Society that sails by traditional wayfinding and celestial navigation (e.g., sun, moon, stars, winds). Hōkūle‘a embodies the message of mālama honua, which means “to care for Island Earth” and all people and places like family. Hōkūle‘a is a powerful vehicle to explore real-world applications of mathematics in local and global communities through courage, ingenuity, kindness, compassion, respect for the past, and hope for the future. Dr. Furuto is an apprentice navigator and education specialist and participated in the 2007 Voyage to Micronesia and Japan, 2013–2017 Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage and the 2023–2026 Moananuiākea Voyage of the Pacific.
It is hoped that we will continue to cross oceans as we work toward cultural harmony, historical reverence, and a voyaging spirit of promise in the increasingly interconnected world we live in. Through this we will expand our vision of global kinship and encourage stewardship amongst our communities at home and around the world. This is an exciting point in time and Dr. Furuto is committed to equitable and quality mathematics education at statewide, national, and international levels.
Linda H.L. Furuto, Ph.D.
Professor of Mathematics Education
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
1776 University Avenue, Everly Hall 224
Honolulu, HI 96822
Email: lfuruto [at] hawaii.edu
