[MATHLINK] Mark H. Ashcraft (1949 – 2022)

[Libertus, Melissa]

Mark H. Ashcraft (1949 – 2022)
With great sadness, we share the news that Dr. Mark Ashcraft, professor emeritus, passed away on Sept 5, 2022 after a battle with cancer. Mark was the third chair of the MCLS, serving in the year of  the society’s first conference (held at the University of Oxford in 2018). He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas and spent the first part of his academic career at Cleveland State University, before moving to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2004. Although his initial research was on semantic memory, an insight about number processing that he had while grading exams lead to a seminal publication on the problem-size effect (Ashcraft & Battaglia, 1978). This work changed the direction of his research dramatically and inspired a wealth of follow-up research on arithmetic, in his lab and beyond. Subsequently, he continued to influence the nascent field of mathematical cognition with his work linking math anxiety to working memory, in essence redefining this area of research (e.g., Ashcraft & Faust, 1994; Ashcraft & Kirk, 2001). He also published an intriguing self-study of his personal experience with transient anomia which is well worth reading (Ashcraft, 1993). Mark continued to explore issues involving mathematics and working memory until very recently. As a colleague, Mark was engaging, positive, and very supportive of early career researchers. He maintained close relationships with his former students, many of whom were able to visit with him in his final months. His reviews (always signed) were helpful and encouraging, even if he had reservations about whether the work should be published. For many years, his gatherings at Psychonomics (which involved single-malt scotch), were a mainstay of the math cognition field in North America. In addition to his research, he is well known for authoring many editions of a popular textbook on cognitive psychology. Mark approached research and scholarship with humour and passion. He will be greatly missed. Mark is survived by his wife, Mary, and his children, Jordan and Laura.
More information can be found here:
https://obituaries.reviewjournal.com/obituary/dr-ashcraft-1086151144<https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fobituaries.reviewjournal.com%2Fobituary%2Fdr-ashcraft-1086151144&data=05%7C01%7CJoAnneLefevre%40CUNET.CARLETON.CA%7C72eb7d753a0e42903bfe08da9745ce67%7C6ad91895de06485ebc51fce126cc8530%7C0%7C0%7C637988623316331913%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Y%2BXRWrgFJqCOva7rXf%2BKhNz%2Fl3Ubv%2BrYxL31hgg13Ow%3D&reserved=0>