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Alice T Schafer Mathematics Prize of the AWM
The Association for Women in Mathematics awards the Alice T Schafer Mathematics Prize annually to an undergraduate woman for excellence in mathematics. The awardee may be at any level in her undergraduate career but must be an undergraduate when nominated. She must either be a U.S. citizen or have a school address in the United States. The website of the Association for Women in Mathematics states:-
1990
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Linda Green
Linda Green was described as one of the top undergraduates in the Mathematics Department at Chicago in the last twenty-five years. She began taking graduate courses as a sophomore and has uniformly excelled in them. She also took the Putnam exam in her sophomore year, finishing in the top 100. In the summer of 1989, she participated in an NSF sponsored Research Experience at Chicago studying harmonic analysis on local fields; her work was considered to be outstanding. Green has also, in conjunction with this NSF program, served as a counsellor in the Mathematics Department's program for mathematically talented students from the Chicago Public Schools. Paul Sally, in his letter nominating her for the prize, said, "Linda Green is a truly impressive young woman who has all the talent and drive necessary to become an outstanding mathematician...".
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Elizabeth Wilmer
Being the first to win a mathematics prize is not a new experience to Elizabeth Wilmer; she was a major force behind the Harvard undergraduate math team which won the first SIAM mathematical modelling competition last year. She already showed great promise in high school when she came in second nationally in the Westinghouse Science Competition with a graph theory project and placed seventh on the American Olympiad team. Wilmer spent Fall Semester 1989 taking courses in Budapest, where she was considered to be exceptionally talented. She also worked last summer at the NSF-REU program at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and was asked to return. At Harvard, she has taken several graduate courses and has served as an undergraduate teaching assistant. "She is one of our real super-stars, who seems destined for a distinguished research career," said Benedict Gross in his nomination letter.
1991
Schafer Prize Winner: Jeanne Nielsen
Jeanne Nielsen was described as a "highly original, enthusiastic, and talented young mathematician" and one of the best undergraduate mathematics majors her nominators had seen anywhere. Nielsen began to show promise as a research mathematician the summer after her sophomore year when she obtained results in finite group theory which have been submitted for publication. More recently, her interest in algebraic and differential geometry has yielded some impressive research results there. Professor Robert Bryant, in his letter nominating her for the prize, said, "Her mathematical maturity and insight are astonishing." Nielsen received an Honourable Mention in this year's Putnam exam, a national mathematics competition for undergraduates, finishing 30th out of 2347 contestants.
Runner-Up: Zvezdelina Stankova
Zvezdelina Stankova is on a full scholarship at Bryn Mawr College, having won a competition in Bulgaria to identify gifted students to study in the United States. As a high school student she participated in the International Mathematics Olympiad on the Bulgarian team; she won silver medals in 1987 and 1988. Stankova finished 101st in the 1991 Putnam Competition. Next year, her senior year at Bryn Mawr, she will be taking graduate courses at the University of Pennsylvania and hopes to graduate with both a bachelor's and a master's degree in mathematics. "One of the brightest young people I have ever known, Zvezde is truly a star, as her name suggests," said Professor Rhonda Hughes in her nomination letter.
1992
Schafer Prize Winner: Zvezdelina E Stankova
Zvezdelina E Stankova, a 1992 graduate of Bryn Mawr College, has earned wide recognition for her research and performance in mathematics competitions. She participated last summer in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Minnesota at Duluth, and her research there on classifying permutations with forbidden subsequences of length four was praised as impressive work on a difficult problem. Her paper on the subject was well received at the joint mathematics meetings of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of American in Baltimore in January. In addition to her research in combinatorics, she has done advanced work in a number of areas. In nominating Stankova, Professor Rhonda J Hughes of Bryn Mawr wrote, "Her results are strikingly original, and one is always reminded that her work is that of an extraordinary mathematician." A two-time silver medallist on the International Mathematics Olympiad team from her native Bulgaria, known as both an excellent problem-solver and a first-rate expositor, Stankova was the Runner-Up for the Schafer Prize in 1991. She will return to the REU Program in Duluth this summer before beginning graduate work in mathematics at Harvard University in the fall.
Runner-Up: Julie B Kerr
Julie B Kerr, this year's Runner-Up, will graduate in December from Washington State University. She received Special Recognition from the 1990 Schafer Prize committee for her early achievements, including distinction in graduate courses as a first-year student. In each of the last two years, she finished in the top sixty students on the nationwide Putnam Examination for undergraduates. Following a Budapest Semester in Mathematics as a sophomore, Kerr participated in the 1991 NSF-sponsored Mills Summer Mathematics Institute, and she will work this summer in computational number theory at the REU at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. An aspiring teacher, Kerr also finds time to tutor in mathematics.
1993
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Catherine O'Neil
Catherine O'Neil's serious interest in mathematics began in her first year of high school when she received the highest freshman score in a state-wide mathematics competition. She attended the summer mathematics program at Hampshire College her freshman and sophomore years in high school. During her junior year of high school, O'Neil began taking courses in mathematics at MIT where she performed at the level of their best undergraduates. At Berkeley she has excelled in both undergraduate and graduate courses. In his letter nominating her for the prize Kenneth Ribet said, "Cathy O'Neil is one of the most promising undergraduate students with whom I have ever been associated." She attended the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Minnesota, Duluth in the summer of 1992, a program that can claim two previous Schafer Prize winners as alumnae, and her resulting paper in graph theory has been submitted for publication. During the fall semester of 1992 O'Neil participated in the "Budapest Semesters in Mathematics" program. In addition to her mathematical talent, all of O'Neil's supporting letters stressed her determination, independence, and leadership.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Dana Pascovici
This year has been an exciting one for Dana Pascovici. She finished 16th out of 2421 participants in this year's Putnam Examination, a national mathematics competition for undergraduates, leading a strong Dartmouth team which finished tenth overall. For her performance as the top scoring woman to take the exam, Pascovici was also awarded the first annual Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize. Pascovici came to Dartmouth last year from Romania. She won Dartmouth's Thayer Prize as a freshman, with a score on the exam which was more than double her nearest competitor's. In addition to her success at mathematical competitions, Pascovici has "taken the Dartmouth mathematics department by storm". Her work in both undergraduate and graduate courses in mathematics and computer science has been outstanding. Thomas Shemanske, in his nomination letter, said, "Dana has a truly remarkable mathematical talent. ... Dana is the strongest undergraduate mathematician Dartmouth has seen in many years."
Runner-Up: Melissa Aczon
Melissa Aczon has been awarded the Giovanni Prize in Mathematics this year by the mathematics department at Harvey Mudd College, an honour given to their most outstanding senior mathematics major. Her faculty advisor writes, "She is a very promising young mathematician who has great enthusiasm for the subject and who has the potential to make substantial original contributions." Aczon, who plans to start graduate work for a Ph.D. in applied mathematics next year, already has considerable experience in research. She has participated in a summer research program at Harvey Mudd, as well as in an REU at the University of Tennessee, resulting in two research papers.
Runner-Up: Susan W Goldstine
Susan W Goldstine studied abstract algebra at Penn State even before entering college. She won first prize in Amherst College's Walker prize examination (for first and second year students) in both her freshmen and sophomore years. Now a senior, Goldstein is described in the letter of nomination as "one of the three strongest mathematics students here in the past 27 years." In the summer of 1992 she participated in an REU program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, where she produced a substantial piece of research. For her senior thesis, Goldstein is working on a research project in arithmetical algebraic geometry. This fall, she will continue her studies at Harvard.
1994
Schafer Prize Winner: Jing Rebecca Li
Our winner Jing Rebecca Li, a junior at the University of Michigan, is a relative newcomer to mathematics. An outstanding mechanical engineering student, with a published paper on the deformation of bicrystals, Li switched to mathematics only last fall. Since then, she has excelled in demanding undergraduate and graduate courses, performing at the level of the best graduate students. The summer before she entered the mathematics Honours Program, she participated in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at the Geometry Center, University of Minnesota, where she studied computer music. In his letter of nomination for the Schafer Prize, one of her professors writes, "I have taught some very bright undergraduates, but I would rank her in the upper one-half percent of the undergraduates (male and female) I have known." In addition to praising Li for her remarkable achievement in mathematics in so short a time, Li's nominators commented on her impressive record in such diverse disciplines as physics, computer science, philosophy, Russian literature, and Asian history! Her letters of recommendation for the Prize stressed her determination, stemming from her "burning desire to learn," her love of mathematics, and her energy.
Runner-Up: Patricia Hersh
Runner-up Patricia Hersh, a junior at Harvard University, has already written two research papers on graph theory, which have been submitted for publication. One of her nominators writes, "She is comparable to the best students I have seen in my classes." Last summer, she participated in an REU program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. The director writes, "In my 17 years running summer research programs it has been my experience that each year only one or two of the participants seem to have the ideal blend of talent, work ethic and personality. Patricia Hersh is one of these people." In previous summers, she served as a counsellor at an NSF mathematics program at Boston University for talented high school students, of which she herself was an alumna.
Runner-Up: Julia J Rehmeyer
Runner-up Julia J Rehmeyer is a senior at Wellesley College. In a letter of recommendation, one of her professors writes, "Ms Rehmeyer is certainly the strongest student I have known in my 14 years at Wellesley, but that doesn't describe how different she is from any other student I have known here. She is extraordinarily bright, self-motivated, and thorough, with an intellectual maturity that would suit a mature mathematician." Rehmeyer's work at Wellesley and in undergraduate and graduate courses at MIT is outstanding. She has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship.
Runner-Up: Nina Zipser
Runner-up Nina Zipser has been awarded Columbia University's prestigious Kellet Fellowship, for study at Cambridge University. A senior at Barnard College, she also won the competition for the mathematics department's Van Buren Prize. Referred to in a letter of nomination as "the overall best student I have taught," Zipser not only earned A's and A+'s in graduate mathematics courses, but is now working on two research projects: "the universality of lengths of closed geodesics in hyperbolic manifolds" and an experimental project search for "degenerate groups."
1995
Schafer Prize Winner: Ruth Britto-Pacumio
Our winner Ruth Britto-Pacumio is a junior at MIT, where she has already completed the requirements for a mathematics major with no grade below 'A' in any subject. One faculty member writes, "Ruth is a truly outstanding student. [As a sophomore last year] she took our hardest undergraduate math courses. ... She was the top student, in very tough competition, in my algebra course. This year she continues to excel in graduate courses." Another faculty member comments, "Every few years an individual dominates a class here at MIT. In the class of 1996 this is occurring, [and it is] Ruth Britto-Pacumio. She seems to know everything and be everywhere." Britto-Pacumio was also a participant in a 1994 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and wrote a paper on graph theory, which has been submitted for publication. Her performance in that program was described as "truly extraordinary." This year, she won the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize for her excellence in the Putnam Competition.
Runner-Up: Wung-Kum Fong
Runner-up Wung-Kum Fong is currently in her third year at Berkeley. Having completed several undergraduate honours courses with flying colours, she is now taking graduate level courses and reading courses in which she is also excelling. She is described as an "exceptional student," "stronger than many graduate students" at Berkeley. In the summer of 1994, she participated in the Mills College/Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) Summer Program.
Runner-Up: Nancy Heinschel
Runner-up Nancy Heinschel is a senior at UC, Davis. She has taken an impressive array of advanced math courses there while maintaining a 3.99 GPA. She participated in an REU program at Oregon State University last summer where she completed a research project on "Sufficient Conditions for Global Stability in Population Models." She has also served as president of both the UC Davis math club and the UC Davis chapter of the Pi Mu Epsilon honour society. In the fall, Heinschel will begin graduate studies in mathematics at Stanford University.
Runner-Up: Jessica Wachter
Runner-up Jessica Wachter is a junior at Harvard. Having completed some of Harvard's most challenging undergraduate courses with an outstanding performance, she is now taking graduate courses. In the summer of 1994, she participated in an REU program at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and wrote a paper for publication entitled "Universal Destinations in Graphs." She has also worked as a teaching assistant at a National Science Foundation (NSF) summer program for mathematically talented high school students. One faculty member, in whose class Wachter was the top student, summed up his recommendation by writing, "Jessica is very talented, very mature, and strongly motivated."
1996
Schafer Prize Winner: Ioana Dumitriu
Ioana Dumitriu is a 19-year-old freshman at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (NYU/CIMS). She came to CIMS from Romania for her undergraduate studies and immediately began taking graduate level courses. Her professors uniformly describe her as "truly exceptional," "extremely impressive," "absolutely brilliant," a student "whose mathematical instincts, talent, and knowledge are apparent almost from the beginning." They also remark on her exceptional problem solving abilities and "great independence of thought and originality." This was confirmed (apparently to no one's surprise) when she won this year's Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize for her performance in the Putnam Competition. As one letter states, "There is no doubt that Ioana will become a mathematician, the only question is whether she will be a world class mathematician.... I can't think of anyone whose chances are better."
Runner-Up: Karen Ball
Karen Ball is a senior at Grinnell College in Iowa, where she is consistently at the top of her advanced mathematics classes. As a junior, she participated in the Budapest Semester in Mathematics program, where she audited Complex Analysis in addition to earning all A's in her regular courses. The summer after her sophomore year, she worked on a research project under Professor Charles Jepsen and obtained "with almost no guidance" results which will appear in a paper entitled "Packing Unequal Squares" in the Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series A. She is described as "a remarkable student who is destined to have a great career in mathematics." In the fall, Ball will begin graduate studies in mathematics at the University of California at Berkeley.
Runner-Up: Wung-kum Fong
Wung-kum Fong is a senior at the University of California at Berkeley. During her junior and senior years, she has been taking graduate level courses and seminars in advanced topics. She has ranked among the best students in these classes. She is described as an "exceptional student," "stronger than many graduate students" at Berkeley. One of her instructors characterised her as "one of the brightest undergraduates I've ever met." In addition to her course work, Wung-kum participated in the 1994 Mills College/Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Summer Program. In the fall, Fong will begin graduate studies in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
1997
No prize awarded.
1998
Schafer Prize Co-Winner
Sharon Ann Lozano is a senior mathematics major whose outstanding academic record at the University of Texas places her in the top one percent of over five hundred mathematics majors. According to her professors, Sharon has been the top student in most of her mathematics courses. In her first year, she tied for first place in the Mathematics Department's A E Bennett Examination, a contest that has been in existence for over fifty years, and whose winners include many who subsequently distinguished themselves in mathematics and engineering.
Sharon has participated in two summer research programs, the Cornell SACNAS Summer Institute arid the Mills Summer Institute. She has written three research reports, one of which provided the background for her senior honours thesis involving numerical modelling of surface water flow under the direction of Professor Mary Wheeler. In the Spring of 1997, Lozano was a member of her department's team which received an Honourable Mention in the COMAP Mathematics Contest in Modelling. Sharon has also served her department and community in many ways, particularly through her involvement in the AmeriCorps Program.
In the words of one of her professors, "Sharon is an extraordinary individual and brings to mathematics an excitement arid vitality that enlivens the possibilities for the future of the profession...Sharon, while still an undergraduate, has shaped a mathematical life that merges research with community service and leadership. While pursuing an active mathematical research agenda, Sharon has also blazed a pathway of community service that invites more students from diverse backgrounds to participate in and appreciate mathematics."
Response from Lozano
There are many talented undergraduate women in mathematics. It is an honour to be considered among them and to have been awarded the Alice T Schafer Prize this year. I thank the people and organisations, such as AWM, that do more than share their knowledge. They genuinely believe in and inspire the success of all students. In particular. I would like to thank Efraim Armendariz, Mary Wheeler, Uri Treisman. James Epperson, Monica Martinez, and Jackie McCaffery for inspiring me.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner
Jessica A Shepherd is a senior mathematics major with a minor in computer science at the University of Utah. Her professors are uniform in their praise of her extraordinary mathematical talent; many feel that she is the strongest mathematics student they have seen at Utah in decades, and is in fact on par with their strongest graduate students. She has received many prizes and awards, including the Gibson Award for outstanding achievement in mathematics, and has done research in both mathematics and computer science.
In 1995, Jessica participated in research in the PipeLink Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and in 1996, she participated in the SIMS program at the University of California, Berkeley. She has co-authored two papers, "The Multiplier in Fractals Bounded by Regular Polygons" written with Professor Anne Roberts and "A Corpus-Based Approach for Building Semantic Lexicons" with Professor Ellen Riloff.
One of her professors states, "Jessica has a superb intellect and tremendous drive and discipline. She has the potential to become an intellectual leader." According to another, "She is an absolute joy as a student and I am sure that she will go on to have a fine career. She is outstanding by any standard whatsoever..." Finally, "Jessica is the brightest undergraduate I have ever met. Jessica has a combination of raw intellectual power, self-discipline, motivation, and character that is extraordinarily rare. I fully expect to run across her name again some day, perhaps as a professor at a prestigious university or as the winner of a major award."
Response from Shepherd
I feel extremely honoured to have been selected for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to respond by thanking all the teachers and professors in my life who have taken the time to make mathematics not just possible, but exciting. This award belongs more to them than to me. Thanks especially to Anne Roberts and Ellen Riloff for offering advice and opening doors, both literally and figuratively. Finally, thanks to the AWM and all those who believe in the capabilities of women enough to provide encouragement that helps them excel.
Schafer Prize Runner-up
Jie Li is a senior at the University of Michigan with a dual concentration in Mathematics and Political Science. Jie has done exceptionally well in a challenging mathematics program. She began her involvement in research at an exceptionally early stage in her career, and has participated in three summer research programs, at Michigan, at Williams College, and at Cornell University. As a rising sophomore, she answered a question about the minima of polynomials of several variables posed by Professor A Blass. This work was deemed "a fine accomplishment for a senior. To have done it after her first year is a sign of extraordinary ability and drive." Li's paper on "Stick Knots" with Professor Colin Adams will be submitted for publication. According to her professors, "We all expect a great future for Jie and think that she richly deserves national recognition for her accomplishments."
Response from Li
In making the connection with the individual student, math needs to overcome popular conceptions of being a difficult and esoteric subject. Hence, teachers are so important in guiding the student during the initial stages of learning. I would like to express my appreciation to my professors at The University of Michigan for their patience, kindness, and, more importantly, for a glimpse of their energy and passion for the subject.
1999
Citation: Caroline J Klivans
Caroline J Klivans is a senior at Cornell University. After distinguishing herself in her sophomore and junior year in classes mostly populated by upper-division students and graduate students, Ms Klivans was accepted in the National Science Foundation summer program Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at Rutgers University. There, she "astounded" the faculty by "her ability to assimilate new material and then take it one step further." Her paper on visual navigation for autonomous mobile robots consists of an "outstanding" theoretical proof and algorithms which will be the first to be ported to the vehicle just acquired by Rutgers. Just as exceptional as her mathematical development, Carly's enthusiasm surpasses any that her professors "ever [saw in] an undergraduate [over the course of] thirty years." She was president of the undergraduate Math Club during her junior year, invigorated the colloquium and dinner series, with attendance doubling, and organised trips to attend American Mathematical Society meetings and the Spring Bourbaki Seminar in Paris. With the central student governing body financing mostly airfares, she arranged for her charges to be housed by Parisian mathematicians, who followed up with "very positive feedback." Not only do predictions converge on Ms Klivans' future as a mathematical "leader at a national level," they also acknowledge her uniqueness as a "wonderful role model for young women in mathematics."
Response from Klivans
I am honoured to be recognised by the Association for Women in Mathematics with the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for all of their efforts to promote women in mathematics. It is encouragements such as these which will bring more women into the field. I thank Sven Dickinson and Diane Souvaine for guiding me in new directions. Also, I am indebted to the entire Cornell math department, but would like to thank Oraeme Bailey, Bob Connelly, David Henderson, and especially Lou Billera for teaching and believing in me.
2000
Citation: Mariana E Campbell
Mariana E. Campbell is currently a senior at the University of California at San Diego. After distinguishing herself ("best in the class") as a junior in both undergraduate and graduate classes at UCSD, Ms Campbell participated in the Mount Holyoke REU program where the faculty described her as "astonishing". Her output from that program is a paper "The Igusa local zeta function for the different reduction types of the special fibre of an elliptic curve" that is currently being revised for publication. As one of her recommenders wrote, "Mari is getting into current interesting and difficult research topics at a point in her career several years earlier than the typical student". Ms Campbell gave a talk on this work at the Mathfest '99 meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. She will also give a talk on this topic at the Joint Mathematics Meetings (Washington, D.C.) in the special session entitled: Research in Mathematics by Undergraduates on Saturday, January 22, 2000. In addition to being a fine mathematician, Ms Campbell is a talented violinist. The consensus is that Ms Campbell has "the drive, intellect, and creativity to become a leading mathematician". She is "remarkable" and "someone who will make a difference in the lives of those around her down the line".
Response from Campbell
I feel very honoured to be awarded the Association for Women in Mathematics Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for encouraging women to study mathematics and for continuing to recognise the achievements of women mathematicians at all stages of their careers. I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to my mentors: Harold Stark, Audrey Terras, Margaret Robinson, Peter Doyle, Mark Peterson, and Ron Evans for their generous support and for sharing their enthusiasm in mathematics.
I thank the participants of the Mount Holyoke College REU, Mark Peterson, and especially my advisor Margaret Robinson for a very exciting and productive summer. I also thank the UCSD math community for being an incredible source of stimulation, support, and encouragement.
Runner-Up: Sarah E Dean
Sarah E Dean is a senior mathematics major at Duke University. She is a recipient of the prestigious Barry W Goldwater Scholarship and participated in the Director's Summer Program at the National Security Agency during the summer of 1998. Her mentor at NSA describes her as "one of the top two performers in this fantastically talented group of 22."
Her professors at Duke say that she "has taken nearly all the advanced undergraduate and most first and second year graduate courses at Duke" and is "one of the best undergraduates we have had at Duke University."
Response from Ms Dean
I want to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for honouring me, and especially for recognising my school, Duke University. Duke's math faculty have been wonderfully supportive of me, and dedicated to teaching even outside of the classroom. I especially want to thank David Kraines, Bill Pardon, Greg Lawler, Chad Schoen, Robert Bryant, and my advisor Paul Aspinwall.
Runner-Up: Beth Robinson
Beth Robinson is a senior mathematics major at Carleton College. Beth is lauded by one of her professors as "the only person ever in my 12 years of teaching undergraduates to earn a perfect score on an exam" - as a sophomore in an upperdivision course. She participated in the St Olaf Summer Mathematics Program for Women in 1998 and the REU at the University of Minnesota at Duluth in 1999. As a result, she authored two professional level publishable papers. Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year, Beth devotes long hours to tutoring in Carleton's Math Skills Center and still makes time for painting and folk dancing.
Response from Ms Robinson
I would like to thank the AWM for naming me as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. It is a far greater honour than I ever expected to receive. I'd also like to thank Professor Stephen Kennedy for nominating me and for all his other help and encouragement.
2001
Schafer Prize Winner: Jaclyn (Kohles) Anderson
Jaclyn (Kohles) Anderson is a senior mathematics major at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL). During her senior year of high school she placed first out of almost 1,200 students in the UNL Math Day competition. The summer after her freshman year she participated in the Carleton/St Olaf Colleges Summer Mathematics Program for Women Undergraduates, and during her sophomore year she participated in the Mathematics Advanced Study Semesters (MASS) program at Pennsylvania State University during the fall semester and the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program in the spring. Her work in the MASS program led to a paper entitled "Partitions which are simultaneously - and -core," which has been submitted to the journal Discrete Mathematics, and which her MASS mentor describes as "a very fine result in combinatorics."
Jaclyn has recently completed an NSF-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in the representation theory of commutative local rings, and her advisor expects that her paper "Use of Gröbner bases in integer programming" will eventually be published. He describes it as "a remarkable piece of work." In addition to her research, she has taken many graduate level courses & served as a teaching assistant for UNL's honours calculus courses. Last year she received an honourable mention for the Schafer Prize. According to her professors, her work "far surpassed that of the rest of the students," including the graduate students. They describe her as "the most talented under-graduate I have encountered in my 33 years of college teaching" and "a bona fide star" with "impressive talent, drive and enthusiasm for mathematics." They agree that she "will be much sought after by graduate schools across the country."
Response from Anderson
I am extremely honoured that the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) has awarded me the Alice T Schafer Prize. This award recognizes the achievements of women at the start of their mathematics careers and thereby supports their future mathematical endeavours. Many of my accomplishments would not have been possible without the support of the mathematics faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I would like to thank Drs Jim Lewis and Gordon Woodward who have encouraged me from day one. I would also like to thank Drs Roger Wiegand, Sylvia Wiegand, and David Logan who said wonderful things about me in their nomination. These professors and the rest of the UNL mathematics faculty have made my undergraduate experience something far beyond what I could have ever imagined as a freshman. Finally, I would like to thank everyone involved in the Carleton/St Olaf Summer Program, the Penn State MASS program, and the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics; you have all positively influenced my mathematics career.
Runner-up: Sami Assaf
Sami Assaf is a senior mathematics and philosophy major at the University of Notre Dame. One recommender says she "is the 'best' undergraduate student that I have ever taught." Her results from the Williams College REU program, on the Hermite problem in number theory, will be part of a research paper. She has written many expository papers on advanced undergraduate material, including one which won Notre Dame's Taliaferro Competition in the History of Mathematics. She is currently taking four graduate mathematics courses and is expected to be "courted by many of the nation's best graduate mathematics programs later this academic year."
Response from Assaf
It is a great honour for me to be recognised as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize for undergraduate women in mathematics. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for establishing this prize and for recognising me among the outstanding women mathematicians who have received this honour. I would also like to thank Dr Peter Cholak for first recognising and nurturing my ability in mathematics and for clearing the way for me to develop my ability, Dr Frank Connolly for his encouragement and support both as a teacher and as a mentor, and also Sean Borman without whose encouragement I would not have become a math major.
Runner-up: Suzanne S Sindi
Suzanne S Sindi is a senior mathematics major and President's Scholar at California State University, Fullerton. She has excelled academically, both in her coursework and in two substantial research projects. Her results from the Cornell University REU program, on a model of chromosome size evolution, have been submitted for publication; her research at Cal State Fullerton on bifurcation for one-parameter families of scalar maps has already been published. In addition, Suzanne has won numerous awards, including Honourable Mention in the Mathematical Modelling Competition. Her nominations speak of her "exceptionally strong mathematical ability and professional promise."
Response from Sindi
I feel greatly honoured to have been named as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize by the Association for Women in Mathematics. I would like to express my gratitude to the wonderful mathematics department at Cal State Fullerton and to Mario Martelli, Stephen Goode, Ernie Solheid and Richard Durrett for their support. These professors have inspired me tremendously. I would also like to thank my family and those involved with the Cornell REU program.
2002
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Kay Kirkpatrick
Kay Kirkpatrick is a senior at Montana State University. She has taken many graduate courses; her professors say that she "routinely takes 20-22 credits per term, earning A's in them all." In summer 2000, she participated in the Industrial Mathematics Workshop for Graduate Students at the Center for Research in Scientific Computation at North Carolina State University. Her mentor there says that Kay "was extremely insightful, very creative in her thinking, and was the intellectual peer of the best graduate students in the program. She is one of the brightest undergraduates I have encountered in more than 30 years in academia." He says that her team's work is "destined for publication." Kay also participated in an REU in summer 2001, resulting in a paper being published. Her mentor in this program says that Kay "was just a delight to work with, and to talk to. If I had made a wish-list for the perfect candidate for my summer REU program, Kay would have exceeded that beyond all expectations." In addition, Kay was awarded a Barry M Goldwater Scholarship in 2001. One of her professors says that Kay is "an extremely warm, respectable, enthusiastic and hard working person. Her brilliance and dedication renew my inspiration as a professor."
Response from Kay Kirkpatrick
I feel extremely honoured to be numbered among today's rising women in math. The Association for Women in Mathematics is doing a wonderful thing to encourage and support aspiring mathematicians. I'll spend the rest of my life repaying this debt to AWM and to all of my professors and mentors. You all have not only supported me, but also have been true inspirations. I'd like to thank the Honours Program and Music Department at MSU for bringing me to Montana State University - Bozeman in the first place. I feel indebted to the math professors who noticed my ability while I was still a psychology major, and those who continued to nurture me when I switched to math. Kudos to the scientists and mathematicians at the Center for Computational Biology at MSU, the Modelling Workshop at North Carolina State, and the University of Houston, who all helped me discover the exhilaration of being on the cutting edge of research. Because of each one of you, the quality of my undergraduate education has exceeded even my own high expectations. Special thanks to my family, who always told me that I could do whatever I wanted, even before I figured out what "whatever" was. And to my sister Bonnie, who is also my roommate, best friend and biggest fan: you know you're a mathematician at heart.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Melanie Wood
Melanie Wood is a junior at Duke University. In 1999, she was a member of Duke's 3rd-place Putnam team and received an Honourable Mention for her individual Putnam performance. She has excelled in many graduate courses, beginning in the fall of her freshman year and continuing to the present. Her professors say that Melanie is "a truly remarkable student, one of the best I have ever encountered in my 21 years of teaching" and that "I know that she will become a top-flight mathematician." In summer 2000, she participated in an REU which resulted in a paper that has been submitted to a well-respected journal. Her mentor from this program expects that the paper will be accepted and writes that "in this elite group (of REU participants) Melanie ranks with the best." She has recently begun independent research on another topic and "has already made original and non-trivial progress." In addition, Melanie was awarded a Barry M Goldwater Scholarship in 2001. Her professors agree that Melanie "has a passion for mathematics" and "will become a wonderful role model for others."
Response from Melanie Wood
It is a wonderful honour to be awarded the Alice T Schafer Prize from the Association for Women in Mathematics. I would like to thank those who established the award for their vision to recognise and encourage young women mathematicians. Mathematics, though extremely rewarding, is a difficult career to pursue, and thus it is so important for young mathematicians to feel support from the community as they pursue their careers. I want to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for showing me such support and recognising me among such outstanding young women mathematicians. Also, I would like to thank the Duke Math Department for providing an encouraging, supportive, challenging, and exciting environment in which to do mathematics. My wonderful experience in the department has really solidified my decision to go to math graduate school and pursue math research as a career. In particular, I would like to thank David Kraines for his help in practically every aspect of my mathematical activities, Richard Hain for being a great research mentor, Robert Bryant for leading me through exciting independent work, and Paul Aspinwall for challenging and inspiring classes. The Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Minnesota-Duluth has also been an invaluable part of my undergraduate mathematical career. I would like to thank everyone there who helped me with my research, especially Manjul Bhargava for everything from inspiration to detailed comments on my paper. Finally, I would like to thank Joe Gallian for creating such a top-notch program, inviting me to attend, and supporting all of my mathematical endeavours.
2003
Schafer Prize Winner: Kate Gruher
Kate Gruher is a senior at the University of Chicago. She excelled in the Honours Calculus, Honours Algebra, and Honours Analysis sequences. During the summer after her sophomore year, she participated in the ergodic theory group of the SMALL REU at Williams College.
A paper she co-authored on power weak mixing will appear in the New York Journal of Mathematics for which her "work was crucial" and for which she "provided many of the new ideas." In the summer of 2002, she participated in the highly exclusive Director's Summer Program at the National Security Agency (NSA), at which she contributed "the constructions of families of new examples" which "may improve the efficiency of an algorithm important to NSA." In addition to her classes and research, Kate has graded and run problem sessions for calculus, assisted with New Student Orientation, and worked as a counsellor with the University of Chicago's middle school Young Scholars Program.
Her recommenders say that "Kate has a very special talent for mathematical research and for explaining mathematics to others," and that "she is a true scholar ... she ... has the right aptitude to make a serious long-term contribution to mathematics."
Response from Kate Gruher
I feel greatly honoured to receive the AWM's Alice T Schafer Prize. The AWM provides incredibly important support to women in early stages of their careers as mathematicians and I believe that their vision will help many young women achieve their goals. I feel greatly encouraged in my ambitions by the AWM's support and belief in my abilities. I would like to thank the mathematics department at the University of Chicago for nurturing my love of math, and my classmates and co-researchers for showing me beauty in our work. I would especially like to thank Professor Peter May for nominating me and advising me in many decisions; Professor Paul Sally for his advice and wonderful teaching; and Professor Kevin Corlette for encouraging me to continue studying math at the beginning of my undergraduate career. I would also like to thank Professor Cesar Silva and Dr Elisabeth Pyle for making my summer research projects interesting and successful. Your support and teachings have helped me realise just how exhilarating math can be.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Wei Ho
Wei Ho is a senior at Harvard University. She has taken or is taking graduate algebra, analysis, algebraic topology, and algebraic geometry and "worked on problems in graph theory and combinatorial geometry." She participated in the NSF-sponsored REU at University of Minnesota, Duluth, at which she produced original results in m-step competition numbers of paths and cycles. Her advisor is "confident that her paper will be accepted for publication" in a prestigious journal. She "has already developed... an admirable commitment to mathematical service" which is shown in her assistance with the Harvard/MIT high-school math tournament and Mandelbrot competition, involvement in peer tutoring, and organising women's activities in the Math Club. Her recommenders say that she "has exceptional mathematical talent" and "will likely develop into an excellent research mathematician."
Response from Wei Ho
I am most grateful to the Association for Women in Mathematics for this extraordinary honour and for its role in supporting female mathematicians throughout their careers. Although I am indebted to many people for their encouragement and mathematical inspiration, I would especially like to thank Professor Noam Elkies for his nomination as well as Professor Joseph Gallian for all of his guidance at the Duluth REU. As always, I am grateful to my family and friends for their continual encouragement in mathematics and in life.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Josephine T Yu
Josephine T Yu is a senior at University of California, Davis, She has been working with her VIGRE research advisor since the end of her freshman year and recently coauthored a paper in quantum algebra which is available on the arXiv. Josephine won the UC Davis Spring Mathematics Contest but "never received any training for problem solving skills aimed at winning a contest" and has completed a graduate combinatorics course in which she successfully "competed with some of the smartest graduate students." In addition, Josephine has been President of both the UC Davis Math Club and the local Pi Mu Epsilon chapter, assisted in a third-term Calculus course, and tutored for two years. Her recommenders say that she "is a talented student of mathematics who consistently seeks to dig deeper and reach higher" and "is THE top undergraduate student of her generation here at UC Davis."
Response from Josephine T Yu
I am tremendously honoured to be a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I appreciate AWM for giving the woman mathematicians the much needed encouragement at the beginning of our careers. Knowing that my efforts are recognised, I will strive to achieve further and to contribute something back to the mathematical community. I thank the faculty, staff, and graduate students at the UC Davis math department for giving undergraduate students wonderful education and warm support. I am especially indebted to Professor Motohico Mulase for his guidance and for being the best research mentor. I also thank Professors Abigail Thompson and Evelyn Sitvia for inspiring me to be a math major, Professor Jesus De Loera and all my teachers for the invaluable education. Their confidence in me is always a motivation. I am also grateful to Nancy Davis and Rick West for their support and my friends and family for believing in me.
2004
Schafer Prize Winner: Kimberly Spears
Kimberly Spears is a senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a junior, her "dedication and passion" led her to excel in advanced sequences in abstract algebra and real analysis, courses populated mostly by incoming graduate students. During the following summer she did research with Jeffrey Stopple at UCLA as a participant in the UCLEADS program (Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees). Her project resulted in a generalisation of Gauss's Law of Quadratic Reciprocity to general (nonabelian) groups. Kimberly was "highly motivated and enthusiastic about learning" and "had to master a lot of new material on group representation theory to even understand the question." Kimberly's senior thesis addresses the question of classifying discriminants d with one class per genus. Her proof that assuming a conjecture about the Grand Unitary Ensemble (GUE), no discriminant greater than d66 (the smallest with 66 prime factors) has one class per genus "would satisfy the minimum required for a Ph.D. thesis" at USCB. Kimberly's subsequent presentation in the UCSB Arithmetic and Geometry Seminar left the faculty audience "flabbergasted." "No undergrad had ever given a talk before, much less on original research," and "the breadth of material she has mastered astonished them." Papers on both of Kimberly's research projects will be submitted to journals this fall. Her recommenders also praise Kimberly's "remarkable ability to absorb the highlights and essential concepts of broad areas of mathematics quickly" and write that "Kimberly is without any doubt the best student I have ever seen in my 16-year career."
Response from Kimberly Spears
I am pleased to receive the 2004 Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for encouraging me to continue doing what I love. Every day I have had to do research and learn more math is one that I have enjoyed.
I would like to thank my mentor Jeffrey Stopple who has been crucial to my development into a young mathematician. His dedication and support are indescribable. I would also like to thank William Duke for his mentoring and James McKernan. I would like to thank Sarah Dillingham and the UCLEADS program. Thank you to the mathematics department at UCSB for all their congratulations and support.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Karola Meszaros
Karola Meszaros is a junior mathematics major at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After her first semester of her freshman year at MIT, she embarked on a research project in combinatorics. "In a remarkable tour de force of intricate reasoning," Karola successfully disproved a conjecture, found the correct formulation, and solved the given problem. The result was described as "a worthy Ph.D. thesis." Karola has another paper ready for publication, on Latin squares and a conjecture of Mahdian and Mahmoodian. While writing two papers in her first two years at MIT, Karola Meszaros has also been putting in outstanding performances in several difficult mathematics courses.
Response from Karola Meszaros
I am honoured to be recognised by the AWM as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I am extremely grateful for all the encouragement I have received in exploring the beauties of mathematics. I would like to express my deepest thanks to Professor Richard P Stanley for his support and guidance since my first year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The opportunity of doing mathematical research in the vivacious atmosphere of MIT is of great importance to me, since for me, research represents the most refined charm of mathematics and science in general.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Jennifer Novak
Jennifer Novak is a senior mathematics major at Texas A&M University. Jennifer is the current President of the TAMU Math Club, garnering praise from TAMU professors for her outstanding work in undergraduate as well as graduate math courses. She spent the summer of 2003 in an NSF-sponsored REU on Knot Theory at Williams College. The students' research project was successful, producing a paper predicted to "be of great interest to knot theorists, geometers and topologists." Jennifer was "critical to the success of the paper." Jennifer also won one of the top two awards for her talk on this research at the 2003 MathFest in Boulder. In the summer of 2002 Jennifer Novak participated in an REU/VIGRE program at Texas A&M on mathematical modelling in ecology. Her mentor there remarked that Jennifer rapidly "grasped the heart of the problems" Her nominators describe Jennifer Novak as creative, independent, enthusiastic, and tenacious.
Response from Jennifer Novak
I am pleased and excited to receive the exceptional honour of being named a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. The Association for Women in Mathematics has made phenomenal progress for women in maths by supporting programmes throughout their careers, in the work place and in their personal lives. I am especially grateful for AWM's constant efforts to encourage young female mathematicians by providing them opportunities and recognising their achievements. I would like to give special thanks to Dr Susan Geller for her overabundance of support, encouragement, and guidance throughout college; Dr Colin Adams for showing me the beauty of mathematical research and the possibilities afforded by determination; and Dr Keri Kornelson for going out of her way to help women succeed in mathematics. I would like to thank the entire faculty in the Texas A&M math department for their continuous support and encouragement of undergraduates determined to become mathematicians. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their constant encouragement and assistance in my life.
2005
Schafer Prize Winner: Melody Chan
Melody Chan is a senior at Yale University where she excelled in a wide variety of mathematics courses and was awarded the prestigious Hart Lyman Prize. She has made presentations at the Yale Math Club, earned an honourable mention on the Putnam Competition and is Vice President of the Yale chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Melody also did outstanding work in advanced courses at the Budapest Semester in Mathematics in Hungary.
Melody participated in an REU at East Tennessee State University where she investigated the pebbling number problem. Her approach to the problem was described as "ingenious," and she able to significantly improve on the bounds for the pebbling number of a graph with n vertices. She gave a well-received talk on this work at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in 2003, and her results have been submitted for publication.
In the summer of 2004, Melody participated in an REU at the University of Minnesota at Duluth during which she wrote three professional level papers on the concept of the distinguishing number. In the first paper, she was able to answer a long-standing open question, dating from the paper in which the distinguishing number was introduced. In her subsequent papers, she took a group-theoretic approach to the distinguishing number problem. This work exhibited a mastery of groups acting on sets. Various experts in the field described her papers as "remarkable" and "beautiful work" and a "foundational contribution" to the field that will likely be frequently cited.
Response from Melody Chan
I am truly happy to be able to accept the 2005 Alice T Schafer Prize from the Association for Women in Mathematics. I view this prize as both an honour and a responsibility. The AWM fills an invaluable role in encouraging women to pursue mathematical careers, and I can only hope to contribute to the pursuit of its commendable goals.
So many people deserve my most profound thanks for their support. In particular, I would like to thank Richard Beals and Dana Angluin, two of my professors at Yale without whose guidance and excellent teaching I would be a very different person and mathematician. I would also like to thank Anant Godbole and Joseph Gallian for their wonderful REU programs at East Tennessee State University and at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Finally, I would like to thank my research advisors at Duluth, Melanie Wood and Philip Matchett, who have helped me so much at every stage of the mathematical research process.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Margaret I Doig
Margaret I Doig is a senior honours mathematics major at the University of Notre Dame. Her impressive credentials include being the 2001 Notre Dame high scorer on the Putnam, a year spent at Oxford University being tutored by, among others, number theorist Susan Howson and topologist Wilson Sutherland, and receiving the Goldwater Scholarship.
Margaret's research at the University of Minnesota at Duluth REU during the summer of 2003 resulted in the paper "Maximum Run Length in a Toriodal Grid Graph". She presented this work at the 2004 Joint Mathematics Meetings in Arizona. Next, she spent the summer of 2004 doing research on braid groups with Frank Connolly. Specifically, they worked on the Right Angled Artin Conjecture of Abrams and Ghrist, which they believe they have solved. Margaret made a particularly substantial contribution by developing a crucial technique. This work will result in two papers, one by her alone that will detail the technique, and one coauthored with Connolly. For her senior thesis, supervised by Claudia Polini, Margaret further extends her areas of mathematical expertise to include commutative algebra and algebraic geometry.
Response from Margaret I Doig
I am very grateful to the Association for Women in Mathematics for this honour. The encouragement and care of the organisation are tremendously important, and I hope to be able to make an equivalent return someday. I am thankful to Joe Gallian and the rest of the Duluth REU for teaching me what it means to do maths, and I greatly appreciate the excellent education I have received from the Notre Dame community, especially from Frank Connolly. Not to be overlooked is the contribution of my high school mentors Wright Vermilya and Tom Brieske.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Elena Fuchs
Elena Fuchs is a senior at the University of California at Berkeley. Her coursework, which includes a number of graduate courses, has been called "especially incisive" and "quite clever". Her instructors comment on her advanced mathematical maturity.
During the summer of 2003 Elena attended the Penn State University MASS program. One outcome of her work was a paper coauthored with Paul Baginski on modular invariants of elliptic curves. Her work at the University of Minnesota at Duluth REU during the summer of 2004 resulted in a paper entitled "Longest Induced Cycles in Cayley Graphs," which has been submitted for publication. For her senior thesis, she returns to the impressively complicated topic of elliptic curves. Under the direction of Ken Ribet, she will study endomorphisms of the Jacobian of hyperelliptic curves.
Response from Elena Fuchs
It is a great honour to be selected as runner-up to the Alice Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for the encouragement and recognition they offer young women pursuing maths - this award is only one of the many ways in which it promotes emerging female mathematicians. I am also deeply grateful to Professor Ken Ribet, who has truly inspired me in my research and studies, for his invaluable teaching, as well as his patience and guidance. Thank you to Professor Gallian and everyone at his wonderful Duluth REU, which has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my mathematical career thus far. As always, I want to thank my family and friends for supporting me in all of my endeavours. A special thanks to my father, who has been more than just a mathematical role model to me for many years.
2006
Schafer Prize Winner: Alexandra Ovetsky
Alexandra Ovetsky is a senior at Princeton University. A Goldwater scholar, Ovetsky is also the recipient of the Princeton math department's Andrew H. Brown prize for outstanding research in mathematics as a junior. Her coauthored paper "Surreal Dimensions" has been published in Advances in Applied Mathematics.
In the summer of 2004, Ovetsky participated in the REU program at the University of Minnesota at Duluth. There she wrote a professional-level paper about well-covered graphs, turning the idea around and showing that the property of being not well-covered behaves well under Cartesian products. In the summer of 2005, Ovetsky participated in the Director's Summer Program at the National Security Agency. There she tackled three problems and made significant progress on all three. This work is being published internally at NSA.
For her junior paper at Princeton, Ovetsky proved a result in graph theory, generalising a famous theorem of Claude Shannon from 1948. Ovetsky's theorem relates the chromatic number to the clique number for quasi-line graphs. One recommender reports, "She already has the research capabilities of an advanced graduate student or junior faculty member."
Response from Alexandra Ovetsky
I am greatly honoured to be this year's recipient of the Alice T Schafer prize. I would like to thank the AWM for being such an encouragement to women in mathematics, in particular those at early stages of their careers.
I became passionate about mathematics at a very early age; however I only discovered the true beauty of this subject when I was introduced to mathematical research by Dr Ted Chinburg of the University of Pennsylvania. I would like to thank him for his inspiration and patience in working with an enthusiastic but inexperienced high school student. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Joe Gallian for giving me the opportunity to interact with a group of the nation's top young mathematicians that he gathers at his REU at Duluth, Minnesota. Finally, I would like to thank Maria Chudnovsky, my thesis and junior independent work advisor at Princeton University, for encouraging me to continue working in the field of graph theory and for her excellent guidance of my research endeavours with her. The support of many other faculty members of the Princeton math department has also been invaluable.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Allison Bishop
Allison Bishop is a senior at Princeton University. She is a Goldwater scholar and in 2003 she was the recipient of Princeton's Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence. Bishop's strengths in - and passion for - mathematics are evident in a wide variety of fields, including game theory, classical analysis, number theory, and algebraic geometry. In her coursework and her research endeavours, Bishop's versatility, creativity and tenacity earn high praise. She is described as a natural leader and also a team player.
In Summer 2004, Bishop participated in the REU program at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Her project mentor writes of Bishop's ingenuity as well as her remarkable mathematical sophistication. Allison Bishop's research project used game theory to study the evolution of cooperation; that is, the probability of a single cooperator taking over in a non-cooperating population. This work generalises previous studies, modifying a fixed population to a growing one. At the NSA's Director's Summer Program in Summer 2005, Bishop's performance was again exceptional. Of her project, one advisor writes, "By the midpoint of the summer program, Ms Bishop had demonstrated a solution far better than the project mentor had anticipated."
Bishop's senior thesis at Princeton is an undergraduate mathematics textbook, which aims to introduce readers to the fundamental concept of mathematical proof, while demonstrating the wide variety of mathematical fields, the connections between them, and their applications.
Response from Allison Bishop
I am very honoured to be recognised by the Association for Women in Mathematics. The support and encouragement of female mathematicians has been a crucial element of my positive experiences in mathematics and I am glad that the Association provides such support for other women in the field. In particular, I am greatly indebted to Wendy Hines at the University of Nebraska, as well as Alice Chang, Ingrid Daubechies, and Alina Cojocaru at Princeton University, all of whom have guided me through my mathematical studies and research. I would also like to thank Jamie Radcliffe at the University of Nebraska and Jordon Ellenberg for his wonderful teaching and encouragement in my first semester at Princeton. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my high school calculus teacher, John Kotmel, who first taught me that mathematics could be creative to a degree far beyond my expectations. My mathematical interests came a bit late and unexpectedly in my academic life, but I have been very lucky in having great advisors and fellow students to help me learn and discover mathematics. I am very excited about continuing my studies and pursuing a mathematical career.
2007
Schafer Prize Winner: Ana Caraiani
Ana Caraiani is a senior at Princeton University, and she is already conducting professional-level mathematical research. In the summers of 2005 and 2006, Caraiani participated in the REU program at the University of Minnesota at Duluth. She worked independently on a project on semigroups of rational numbers, related to the 3x + 1 problem. Her work on this problem is highly praised. The resulting paper, "On Wild Semigroups," introduces new ideas that exhibit significant ingenuity.
Caraiani's coursework at Princeton has been remarkable. She has done very well in extremely difficult classes, and is noted for her independence and mathematical sophistication. One professor has said that her work "made you think that it was a professional mathematician who was answering the problems" Another professor rates her among the top undergraduate mathematics majors in fifty years at Princeton.
Caraiani has won the William Lowell Putnam competition twice, scoring among the top five competitors in both her freshman and sophomore years, and is the only woman ever to have done so. The Princeton math department awarded her the Class of 1861 Prize her sophomore year and the Andrew H Brown prize for outstanding juniors. She is expected to become a major mathematical figure and a world class research mathematician.
Response from Ana Caraiani
I am extremely honoured to receive the Alice T Schafer Prize and to be recognised along with so many distinguished women in mathematics. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for inspiring women to excel in math. This award has certainly encouraged me to aim higher and to set new standards for my work in the hope that I would live up to the expectations associated with such an honour.
I would not have made it this far without the support of many people over the last several years. I would first like to thank my math teacher, Liana Manu, for nurturing my interest in math before and throughout high school. I am also very grateful to Joe Gallian for inviting me to his REU in Duluth, finding the best suited problem for me, and for believing in my abilities even more than I did. The Princeton math department has provided the best environment I could have asked for in which to learn math. I am especially grateful to Robert Gunning for introducing me to an amazing new field and letting me share in his enthusiasm for its elegance. I would like to extend my deepest thanks to Andrew Wiles for entrusting me with a senior thesis problem and for all of his support and guidance in approaching it. I am also indebted to John Conway for suggesting an exciting problem for my junior paper and to William Browder for a challenging yet rewarding reading course. There are many other professors at Princeton whose excellent teaching and encouragement have been indispensable and I thank them all.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Tamara Broderick
Tamara Broderick is a senior at Princeton University. A Goldwater scholar, Broderick was awarded the George B Wood Legacy Sophomore Prize for her exceptional achievements during her sophomore year, and the Princeton Class of 1939 Prize at the end of her junior year for achieving the highest standing in all preceding college work at Princeton. She is described by her professors as "one of the very, very best," "extraordinarily talented and intelligent," "bursting with drive, energy and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge."
For her junior paper at Princeton, Broderick developed a mathematical model of animal movement based on radio telemetry data, and she is currently engaged in research on drifting games.
In the summers of her sophomore and junior years, Broderick participated in the Director's Summer Program at the National Security Agency and worked on problems involving crypto-analysis, data mining, combinatorics, statistics and numerical analysis. She quickly emerged as a team leader in each problem she attacked, and as a result she published two internal classified papers each summer at NSA. Being the outstanding problem solver amongst all participants, Broderick was selected, after her first summer at NSA, to represent the United States during the following summer at a student exchange program with the GCHQ, an intelligence and security organisation in the United Kingdom. A correspondent from GCHQ comments that Broderick's work "will no doubt shape further work by GCHQ analysts".
In addition to being an outstanding mathematician, Broderick serves as a leader in numerous math-related activities at Princeton; amongst others she is the current president of the Math Club. Broderick's professors predict she will have an extraordinary career arc in mathematics.
Response from Tamara Broderick
I am honoured and excited to be selected as a Runner-Up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. My thanks go first and foremost to the AWM not only for their recognition but also for their wonderful encouragement of women in mathematics by means of concrete and far-reaching initiatives.
I was lucky enough to have female mathematicians showing me the ropes from the very beginning. My gratitude goes out to my middle school math teacher Ms Vega for seeing early potential, to Ellen Stenson for coming to my high school and giving us a multivariable calculus class, to Ingrid Daubechies for agreeing to be our Princeton Math Club faculty adviser, and to countless other female mentors and role models. I would also like to thank Reza Beigi and Jeanne Stephens for their unfailing encouragement of my pursuit of mathematics though their fields are, respectively, physics and English, Elias Stein for his amazing and beloved analysis series at Princeton, and all of the good mathematics teachers from whom I have had the pleasure of learning. Finally, I am deeply grateful to Robert Schapire for his clear and thoughtful classroom instruction, endless research guidance, and boundless support for this aspiring mathematician.
I've always had the sense that there was something both magical and powerful to mathematics, and I am lucky to have so many people and opportunities to regularly refresh my sense of wonder at the field.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Yaim Cooper
Yaim Cooper is a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her outstanding success in a vast array of both undergraduate and graduate mathematics courses has been augmented by her research at the Louisiana State University and the University of Wisconsin REUs. Cooper's "exceptional vigour and zeal" for mathematics becomes apparent with her achievements.
At the LSU REU, Cooper investigated the Ihara zeta function of a graph. Impressively, under a non-partiteness condition, she gave an elementary proof of a theorem due to Bass and generalised an important example appearing in a doctoral dissertation. She has submitted her results for publication in a major combinatorics journal. Showing her breadth, Cooper's research at the Wisconsin REU focussed on the completely different mathematical area of modular forms. Her REU team was asked to generalise a theorem of Serre on congruence properties of the classical j-function. Led by Cooper they "nicely obtained what is surely the best generalisation." Their significant joint paper is expected to appear in an international number theory journal. Cooper is also active in the undergraduate math club and has started two new lecture series at MIT.
Response from Yaim Cooper
I am honoured to have been selected as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer prize. However much of the recognition should be directed at the people who have helped me along the way. First, I thank my parents, for giving me so many opportunities. I'd like to also thank Professor Lee Stout, who helped me far beyond what was required of him, and helped me learn and love math during my critical high school years. I was lucky to spend two wonderful summers doing math research, and am grateful to Professors Robert Perlis and Ken Ono for giving me a delightful introduction to math research, and the interesting topics they guided me to. I also must thank my peers at both REUs, in particular my coauthors from last summer, Nick Wage and Irena Wang. At MIT, Professor Pavel Etingof has been a wonderful advisor, and I thank Professor Steven Kleiman for introducing me to commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, in such a way that has made me want to learn a lot more of it!
2008
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Galyna Dobrovolska
Galyna Dobrovolska is a senior who is an outstanding mathematics major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her coursework there has been exceptional: she has exhausted the undergraduate offerings in the Mathematics Department while earning the highest possible grade in every class. Dobrovolska is now moving through the graduate mathematics curriculum at MIT with the same success.
Dobrovolska has further distinguished herself through her impressive and original mathematical research. Her research is focused in algebra, and would be considered broad even for a mathematician much further along in their career. Her research in algebraic combinatorics has resulted in a co-authored publication solving the Support Containment Conjecture. This paper resolves a significant open problem, and as such has drawn notice from researchers in the field. Dobrovolska is currently pursuing an active research program in the theory of lower central series quotients of an associative algebra. Here she has, yet again, already obtained impressive theoretical results in confirming a conjecture of Feigin and Shoikhet.
In addition to winning a gold medal at the International Mathematics Olympiad, Dobrovolska won the top prize in 2006 in the Summer Program of Undergraduate Research at MIT. Her ingenious solutions to difficult problems have earned her descriptions as "a star student" and "absolutely outstanding."
Response from Galyna Dobrovolska
I am greatly honoured to be a co-winner of the Alice T Schafer prize this year, and I would like to thank AWM for this honour.
I am thankful to Professor Pavel Etingof for doing research with me and nominating me for this prize. I would like to thank Professor Michael Artin for teaching Algebra so inspirationally and for directing me to do research with Professor Etingof. I would also like to thank Professor Victor Guillemin for his support and advice to continue working on my research this summer. I want to thank Pavlo Pylyavskyy who did research with me during the SPUR program at MIT. I am very thankful to my high school mathematics teacher Mikhail Yakir and his student Maksym Fedorchuk for encouraging me to apply to MIT from Ukraine. I am also grateful to Mikhail Yakir because he taught me mathematics which enabled me to go to the IMO and win a gold medal so that I could come to study to MIT. Finally, I want to thank my parents for their support and patience with me in every stage of my life.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Alison Miller
Alison Miller is a senior at Harvard University and has already published important research in number theory. She was a member of the 2004 United States International Mathematical Olympiad team, and was the first ever U.S. female to win a gold medal at the IMO. She won the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam award for outstanding performance by a woman in the Putnam Competition in 2005 and 2006.
In the summer of 2006, Miller participated in an REU at the University of Wisconsin, where she coauthored two papers on infinite product expansions of modular forms The first of these papers, which answered a deep and difficult question originating in the Fields Medal work of Borcherds, has appeared in the Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society. The second paper, currently in preprint form, is expected to be very influential in this area of number theory.
In the summer of 2007, Miller wrote an independent research paper on the super-pattern problem as part of an REU program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. In this paper she developed a new technique and used it to solve a problem that had been open, and widely discussed, since 2002. Her work has been cited as "the best thing that happened to our field since November 2003."
Response from Alison Miller
I am very honoured to have been chosen as a co-winner of the AWM Schafer Prize. I wish to thank the AWM; not only for this prize, but for everything else they have done to encourage women in their mathematical endeavours.
I have been blessed with many teachers and peers from whom I have learned much, and I would like to thank the many people who have helped me get this far on my mathematical journey. First, my parents, who encouraged my mathematical explorations from the beginning. I also thank my instructors and classmates at the Math Olympiad Program who showed me so much mathematics as a high school student. I thank Joe Gallian for giving me an engaging problem to spend a summer thinking about, and for his ongoing encouragement. I also thank Ken Ono for an unforgettable REU experience from which I learned a lot. I must also thank all my advisors and peers at both REUs, particularly my co-authors at the Madison REU, Carl Erickson and Aaron Pixton. As well, I thank everyone in the Harvard math department for their inspiration and support, and for all I have learned. I am especially indebted to Wilfried Schmid for providing me with a solid base from which to start my mathematical explorations, and to Elizabeth Denne for her encouragement and support.
2009
Schafer Prize Winner: Maria Monks
Maria Monks a junior mathematics major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has already written six research papers; one has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Combinatorial Theory Series A, three have been submitted to leading research journals, and the other two are in nearly final form. On five of these six papers she is the sol author. Her outstanding work is already so widely known in the mathematical research community that she gets invitations to speak at mathematics meetings and in research departments. At the same time, Monks does exceptional work in her classes at MIT and has achieved a perfect grade point average. She has furthermore contributed phenomenal service to the mathematics community, for example by coaching the USA China Girls' Math Olympiad team.
Monks wrote her first research paper while in high school and has since worked on diverse topics in combinatorics and number theory. She has impressed her recommenders with her amazing growth as a research mathematician. One of her projects concerns Freeman Dyson's partition ranks and has earned her such praise as "dramatically beautiful" and "really sensational". A key consequence of her work is a fully combinatorial explanation of the fact that Q(n), the number of partitions of n into distinct parts, is divisible by 4 for almost every n. One of her recommenders writes that this work is "right in the mainstream of a really hot area" and "reveals ... startling insight."
Maria Monks' outstanding research abilities, her exceptional course work and her great leadership in the mathematics community make her this year's winner of the Schafer prize.
Response from Maria Monks
I am very honoured to receive the 2009 Alice T Schafer Prize. I am grateful to the Association for Women in Mathematics for their encouragement and recognition of women in mathematics. Many people have helped make my mathematical journey possible thus far. First and foremost, I thank my father, Ken Monks, for his continual support and encouragement in all of my mathematical endeavours. He opened my eyes to the beauty of mathematics and served as a coach, teacher and mentor throughout my childhood, inspiring me to pursue my love of mathematics to the best of my ability. I am also grateful for the love and support of my mother, Gina Monks, and my brothers, Ken and Keenan Monks, and I am thankful for the countless mathematical discussions and problem-solving sessions that our entire family has had together.
I thank Joe Gallian for nominating me for this prize and for his mentorship at the Duluth REU in the summers of 2007 and 2008. I also thank Ricky Liu, Reid Barton, and Nathan Kaplan for their help, insights, and proofreading of my papers at the Duluth REU. I am grateful for Ken Ono's help and direction during my visit to Madison in the summer of 2008. I also thank Zuming Feng for giving me the opportunity to be a coach of the Girls' Math Olympiad team this year. Finally, thanks to my teachers at MIT for making college a wonderful educational experience so far.
2010
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Hannah Alpert
Hannah Alpert, a junior at the University of Chicago and a Goldwater scholar, approaches mathematics "with great conceptual understanding and a fierce tenacity." Her performance in her classes has been superb. She began her research career even before she started college, co-authoring a paper on topological graph theory. After her first year in college, Alpert attended the Willamette Valley Research Experience for Undergraduates, where her rapid resolution of suggested problems drove her supervisor to present more. Her (co-authored) paper on obstacle numbers of graphs has been accepted; the corresponding poster presentation was awarded an MAA Undergraduate Poster Session prize in 2009.
Alpert spent summer 2009 at the Duluth REU. Remarkably, she has written and submitted for publication three sole-authored papers in three different areas based on her work there. In one, she determined the k-ranking numbers of 3 by n grid graphs, using "innovative" methods that also "give tremendous insight into the general case." She has been invited to present the results of another, on finite phase transitions in countable abelian groups, in a graduate seminar.
Alpert's mentors paint a consistent picture of a remarkably mature young mathematician, one who is a creative problem solver with a "formidable talent." Over and over, she has solved challenging open problems in elegant and fully original ways. One letter writer compares her to a Nobel Prize winner he taught; others describe her as "incredible," "fantastic," and "destined to become a first-rate mathematician."
Response from Hannah Alpert
I would like to thank the AWM for selecting me this year as a co-winner of the Schafer Prize. The award represents the efforts of many advisers who have advocated for me and insisted that all the best opportunities be open to me. Most of all I am grateful to Sarah-Marie Belcastro, for many years of work aggressively supporting my mathematical education. Joe Gallian, Josh Laison, and Paul Sally have also worked hard on my behalf. I am glad their efforts are being recognised in this prize, and I am confident that they will continue to render mathematics careers more and more accessible to young women.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Charmaine Sia
Charmaine Sia is a senior at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she has excelled in both undergraduate and graduate classes. She has a perfect undergraduate transcript. To quote one of her recommenders, "Charmaine absorbs mathematics like a sponge." Another one writes, "I have never seen a student with as voracious an appetite for knowledge."
In addition to her academic performance, Sia is also an expert contest-taker with three bronze medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad and a top 75 ranking in the Putnam Mathematical Competition. In her three years as an undergraduate, Sia has already gained extensive research experience. She has written four papers, two of which are single-authored. Sia has spent the past three summers in undergraduate research programs, starting with SPUR at MIT in 2007, where she won the prize for best research in the program for her work on zero-sum problems in finite group theory. The next summer she participated in the Duluth REU program, where she wrote two papers, one on classifying the orbits of special groups under the Hurwitz action, and the other on game chromatic numbers of products of graphs. Both papers have been published in professional journals. In the summer of 2009, Sia participated in the SMALL research program at Williams College, where she co-authored two papers on knot theory. She was in charge of one of these papers. Her mentor there writes, "Charmaine single-handedly made rigorous the very difficult collection of ideas that we discussed, but as a group understood incompletely. ... she did a better job ... than I could have done myself."
Sia is, in the words of her teachers and mentors, an "astonishing" student who "has distinguished herself in every possible way" and "already a mature mathematician" with "immense potential." She is expected to become an outstanding research mathematician.
Response from Charmaine Sia
I am very honoured to be a co-winner of the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for their invaluable role in encouraging and supporting women in mathematics. I am grateful to several people who have guided, encouraged, and supported me thus far. I would first like to thank my family, who has constantly supported my pursuit of mathematics. I thank my instructors in the Singapore IMO program for nurturing my interest in mathematics. I also thank Hoda Bidkhori, who provided much guidance and encouragement on my first research paper at SPUR. I am especially grateful to Joe Gallian and Colin Adams for their wonderful REU programs in Duluth and Williams College respectively, which gave me the opportunity to interact with other extremely talented mathematics students there. Finally, I would like to thank the many people, in particular the MIT mathematics department, who generously shared their wisdom and knowledge with me, and from whom I benefited immensely.
2011
Citation: Sherry Gong
Sherry Gong is a senior at Harvard University where her performance in her classes has been outstanding. She began with Harvard's famous problem solving class, in which she achieved a score above 100, and since her sophomore year has taken numerous graduate mathematics courses, earning As in all of them. Whether in a class or independently mastering background for a research project, her recommenders were universally amazed by her ability to master sophisticated mathematics rapidly.
Gong has been involved in four different research projects, and is the author or co-author of three papers. She spent summer 2008 at the Duluth REU researching cyclotomic polynomials; her paper was published in the Journal of Number Theory. In 2009 she worked with a group at MIT that did research on computing the dimension of the space of characters of the Lie algebra of Hamiltonian vector fields on a symplectic vector space; their work will be published shortly. She and an economist have published a paper in Integers on congruence conditions characterising primes. Most recently she did research on periodic cyclic cohomology of group algebras of torsion free groups at Vanderbilt.
As a high school student, Gong medalled repeatedly in the International Mathematical Olympiad, winning a gold medal in 2007. After entering college, she returned to the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program as a grader and also served as a grader for the Mathematical Olympiad of Central America and the Caribbean. In 2010 Gong served as one of the coaches for the USA team for the China Girls' Mathematical Olympiad. Five of the eight girls on the team won gold medals, and the head coach describes Gong as "a young lady with a great heart, thoughtful and gentle," who pushed the students with "acute mathematical insights and inspiring personality."
Gong's mentors describe a remarkable young mathematician, exceptionally talented and original, with one commenting she is already "comparable to some of the best mathematical minds I know."
Response from Sherry Gong
I am deeply honoured to be selected to receive Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for inspiring and encouraging women in mathematics. I am grateful to many people who have brought me to this stage mathematically. Thank you to Zuming Feng, for teaching, guiding and encouraging me throughout my high school years. To Dennis Gaitsgory, who has been an amazing teacher and adviser. To Guoliang Yu and Pavel Etingof for guiding me in undergraduate research and sharing with me their penetrating mathematical insights, and in particular, to Joe Gallian who introduced me to the world of mathematical research through his wonderful REU program. I would like to thank the Harvard and MIT mathematics departments for the wisdom and guidance they have shared with me.
Schafer Prize Runner-up: Ruthi Hortsch
Ruthi Hortsch is a senior mathematics major at the University of Michigan, where she has excelled in undergraduate courses and is currently taking second-year graduate mathematics courses. She is a mathematical leader who has served as a peer-tutor, as a course assistant, worked with gifted high school students, and organised a problem solving class.
Hortsch has been involved in three successful mathematics research projects (in addition to doing research in physics). She worked with a group at Michigan on vertex algebras, and their work has recently appeared in the Journal of Algebra. She is in the process of preparing for publication her results from a project in which she solved the problem of describing the de Rham cohomology of a particular exceptional curve as a representation for the automorphism group of that curve. During summer 2010, she solved a challenging problem "initially intended as a possible PhD thesis topic" which drew upon knowledge of number theory, group theory, algebraic geometry, algebraic topology, and complex analysis.
Her recommenders describe her as having "a talent that is already strong," someone who "keeps getting better and better," and predict that she "has an exceptional and brilliant career ahead of her."
Response from: Ruth Hortsch
I am honoured to be the runner-up for the Schafer Prize. Thank you to the AWM for this distinction, and for their hard work and dedication to advancing the work of women in mathematics. My deepest thanks to my family, whose love and encouragement has always supported me.
Many people, particularly at the University of Michigan, have provided me with support and while I cannot name them all, my thanks goes to them. I am particularly grateful to Stephen DeBacker, who instilled in me a passion for mathematics and whose advice and encouragement has been integral these past few years. Thank you to Mike Zieve, whose infectious energy has made working on research with him a joy and whose mathematical insights have given me a deeper understanding, to Bryden Cais, whose advice and guidance have shaped my interests, and Djordje Milicevic, whose teaching and care have encouraged and inspired me.
2012
Citation: Fan Wei
Fan Wei is a senior at MIT, who distinguished herself both by her outstanding coursework and by the excellence and unusually broad range of her research. She has authored or co-authored five upcoming papers in fields as diverse as Number Theory, Combinatorics, Statistics, and Tropical Geometry. She has participated in multiple undergraduate research projects at MIT, and in two summer REU programs Of the latter, the first was at Williams College (Summer 2010), where she co-wrote a paper investigating the properties of Rikuna polynomials. The second one was at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Summer 2011), where she produced two papers: one on a connection between the evacuation of Young tableaux and chip-firing, and the second on tropical properties for general chain graphs. The latter paper is single-authored.
Fan has already presented her results at two conferences: Young Mathematician's Conference, Ohio State University, 2010, and Permutation Patterns, Dartmouth College, 2010. Her work is being described as "elegant," "intricate," "very creative," "quite surprising," and "having stirred up a lot of interest [in the area]." According to her mentors, she is expected to have a very successful career as a research mathematician, because "she learns very quickly" and has "an excellent instinct for seeing what needs to be done and then doing it."
In addition to her varied research projects, her coursework at MIT is absolutely outstanding: she has earned the top grade in 21 advanced mathematics courses, 5 of which were at graduate level. Her MIT instructors describe her as "incredibly bright," "truly outstanding," "one of the best students I have ever had in the course," and "destined to excel."
Aside from her research and coursework, Fan was part of a Meritorious Winner Team for the Mathematical Contest in Modelling (2010), she is a mentor for the Girl's Angle Math Club in Cambridge, and she has served on the board of MIT's Society of Women Engineers.
For her outstanding research abilities, as well as the breadth of her research interests, the excellence of her academic work, and the service she provides to the mathematical community, Fan Wei is the winner of the 2012 Alice T Schafer Prize.
Response from Fan Wei
I am very honored and grateful to receive the Alice T Schafer Prize. It is a great encouragement for me and I would like to thank AWM for providing this award.
First and foremost, I want to thank my parents for their constant love, understanding, and tolerance. My home has always been and will continue to be my motivation. My gratitude goes to my mentor and nominator, Richard Dudley. His meticulous research style is exemplary of the rigor of mathematics and continues to inspire me. I want to thank my first research supervisor, Richard Stanley, for introducing me to the world of mathematical research. Furthermore, I want to express my gratitude to the hosts of UMN REU - Gregg Musiker, Victor Reiner and Pavlo Pylyavskyy - and the hosts of Williams College SMALL REU, especially Allison Pacelli, for providing me with two memorable summers. I am also grateful to the MIT math department, especially Prof Artin, Prof Edelman, and Prof Kim for their great help, patience, and support. Lastly, I want to thank all my friends for giving me a second family. I am lucky to know all of them.
2013
Citation: MurphyKate Montee
MurphyKate Montee is a senior Honours Mathematics Major at University of Notre Dame and a member of its Seminar for Undergraduate Mathematics Research Program. At Notre Dame, Montee has consistently excelled in mathematics classes at both the undergraduate and graduate level and has received numerous merit scholarships rewarding her extraordinary ability and promise.
Montee has participated in multiple undergraduate research projects at Notre Dame and in two summer NSF-REU programs Her time at the Louisiana State University REU led to a co-authored paper on the recursive behaviour of ribbon graph polynomials. The following summer, Montee attended the SMALL program at Williams College, where she produced two papers. The first was a single-authored paper "with lots of clever geometric arguments" predicted to appear in a strong mathematics research journal. The second, "Knot Projections with a Single Multi-Crossing," is hailed by her advisor as "perhaps the best work I have ever done with students", containing results that will have a significant influence on future knot theory research.
Montee's mentors uniformly praise her motivation and "infectious" enthusiasm for the subject, calling her "one of the most mathematically mature students I have ever known" and "exceptionally gifted". Those who have worked with Montee expect that she will have many more "impressive results" and an "amazing career" ahead of her, in part because of her uncanny ability to get right at the heart of a problem.
Response from MurphyKate Montee
I am honoured to be selected as the recipient of the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for offering this award to support young women in mathematics, and the selection committee in particular for choosing me. I am incredibly grateful to so many people for helping me get here; to my family and friends for their constant support, and to the Notre Dame math department, as well as to the REUs at LSU and Williams College. Special thanks to Mr Cliff Wind, for going above and beyond for me in high school; his obvious love of math and brilliant teaching inspired me to pursue a career in mathematics. To Prof Neal Stoltzfus, who mentored me in my first research experience, and who helped me find my own mathematical style. To Prof Colin Adams, whose endless stream of interesting questions is exciting and inspirational, and whose support and encouragement means more to me than I can say. To my advisor, Prof Frank Connolly, who has worked with me since my sophomore year to keep me challenged, and who has always pushed me beyond what I thought myself capable of.
Runner-Up: Yuhou (Susan) Xia
Yuhou (Susan) Xia is a senior at Bryn Mawr College, but has also taken courses at Haverford College, Swarthmore College, and at the University of Pennsylvania. She has won scholarly awards at Bryn Mawr from both the mathematics department and the college. Her recommendation letters call her a "tenacious problem solver", and rave about her exceptional mathematical writing. She is repeatedly lauded for her mathematical maturity, evidenced both by her understanding of deep topics and her clear expositions.
Xia has completed graduate-level coursework at the University of Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing an independent study there for her honour's thesis. Her work in the graduate courses has been "as good as those of the best Ph.D. students in the class", and she is praised for her enthusiasm and excitement for new mathematical ideas.
Xia participated in an REU at Michigan, achieving results on "longstanding and much-studied" problems related to Diophantine equations and complex polynomials. She took on the difficult case where the polynomial is reducible, building up skills from Galois theory to tackle the problem. Her contribution was "at the level of a world-class professional mathematician". The results from her group were termed "major breakthroughs" which will result in articles submitted to high-level research journals.
Response from Yuhou (Susan) Xia
I am deeply honoured to be the runner-up of the 2013 Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank AWM for offering this prize and for its continuous support for women in mathematics. There are many people who helped me along the way during my pursuit of mathematics and I am grateful for them all. I would like to thank three people in particular. I want to thank Professor Mike Zieve, my advisor at the University of Michigan REU, for his meticulous hands-on guidance during the program. He is extremely prolific and efficient as a research mathematician and shows great care for his students. I am also very appreciative of my major advisor, Professor Josh Sabloff, who has always been supportive of my goals and encouraged me through some tough times. Finally, I would like to thank Professor David Harbater. He opened me to many opportunities and also gave me a lot of encouragement and valuable advice by sharing his own experience. I would not be where I am today if it were not for him.
2014
Citation: Sarah Peluse
Sarah Peluse is a senior mathematics major at the University of Chicago. She is hailed by the faculty there as one of the "top 5 undergraduates in 49 years." Peluse transferred to the University of Chicago in 2011 from Lake Forest College, and has gone on to take a rigorous curriculum of advanced mathematics courses. In one reading course, she gave a "seminar-quality presentation at the board" each week, skilfully fielding questions on extensions and applications of the material and discussing current research. She is currently working as a research assistant to a faculty member in the area of model theory. Peluse attended an REU at Williams College, her work there resulted in a talk and poster at the Joint Mathematical Meetings in 2012. She also attended an REU in number theory at Emory University in 2012 and 2013 and was recognised as a "true star". At Emory, she worked on problems concerning lacunary q-series, irreducible representations of SU(n) which have prime power degree, and zeros of Eichler integrals of cusp forms This work has resulted in one published article and others submitted for publication. Peluse is described as having impressive creativity and the capability to obtain deep understanding of sophisticated material on her own. Peluse's recommendation letters praise not only her "impressive talent" but also her motivation, saying that she is a "ferocious worker" who "has a drive ... only observed in a few top people." She is viewed as a "future superstar."
Response from Sarah Peluse
I am greatly honoured to be selected as the winner of the 2014 Schafer Prize. First, I'd like to thank Jan Robinson, my middle school maths teacher, for sparking my love for maths and putting up with me when I'd sneak out of my other classes to talk to her about it. I want to thank every math professor I've taken a course with at Lake Forest College and the University of Chicago for contributing to my education. In particular, I want to thank Ed Packel and Dave Yuen for encouraging me to pursue maths at a higher level and providing outlets to do and discuss maths outside of my courses at Lake Forest. I'm exceedingly grateful to Paul Sally for convincing me to come to the University of Chicago, for his ample advice and encouragement, for always looking out for my best interests, and for his always engaging and challenging classes. I'd also like to thank Maryanthe Malliaris for many good mathematical discussions and for pointing out to me interesting talks and papers. I'm thankful for my experiences at the wonderful REUs I attended at Williams College and Emory University. I would especially like to thank Ken Ono for being a fantastic and tireless advisor who is generous with advice, for creating an amazing environment to do maths in at the Emory REU, and for suggesting interesting problems to work on. Finally, I want to thank my family, my friends, and my teammates for their love and support.
Runner-Up: Morgan Opie
Morgan Opie is currently a senior mathematics major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Opie was home-schooled from a young age and attended a community college in lieu of high school before transferring to UMass Amherst. Once at UMass, Morgan took and excelled in essentially the entire undergraduate and graduate mathematics curriculum.
She has participated in the Undergraduate Summer School at the UCLA logic centre and was an REU student in algebraic geometry at UMass last summer. During her REU, Opie worked on a conjecture concerning the moduli space of stable genus zero curves. Not only did she quickly learn the necessary background to work on the research problem, she in fact found a series of counterexamples to the conjecture. The work has been presented at a conference for young mathematicians and is currently being written up for publication.
Opie's recommenders describe her mathematical abilities as truly impressive and remarkable. She is able to improvise at the board, discover non-standard and exciting solutions to challenging problems, and effectively share her mathematical insights with others. Moreover, they add that Opie is "One of the new emerging leaders in mathematics."
Response from Morgan Opie
It is truly an honour to be the 2014 Alice T Schafer Prize Runner-up. I am grateful to the AWM for advancing women in this field, and in particular for offering the Schafer prize. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge a few of the many individuals who have helped me in my mathematical journey thus far. Firstly, I must thank Professor Jenia Tevelev of the University of Massachusetts. As my teacher and REU mentor, his energetic approach to mathematics, consistent support, and high expectations have been instrumental to my mathematical development. I would also like to thank Professors Eduardo Cattani, Tom Braden, and Richard Ellis of the University of Massachusetts. Their exceptional teaching, insightful explanations, and constant encouragement have motivated me in my quest for mathematical knowledge. I am also grateful to Minxie Zhang and Negash Yusuf, my instructors at Cape Cod Community College, who first inspired me to explore mathematics. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for supporting me in all my endeavours.
2015
Citation: Sheela Devadas
Sheela Devadas is majoring in mathematics at MIT. As a sophomore in high school, Devadas joined a research group for high school students at MIT (PRIMES), where she was assigned a project on Cherednik algebras. As a 15-year-old, she quickly mastered the basics of representation theory, commutative algebra and computer algebra systems In 2011, the Advantage Testing Foundation Math Prize for Girls announced the names of 19 "astonishingly accomplished young women," including Silver Medalist, Sheela Devadas.
After completing her junior year of high school, she began studying at MIT, taking many advanced mathematics courses, including Fourier analysis, arithmetic geometry, discrete mathematics, and graduate-level courses in randomness and computation, representation theory, cryptography and commutative algebra.
Continuing her work in representation theory, she is now coauthor of a paper to appear in the Journal of Commutative Algebra. Her mentors comment that this is an "excellent paper" and her work is at a level far beyond her age. Devadas shows great breadth by also engaging in research in theoretical computer science, specifically homomorphism testing. These results are currently being written for publication. Sheela Devadas, who has the "highest level of imagination and skill" is an "outstanding student" who is "brilliant, and at the same time very hard working, mature, and motivated. This is surely a winning combination." She "has a bright research career ahead of her" and of the "many amazing MIT undergraduates, Sheela is second to none."
Response from Sheela Devadas
I am very honoured by my selection as the winner of the 2015 Schafer Prize. I was first introduced to complex mathematics by Ms Tatyana Finkelstein, my middle school math teacher; she has given me interesting problems to work on, encouraged me to pursue opportunities like the MIT-PRIMES program, and always provided inspiration. I would like to thank the MIT-PRIMES program for enabling me to do research in representation theory in high school and my research mentor Dr Steven Sam for his invaluable teaching and guidance in my first experience with research. I am grateful to my advisor Professor Pavel Etingof for suggesting my PRIMES research project and for his continued guidance, advice, and teaching. At the PROMYS program at BU I was able to listen to the engaging lectures of Professor Glenn Stevens and make a connection with a greater mathematical community. I am grateful to Professor Ronitt Rubinfeld for suggesting and guiding me through research in linearity testing. MIT not only offers wonderful classes, but also provides ample opportunities for undergraduate research. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their support in all my endeavours.
Runner-Up: Samantha Petti
Samantha Petti is a senior mathematics major at Williams College. She is lauded by the faculty for her excellent performance in advanced courses, including a class in upper-level knot theory in her first year. As a student in Tiling Theory, she also served as a teaching assistant for the course. She took a tutorial course in topology in which her weekly presentations "displayed her strong understanding of the material and strong expository skills." Petti participated in the SMALL REU at Williams College. Her group produced two research papers, both expected to be published in strong research journals. She also spent a summer working on research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she worked on an open problem about convergence conditions for the Markov Clustering Algorithm. As a researcher, she was praised for her "originality, confidence, and healthy self-awareness." She has presented her work at MathFest and UnKnot, an undergraduate knot theory conference. She participated in the Budapest Semester in Mathematics and was awarded a 2014 Barry M Goldwater Scholarship.
Petti's recommendation letters tout her communication skills, focus, and enthusiasm. Additionally, she "has the intellectual firepower, the organisational skills and the fire in the belly to do amazingly strong work."
Response from Samantha Petti
I am honoured to be named the Alice T Schafer Prize Runner-up. I would like to thank the AWM for encouraging women to pursue mathematics in many ways, including the offering of this prize. There are many people I need to thank for contributing to my mathematics education and inspiring me to be a researcher. In particular, I would like to thank Professor Adams for sharing his contagious excitement for research and providing me with opportunities to begin research early, Professor Silva for challenging me in several key courses, Dr Ferragut for his valuable research guidance this summer, and Professor Devadoss for advising my senior thesis. Additionally, I am thankful for the entire math faculty at Williams College, who make the department an inviting and exciting place to learn. I would also like to thank the folks at the Summer Math Program at Carleton College for introducing me to a great community of women mathematicians. Finally, I am grateful for all the support provided by my family and friends through the years.
2016
Citation: Mackenzie Simper
Mackenzie Simper is a senior mathematics major at the University at Utah where she received the Calvin Wilcox Scholarship, one of the department's most prestigious scholarships. After a flawless academic performance at Salt Lake Community College, Simper transferred to the University of Utah where she has impressed the faculty as a student "with a stellar academic track record, proven ability to do original mathematical research, [who] is keenly committed to excelling in her mathematical career, and is highly praised as a student and a colleague" with "research ability ... never witnessed before in someone so young."
In just one year, Simper has participated in three research projects: two at an REU at the University of Utah, one of which derives a "surprisingly general model for the equilibrium distribution of the Bak-Sneppens model of evolution." The results will appear in a paper that is currently in preparation. "Given the mathematical depth and the technical difficulty of the problem, this is an extraordinary achievement for a 17-year-old undergraduate student." Simper also participated in a third REU in the Applied Mathematics Department at Brown University, where her performance was "simply amazing." The resulting paper is also in preparation and expected to be submitted to a top dynamics journal. Simper's mentors agree that she is "passionate about mathematics and one of the most creative and advanced undergraduates" with whom they have worked.
Response from Mackenzie Simper
I am honoured to be selected as the winner of the 2016 Alice T Schafer Prize and I would like to thank the AWM for encouraging and supporting women in mathematics. Nothing has contributed more to my success than the many wonderful people who have helped me on my journey, including my amazing family. Kyle Costello at Salt Lake Community College was the first to encourage me to pursue math, for which I am tremendously grateful. I am also grateful to the entire math department at the University of Utah, for creating a welcoming and stimulating environment in which to explore this spectacular subject. I very much appreciate everyone involved in the REU at Brown this past summer, for the great experience and all of the advice. Specifically, I am thankful to John Gemmer, for supervising my project, which was an absolute blast, and Professor Bjӧrn Sandstede, for creating countless opportunities to learn. Finally, I would like to thank Professor Tom Alberts, who was the first to expose me to the fascinating realm of mathematical research and has continually provided guidance and inspiration since then.
Runner-Up: Sarah Tammen
Sarah Tammen is a senior at the University of Georgia where she received the Strahan award, the department's award to honour the outstanding undergraduate mathematics major. She is "incredibly gifted, deeply passionate about mathematics and truly driven to succeed." Her academic performance has been exceptional, including her performance in the graduate-level real and complex analysis courses.
Tammen participated in the SMALL REU program, where she was an "outstanding member" of the SMALL undergraduate research Geometry Group. Her research culminated in a "major theorem" generalising the isoperimetric inequality in Rn with density rp. The resulting paper has been submitted for publication. At the University of Georgia, she is currently preparing a longer version of this for her honours thesis. Her mentors describe her as "a mathematics star in the making." Tammen also participated as a teaching assistant/counsellor in the SIMUW program for motivated high school students at the University of Washington.
Tammen is "very independent and already a remarkably careful and precise mathematician." In addition to her talent from mathematics, she "also has something extra: guts, determination and creativity."
Response from Sarah Tammen
It is an honour to be the Runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I am thankful for all of the teachers and mentors who have helped me to become the mathematician I am today. I am thankful for Ted Shifrin, who told me, "you should be doing challenge problems," after the first week of his multivariable calculus class. I am thankful for Frank Morgan and for his guidance during the SMALL REU. I am thankful for all of the professors who have taught me at UGA, and I am glad to be representing their students as the Schafer Prize Runner-up.
2017
Citation: Hannah Larson
Hannah Larson is a senior mathematics major at Harvard University where she is a Herchel Smith Harvard Undergraduate Science Research Fellow and Barry M Goldwater Scholarship recipient. She has been doing "jaw-dropping" mathematical work since she was a high school student when she won the Davidson Fellowship for her work on fusion categories. At Harvard she has been taking advanced graduate courses such as algebraic geometry where she "sailed through the course; she did all the assignments and did them perfectly" and algebraic curves where she "was at the top of the class."
Larson did research at University of Oregon as a high school student participated in the Number Theory REU at Emory for three summers, and did research at Harvard for one summer. She has published eight papers in a variety of fields: number theory, algebra, combinatorics, and moonshine. Her work in moonshine, for example, was an extension of Borcherds' Fields Medal work. She was able to answer a question posed by Ed Witten. "Her work was completely unexpected ...This reordering is presently a mystery in the math physics community, and it is called the 'Larson Anomaly'."
As her mentors say, "Hannah Larson is a phenomenon. She has been a star for many years, first as a high school student in Oregon...Incredibly, she wrote 5 papers in the summer of 2015... I have never witnessed anything like Hannah's 2015 REU performance." "She is an exceptional student." "She will be a star."
Response from Hannah Larson
I am very honoured to receive the 2017 Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for creating this prize and supporting women in math. I would also like to thank my professors and mentors for their incredible support, without which I would not be here today. I am especially grateful to Professor Victor Ostrik for mentoring my first research project in high school; to Professor Ken Ono for challenging me with interesting problems at his Research Experience for Undergraduates at Emory University and for his years of steadfast support and counsel; and to Professor Joe Harris for his inspiring teaching and advising my senior thesis. I also want to thank my middle school math teacher, Marna Knoer, for sparking my interest in math. Finally, thank you to my family for their love and encouragement, and especially to my older brother and role model, Eric Larson, for always supporting me, mathematically and personally.
Runner-Up: Sarah McClain Fleming
Sarah McClain Fleming is a senior at Williams College. She is active in her department and vice president of the Williams College AWM chapter. She has received a Goldwater Scholarship and the Erastus C Benedict, Class of 1821, Prize in Mathematics that recognises sophomore maths majors. Starting from her first semester at Williams, she "greatly enjoyed studying advanced topics in Mathematics and [her instructors were] delighted to observe, throughout the semester, her talent and passion for both mathematics and physics."
Fleming has "produced an impressive amount of original research in mathematics." She has participated in the SMALL REU at Williams College and REUs at Emory University and the University of Michigan. Fleming "has superb mathematical talent, and approaches problems with great energy and creativity." Her research has focused on a range of algebra topics and as part of these experiences, she has written four papers. Two of these papers are submitted to journals and the two others have been accepted for publication.
Fleming's mentors describe the rich mathematical conversations they have had with her - it is a "tremendous joy to talk to a student with so much drive and passion for mathematics!" They also praise her enthusiasm and understanding. "She is exceptionally strong, talented and passionate about mathematics" and "her potential for a successful research career in mathematics is incredibly high."
2018
Citation: Libby Taylor
Libby Taylor is a senior mathematics major at the Georgia Institute of Technology; she began taking mathematics courses there during high school. Faculty describe her as currently "performing at the level of an exceptional graduate student." She participated along with graduate students in the 2017 AMS Research Community on Crossing Numbers and the 2017 MSRI Graduate Summer School on Soergel Bimodules. Last year she won the Georgia Tech Mathematics Department's Outstanding Junior Award.
Her research track record is substantial; she has collaborated with several groups at Georgia Tech. An advisor describes conversations with her as "almost as if I was taking with a colleague." Taylor with co-authors has submitted six papers and written four preprints on topics including combinatorics, tropical geometry and random graphs. She has presented her results at several conferences, including the 6th Polish Combinatorics Conference, the 2017 Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics, and the 2017 AMS Southeastern Sectional Meeting.
Taylor's mentors are particularly impressed by her "fearless" approach to new material; she is described as one of "the most motivated students I've ever seen," with "staggering potential."
Response from Libby Taylor
I am very honoured to receive the 2018 Alice T Schafer prize, and I would like to thank the AWM for offering this prize and for their continued support of women in mathematics. I would like to express my gratitude to Tom Trotter, who first showed me the beauty of mathematics and made me fall in love with the subject. He has provided me with many opportunities to grow as a mathematician, and his infectious enthusiasm has been a continual inspiration. Without his support and encouragement, I certainly would not have made it as far as I have. I would also like to thank Matt Baker for his mentorship and for the many hours he has spent advising my research, answering questions, and providing valuable advice and encouragement. I owe a good deal to several professors at Georgia Tech - Jen Hom, Joe Rabinoff, and Larry Rolen in particular - who have regularly taken time out of their schedules to discuss math with me and help answer any questions I have had. Great thanks go to Padma Srinivasan for her friendship, support, and boundless enthusiasm for all areas of life; her love of number theory in particular has proved contagious, and she has enriched my life both mathematically and personally. Last, I would like to thank my parents for having been my first math teachers and for having challenged me to achieve all that I was capable of, both in academics and in life.
Runner-Up: Sameera Vemulapalli
Sameera Vemulapalli is a senior mathematics and computer science major at UC Berkeley. She is a relatively recent addition to the math community who has impressed mentors with her passion, talent, focus and motivation. They are amazed "to see how fast she grows while learning thoroughly, excelling in classes, and doing her own research". She is curious, asks deep and sharp questions, and is "exceptional in demonstrating her depth and clarify of understanding through her talks". Her mentors describe how pleasant their meetings are with her: "Advising Sameera on this project has been one of my most fun and productive REU advising experiences."
Last summer she participated in the REU at Emory University. Working with another undergraduate student, she wrote a paper in arithmetic geometry that significantly extends recent work of several authors. The paper is of "superb quality" and " serious professional piece that is expected to appear in a respected journal." This project required Sameera to learn a broad range of background material very quickly - which she did very successfully and with a "relentless in her desire to understand the details of everything".
2019
Citation for Naomi Sweeting, AWM 2019 Schafer Prize Winner
Naomi Sweeting is a senior mathematics and history major at the University of Chicago. At Chicago, she has excelled in both difficult coursework as well as independent research projects. Her mentors at Chicago describe her as a "truly exceptional student, with a promising future ahead of her." She has already been the recipient of many awards, including the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship and a First Prize the International Mathematics Competition.
Last summer, Sweeting participated in an REU at Emory University, where she conducted research with other undergraduates in number theory resulting in three excellent publications. On these projects she quickly emerged amongst her peers as an exceptionally gifted mathematician. One of her mentors describes being dazzled by her "depth, vision and sheer computational skill," and believes that one day she "will emerge as a world leading mathematician."
Citation for Danielle Wang, AWM 2019 Schafer Prize Runner-Up
Danielle Wang is a senior math major at MIT. She has excelled in many demanding classes, written four impressive papers and has a strong record both as a participant in math competitions and helping support the next generation of students. Faculty members who have worked with her are enthusiastic about her potential, stating "I believe she will have an excellent career as a research mathematician and bring added prestige to the (Schafer) prize." Faculty who have taught graduate classes Danielle has taken describe her comfort with complicated and abstract ideas and the clarity of her solutions. They describe her as combining "world-class problem-solving skills with determination and effort." Danielle has also been very successful on the Putnam exam including winning the Elizabeth William Lowell Putnam Prize for her performance on the Putnam Exam in 2015. She has also been a teaching assistant at the Math Olympiad Summer Program.
Danielle has participated in the REUs at Emory University and the University of Minnesota at Duluth. Her mentors in both programs describe her results with great enthusiasm, noting her "work is at the level of an advanced PhD student at a top school." In some of her papers, Danielle has resolved conjectures in the literature and identified new conjectures that are likely to draw attention on their own. In other papers, she has successfully mastered and applied technically demanding new approaches. Reflecting this breath of skills, faculty who have worked with her describe her as having "the tools to become a star mathematician."
2020
Citation for Natalia Pacheco-Tallaj, AWM 2020 Schafer Prize Winner:
Natalia Pacheco-Tallaj is a senior math major at Harvard University. She had her first experience with research as a high school student and as an undergraduate she has participated in REUs at the University of Michigan and Williams College. Through these experiences she has three papers accepted or published in peer-reviewed journals and another that will be submitted soon. Three of these papers have focused on knot theory and they are expected to inspire future research and be amenable to generalisations.
In addition to her research skills, Pacheco-Tallaj has excelled in course work and independent reading with mentors. She started taking graduate classes last year and is currently enrolled in the Kan seminar at MIT. Pacheco-Tallaj's mentors describe her as "exceptionally smart, able to absorb difficult mathematics quickly on the fly, and incredibly committed and enthusiastic." They are delighted by her intellectual curiosity. Her enthusiasm for research has helped move her research groups forward, and her commitment to grappling with challenging material means her meetings with mentors become opportunities for both her and her mentor to learn from each other.
Pacheco-Tallaj has been an exciting and inspirational member of the mathematically communities she is part of. Mentors describe her enthusiasm for research and learning as "contagious". She is present in her department "all the time, collaborating on problems, and helping people who are stuck." They predict she will be wonderful addition to whatever mathematical community she chooses to join.
Citation for Yuhan (Michelle) Jiang, AWM 2020 Schafer Prize Runner-Up:
Yuhan (Michelle) Jiang is a senior mathematics major at the University of California Berkeley. At Berkeley, she has excelled in her coursework, which includes many graduate-level mathematics classes as well as courses in computer science, statistics and economics. Faculty members state that "breadth of Yuhan's interests and the depth of her understanding is really quite remarkable."
In addition to her coursework, Jiang has also pursued a number of research projects. Her contributions in the algebraic geometry of singular plane curves at Berkeley led to an invitation to spend the summer conducting research at MPI Leipzig. She is also conducting research in algebraic combinatorics and representation theory. Her mentors describe her as a "phenomenal talent who has a very bright research career in mathematics ahead of her."
2021
Citation for Elena Kim, AWM 2021 Schafer Prize Winner:
Elena Kim is a senior math major at Pomona College. She has excelled in all of her mathematics courses and received the top Pomona mathematics prize in every year that she has been a student at the College.
Kim has also made important contributions to research, and she has three accepted or published papers. She participated in the SMALL REU at Williams college where she worked on two projects, one related to the Erdös distance problem as well as an investigation in additive combinatorics. Both of these papers have led to papers that have been submitted. Kim also participated in an REU in Mathematical Analysis at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2019, where she worked on estimates on the Kohn Laplacian on CR manifolds. For her senior thesis at Pomona, Kim is working on a project studying generalised Frobenius norms, and she has already made significant progress that will lead to another publication.
Kim has also participated in outreach and teaching activities, including helping to mentor middle schoolers in a summer mathematics camp during her REU in Michigan. She has also served as a TA, grader and mentor at Pomona for several mathematics courses. Kim's mentors believe that she will have great success in a mathematical career, stating that she "keeps us on our toes" and "compares favourably to the best students I have seen in terms of independence, creativity, and motivation."
Response from Kim
I am extremely honoured to have been selected as the recipient of this prize and would like to thank the AWM for all they do to support women in mathematics.
I would like to thank all my professors at the Pomona math department, as well as those at Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna. I am especially thankful to Professor Stephan Garcia for believing in me, mentoring me, and fostering my love of analysis. I would also like to thank Professor Yunus Zeytuncu from University of Michigan-Dearborn for all his support and helping me gain confidence as a mathematician. I am extremely grateful for Professors Steven J. Miller and Eyviandur Palsson for their invaluable mentorship at the SMALL REU. Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, and teammates for all their support and my peers at Pomona and Harvey Mudd for their work in creating inclusive, collaborative environments that have undoubtedly led to my success.
Citation for Eunice Sukarto, AWM 2021 Schafer Prize Runner-Up:
Eunice Sukarto is a senior Mathematics and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science major at the University of California, Berkeley. In her three and half years at Berkeley she has taken a wide variety of classes. These include many graduate classes focusing on topology and algebra. Her instructors describe her as careful, curious, persistent and welcoming challenges. She has the enviable ability to learn deeply from confusions and mistakes.
To complement her course work, Eunice has worked on three research projects, a senior thesis and computer science internships. These research projects have explored different mathematical areas and have had very different structures. Eunice worked on a project in computational algebraic geometry with a research mentor and this lead to a more independent project in geometric complexity theory. She has worked with a small group of collaborators through the AIM UP program on a project studying parking functions. Her current project is her senior thesis which concerns homotopy theory and geometric representation theory. Eunice has thrived in all of these settings and projects and currently has a published paper and two more preprints on the arXiv. Her research mentors praise her energy, enthusiasm, imagination and originality. They describe her as a delight to collaborate with because of these qualities and because she makes space for everyone in her research team.
Response from Sukarto
It's an honour to be selected as runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize and I would like to thank the AWM for supporting women in math. I am really grateful to Prof Bernd Sturmfels for the many learning opportunities, Prof David Nadler for his patience and support in supervising my senior thesis, and Prof Alexander Givental for a whole year of algebraic topology. I wish to thank Laura Colmenarejo and the wonderful AIM UP team for fostering a fun and collaborative environment. I am thankful to Anna Seigal, Holly Mandel, and Prof Ralph Morrison for mentoring me on the cubic surfaces project, and Lauren Heller for her kindness (and for letting me crash into her office hours). I would also like to thank my major advisor, Jennifer Sixt, for initiating meaningful connections. I am truly indebted to Berkeley's math department where I first encountered the beauty of the subject, and to all my professors, mentors, and friends who have been sources of guidance and inspiration throughout my journey. I thank Lia for both mathematical and emotional support. Finally, I am grateful towards my family for always having my back no matter what.
2022
Citation for (Carina) Letong Hong, AWM 2022 Schafer Prize Winner
(Carina) Letong Hong is a junior mathematics and physics major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has contributed to REUs at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Virginia in addition to research projects at MIT and the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, leading to three articles accepted for publication and numerous others submitted or in preparation. She has already taken extensive graduate mathematics courses, receiving the highest possible grades in each, and plans to graduate in Spring 2022 after 3 years at MIT.
Hong already has an impressive track record of completed research in many areas, including stack-sorting algorithms, pattern avoidance in inversion sequences, the Monstrous Moonshine Conjecture, L-functions of modular elliptic curves and K3 surfaces, and Markov chains on edge colourings of bipartite graphs; Hong's research addressed open questions posed by top mathematicians in their respective fields. Her mentors describe her as "headed to be a superstar in mathematical research," "driven and overflowing with enthusiasm," and "extraordinarily active on both the research side and the broader community-building side." Hong recently received the Emerging Leader Award and Community Building Award at MIT, where she is the President of the Undergraduate Mathematics Association and the Advocacy and Outreach Chair of the First Generation and Low Income Students Coalition.
Response from Hong
It is an honour to have been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Alice T Schafer Prize and I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Association for Women in Mathematics for their efforts in supporting young women mathematicians.
My experience has been shaped by the intellectually challenging and engaging academic environment that the MIT Mathematics Department fosters. I am especially grateful to my nominator and advisor Professor Pavel Etingof for his tremendous kind help. I am thankful to Professor Scott Sheffield and Professor Wei Zhang for their recommendation, teaching, and mentorship. I thank Professor Gigliola Staffilani and Professor David Vogan for important conversations that solidify my intention to be an academic.
I am extremely thankful to Professor Ken Ono for helping me realize my potential. He pushes my growth as a researcher not only at the University of Virginia REU but throughout my undergraduate career. I am deeply grateful to Professor Joseph Gallian for his dedication over years to make the University of Minnesota Duluth REU a warm, belonging, and supportive family; in my utopia I hope to prove many conjectures with this family.
Furthermore I would like to thank Professor Daniel Shapiro at the Ross Mathematics Program, Dr Simon Rubinstein-Salzedo at the Stanford University Mathematics Camp, and Dr Istvan Miklos and faculties at the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics for stimulating my early sparks in advanced math.
Finally, I thank my family and especially my mother for their unconditional love.
Citation for Faye Jackson, AWM 2022 Schafer Prize Runner-Up
Faye Jackson is a maths major at the University of Michigan. She excels in course work, in research, and in community engagement both within her department and in the broader Ann Arbor and surrounding areas. Her mentors and professors describe her as enthusiastically engaged in the classroom and an eager, insightful learner. Her instructors consistently describe Faye as a top-achieving student, even as an undergraduate in PhD-level courses, and as "dedicated and passionate ... a clear-thinking, creative, and effective problem solver." In addition to research at the Lab of Geometry at Michigan, she participated in the SMALL REU where she worked on research questions on four distinct projects (Zeckendorf decompositions, Discrete Erdös Distance Problems, Random Matrix Theory, and More Sums Than Differences sets) and is now a co-author on six papers. (Three already on the arXiv and three more to come!)
In addition to these exceptionally strong academic accomplishments, Faye has been an essential and incredibly reliable presence in the outreach programs of the University of Michigan Mathematics Department. She has participated in Math Mondays in Ypsi, Super Saturdays, the Michigan Math Circle, and the new Math Corps in Ann Arbor. In class, research, and outreach she makes significant contributions that delight all of her mentors, and they also seriously appreciate her ability to make space for other people to contribute. With middle school and high school students this takes the form of working "well with students of all backgrounds, abilities and interests, and help(s) make sure everyone was heard and had something to work on that fit their strengths". With her peers this becomes sharing her ideas freely to help spark lively discussion.
Response from Jackson
I want to sincerely thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for selecting me as the runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Mathematics Prize. More directly, I want to thank all of my mentors and professors - in particular Stephen DeBacker, Sarah Koch, Steven J Miller, and Jenny Wilson - who have provided me with so many opportunities for learning new mathematics, research, and contributing to the mathematical community and who have given me so much advice. I also want to thank my co-researchers from the SMALL REU as well as my classmates at the University of Michigan who have been such amazing collaborators and friends. Many of my qualities which were specifically pointed out in the citation do not just come from me as an individual. Instead, they are the result of talented and caring mentors combined with a vibrant and accepting mathematical community at the University of Michigan as well as the SMALL REU. I hope to channel the renewed energy and confidence that winning this award brings me back into my work, into my students, and into my outreach. One of the great lessons that my mentors have taught me is that when you do well you should share that success - both through appropriate thanks and pouring energy into your peers, students, and yes even your mentors. My goal is not just to do great things mathematically and in outreach. I am not sure I am equipped to do either alone. However, I can enable those around me to do greater things together than I ever could.
2023
Citation for Faye Jackson, AWM 2023 Schafer Prize Winner
Faye Jackson is a maths major at the University of Michigan. She has made impressive contributions in research, course work and engagement with her community. In Summer 2021 she participated in the SMALL REU at Williams College and played a major role in four different research projects. This work led to one published paper, one accepted paper, three submitted preprints and two papers in preparation. Her mentor praises her creativity, generosity and the clarity of her exposition. In Summer 2022 she participated in the REU at the University of Virginia and co-authored two submitted papers. Her mentor praised the beauty of her work and her impressive contributions to the life of the community.
Faye's instructors are similarly enthusiastic about her abilities and enthusiasm, and they describe her as a delight to have in class who helps spark important discussions. They are particularly excited about her contributions to outreach, and they describe her as a talented teacher for the Math Mondays in Ypsi, Super Saturday and Math Corps programs
Response from Jackson
First of all, it is a great honour to have been selected for the Alice T Schafer Prize and I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for sponsoring this award and for supporting women mathematicians. The mathematical community at the University of Michigan has influenced my understanding of mathematics as well as what it means to be a mathematician more deeply than I can express with words. The vibrancy, inclusivity, and collaborative spirit which characterises the community there has made my past four years incredible. This is in no small part due to a few key professors. I am quite blessed to know Professors Sarah Koch and Stephen DeBacker, who have moulded that community by pouring their souls into it. Their passion for teaching and outreach is constantly inspiring. They have also been incredible mentors to me in both my finest and my worst moments. I would not be where I am without them. Sarah Koch's dynamism in particular sparks my excitement for mathematics whenever I am around her, and Stephen DeBacker provides me with the space and the resources to pursue whatever idea I have towards improving the department community. I would also like to thank Professor Jenny Wilson, who fostered my love of algebraic topology during an especially difficult academic year over Zoom. Her clear teaching style and love for the subject was not hampered in the slightest by these conditions. I am deeply grateful for Professor Steven J Miller, who has been a key mentor for me since I attended the SMALL REU in 2021. He is so deeply dedicated to his students that it astounds me, and he has pushed me to show the same dedication to my students and also to my work. As I constantly tell him, his advice is invaluable. Furthermore, the REU showed me how incredible mathematical research can be, and I would like to thank the entire cohort of the SMALL 2021 REU. I would also like to thank Professor Ken Ono for showing me the beauty of number theory. Through the University of Virginia REU I grew immensely as a researcher, and developed an appreciation for a field of mathematics which had previously been foreign to me. I would like to thank my cohort at the Virginia REU as well. I would specifically like to thank my coauthor Misheel Otgonbayar, whose brilliance and kindness continually astounded me throughout the program, and who made me laugh more times than I could count. I would also like to thank my roommate Catherine Cossaboom, who provided me with invaluable support whenever I was at my wit's end with my research or when I was struggling personally.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for their love and support throughout my college career. Specifically, my mother's sense of service has extended to my passion for outreach, and I would not be who I am without her. Likewise, my father's dedication to his work and to other people always astounds me. I would also like to thank my partner, Cassandra Prokopowicz, for supporting me for the past four years. Whether I am on top of the mountain after conquering a problem or at the bottom of it after falling from the cliffs, she has always been there for me, and that has allowed me to achieve so much.
Citation for Anqi Li, AWM 2023 Schafer Prize Runner-Up
Anqi Li is a math major at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has participated in three summer research experiences. The first was the NYC Discrete Math REU at Baruch College, City University of New York. In that summer she wrote a paper that has been accepted by the European Journal of Combinatorics. In Summer 2021 she participated in the MIT Math Summer Program in Undergraduate Research and co authored a paper her mentor describes as remarkable work. This paper was recognised as the top project from the summer program. In Summer 2022, Anqi participated in the REU at the University of Minnesota Duluth leading to three more papers in preparation. In addition to these summer projects, Anqi has sought out research experiences during the academic year and has two current projects with faculty at MIT.
Anqi's mentors praise her for deeply understanding challenging material, for asking insightful questions and for a willingness to try anything. They describe working with her as like working with an advanced graduate student.
Response from Li
It is an honour to be recognised by the Association for Women in Mathematics for the Alice T Schafer prize. I would like to thank the Association for their support of early career women researchers and their important work in promoting gender representation in mathematics.
I am deeply grateful for the guidance of my mentors, who have shaped me into the student and researcher I am today. I would like to start by thanking Prof Yufei Zhao for his unwavering guidance throughout my mathematics journey at MIT and his many insights into academia and beyond. I am also sincerely grateful for the opportunity to work under the patient mentorship of Prof Lisa Sauermann, who has been one of my biggest role models as a woman mathematician. I also draw deep inspiration from the fruitful conversations I have had with my research collaborators and professors, and in particular thank Prof Dor Minzer for our many intellectually stimulating discussions and his influence on my current research directions.
I also extend my gratitude to the numerous other faculty I have interacted with over the years, including Prof Henry Cohn and Prof Davesh Maulik, as well as my postdoc and graduate student collaborators who constantly inspire me to reach greater heights. I am also thankful for opportunities through the CUNY Baruch Combinatorics REU, MIT Summer Program in Undergraduate Research+ (SPUR+) and University of Minnesota Duluth REU, which were instrumental in shaping my research interests in combinatorics. I would especially like to acknowledge Prof Adam Sheffer for getting me started on my university research journey.
Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my loved ones, whose unconditional support motivates me every day.
2024
Zoë Batterman, 2024 AWM Schafer Prize Winner
Zoë Batterman is a mathematics major at Pomona College. She has participated in two summer research experiences. In Summer 2022, she participated in the PRiME REU at Pomona College. Her mentor praised her knowledge and ability to ask questions and write up rigorous proofs of her conjectures. In Summer 2023, she participated in the SMALL REU at Williams College. She was a key contributor to 3 research projects, which led to four preprints with two more papers in preparation. Her mentor complimented the quality of her work, which has attracted the attention of experts in the area. In addition to these summer projects, Zoë has sought out research experiences during the academic year and has a paper in preparation with faculty at Pomona College. Zoë has received multiple scholarships and awards and received Honourable Mention for Outstanding Poster at MAA MathFest and won an Award for Outstanding Poster, MAA SoCal-Nevada Section. She has been named a Goldwater Scholar and a Pomona College Scholar.
Zoë's mentors are very enthusiastic about her potential and skills in mathematics. Beyond her ability to produce excellent research, they spoke highly of her presentation skills and aptitude for learning mathematics at a graduate level.
Response from Batterman
It is an honour to be selected for the Alice T Schafer Mathematics Prize. I am grateful to those who continue to recognise and encourage young women in mathematics through this award.
I would like to thank the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Pomona College; in particular, I would like to thank Professor Shahriar Shahriari, for exposing me to proof-based mathematics through 1-2-1 Math at Pomona College, a program I participated in the summer before my first year of college. I am also grateful to Professor Konrad Aguilar for taking me under his wing and for giving me my first research project. Under his guidance, I saw the excitement and creativity of conducting research. I would also like to thank Stephan R Garcia for supporting me to present my work at conferences.
I am also grateful for the opportunity to conduct research at REUs. I would like to thank my nominator Professor Edray H Goins for putting the utmost care into fostering a diverse community through the Pomona Research in Mathematics Experience (PRiME). I cannot express my gratitude in words for his phenomenal attention to detail in mentoring, training, and advising me in all aspects of my mathematics career. I thank Professors Renee Bell and Alex Barrios for their warm and generous conversations and mentorship. I am deeply grateful to SMALL which made my research experience fun and rewarding. In particular, I thank Professor Steven J Miller of Williams College who gave me the freedom to grow as a researcher. The immense dedication he has for giving opportunities to his students impresses me beyond words.
And most importantly, I thank my parents, Dr Michael Batterman and Dr Veronique Day, for their unwavering love and support.
(Arianna) Meenakshi McNamara, 2024 AWM Schafer Prize Winner
Arianna Meenakshi McNamara is a mathematics and physics major (with honours in both) at Purdue University. She has carried out research in graph theory at Purdue and has participated in REUs in topology and discrete math at Carnegie Mellon University and in mathematical physics at Louisiana State University. Meenakshi is interested in a variety of mathematical research topics including quantum graphs, operator algebras, and topology. Her research work led to two papers that are already published and several in-prep works. Her work was described as strong and independent by all of her mentors, and she received numerous awards for her scholarship, including a Goldwater Scholarship, an Astronaut Scholarship, and a National Merit Scholarship. She has also presented her research at various national conferences and seminars.
Meenakshi has also excelled in undergraduate honours courses as well as graduate core and advanced topics courses in mathematics and physics, on topics such as analytic number theory and category theory. Her mentors praised her curiosity and maturity in mathematical research and some mentioned that working with her broadened their own research goals. In addition, Meenakshi has made significant contributions to the mathematical community, through leadership roles in her AWM and Women in Physics chapters, and through starting a mentoring program as president of the Purdue Math Club.
Response from McNamara
I am extremely honoured to have been selected as a recipient of this prize, and I would like to thank the AWM for their support and for their work to support all women in mathematics.
The support and encouragement that I have found at Purdue has played a huge role in shaping me into the person I am today, and would like to thank all of the mentors who have supported me. I am especially grateful to Professor Rolando de Santiago for introducing me to the world of mathematical research and for believing in me and mentoring me as I have grown as a mathematician. He has been the best possible mentor I could have asked for and I would not be where I am today without him. I would also like to thank Professors Caviglia, Fischbach and Jung in the math and physics departments as well as the entire operator algebras group at Purdue for supporting and mentoring me as I have explored different areas of research.
I am also extremely grateful to Professor Florian Frick at Carnegie Mellon University for his invaluable mentorship, encouraging me to achieve my potential, and making the CMU REU into a welcoming and supportive community. This REU showed me how incredible collaborating on math research can be, and I am also thankful to my other mentors and collaborators at CMU who are all brilliant and made the experience so amazing. Additionally, I am deeply thankful to Professor Parampreet Singh at Louisianna State University for supporting my growth in mathematics through physics, and for further encouraging me to go for my dreams.
Further, I would like to thank Professor Csaba Biro at the University of Louisville and Dr Scott Bagley for supporting my early sparks of interest in mathematics and encouraging me to double major in math in college.
Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family who have supported and loved me throughout my life, and my partner Cameron who has been there for me through all my ups and downs in college.
Mattie Ji, 2024 AWM Schafer Prize Runner-up
Mattie Ji is a senior at Brown University majoring in Mathematics-Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. She has participated in several REUs where she has displayed her natural aptitude for algebraic geometry and topology. Mattie has an extremely wide knowledge base, allowing her to significantly contribute to several different projects, including an investigation into the relationship between the concepts of Euler characteristic transform (ECT) and smooth ECT, fake projective planes, and the study of a class of conic bundle three-folds.
She has a keen interest in coding complex problems and has a fantastic repository set up on GitHub displaying her work. She is consistently described as an outstanding student with the initiative to develop her knowledge and understanding and has an infectious passion for mathematics, with a remarkable record of co-authored papers and conference presentations.
Response from Ji
First of all, it is a great honour to be recognised as the runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for promoting underrepresented genders in mathematics.
I am deeply grateful to Professor Nicole Looper, who encouraged me to stay in her modern algebra class and motivated my decision to pursue mathematics. I am also incredibly thankful to Professor Lena Ji, who selected me as her first REU student at the University of Michigan and fostered my interests in algebraic geometry. They are my two biggest role models for women in mathematics.
I am indebted to Professor Lev Borisov, who believed in my potential and ability to do research in fake projective planes at the DIMACS REU while I struggled with personal hardships. I would also like to thank Professor Kun Meng, who introduced me to topological data analysis, gave me immense freedom in research, and had made a profound influence on my current research directions.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Professor Richard Schwartz and Professor Thomas Goodwillie, who have both been amazing mentors to me. Professor Schwartz's passion in undergraduate advising is only rivalled by his depth of mathematical knowledge. Professor Goodwillie has helped me to overcome my fear of algebraic topology and supervised my exploration of many mathematical topics.
Outside of academics, I want to thank my friends for their warmest support in my worst and best days, especially to everyone who knows what happened.
Finally, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Cassie Ding for making a profound impact on my mathematical journey, encouraging me to come out, and so much more. I would not be anywhere near where I am today without your support. Thank you.
2025
tahda queer, 2025 AWM Schafer Prize
Citation
tahda queer is a mathematics and Thomas Hunter Honours Program (THHP) interdisciplinary major at City University of New York (CUNY), and they have keen interests in discrete mathematics and probability theory. Although having endured many personal struggles, tahda has shown extreme resilience and determination in their journey through mathematics, thriving and succeeding in many of their endeavours. tahda has been awarded many scholarships, including the Goldwater Scholarship and the oSTEM Undergraduate Scholarship. Their first paper, resulting from the UCSB Math REU, is published by the Journal of Applied and Computational Topology. tahda then studied integer partitions through the Queens Experience in Discrete Mathematics (QED), an academic-year REU at CUNY. In 2023, tahda was a participant of SUAMI at CMU, where they disproved a published conjecture and delivered more original results in extremal combinatorics with their collaborators. In spring 2024, tahda started working on an ongoing biology-inspired probability project at Baruch College, and in summer 2024, contributed to research in lattice theory at NYC Discrete Math REU. In addition to their strong publication record, tahda has given an impressive number of presentations at conferences such as the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) MATHFest and the Spectra Survey of Mathematics Conference.
As well as their academic achievements, tahda is praised for their ability to work with others and their drive to help their community. This is particularly evident in their efforts organising the NSF-funded Online Undergraduate Resource Fair for the Advancement and Alliance for Marginalized Mathematicians (OURFA2M2).
Response from queer
The land we occupy is stolen through ongoing colonisation and genocides, and I want to first acknowledge that everything we do on this land, including maths, is part of the story. If you haven't yet, please learn more and support Indigenous peoples by visiting Native-Land.ca and the inspiring IndigenousMathematicians.org!
I am grateful for the recognition from those who strive for a more equitable mathematical community at AWM. I have so many thank-yous to say, from all the sanitary workers to kino the cat (featured in the profile photo). I'd like to start by thanking the amazing people at Food not Bombs, the Ali Forney Center, Callen Lorde Community Health Center, the Door, and the Hetrick Martin Institute, who offered free food, housing, medical care, legal assistance, and emotional support to me and many others in need. I also want to express my gratitude to my mentors and peers at City As High School and New York Math Circle. Special thanks to Dr Adam Sheffer, who ignited my passion for maths research when I was an undocumented youth in 2020, and continues to offer me unwavering support at CUNY today.
Thank you to all of my research advisors and collaborators, especially Dr Fedor Manin, Dr Juergen Kritschgau, Dr Subash Shankar, Dr Matthew Junge, and Dr Anna Pun - you have made my research journey full of joy and wonder. I also want to thank Dr Ian Blecher, Dr Vincent Martinez, Dr Robert Thompson, Dr Barry Cherkas, Dr Tatyanna Khodorovskiy, Dr Ara Basmajian, Dr Stephen Lassonde, Dr Saad Mneimneh and Chanel the guinea pig at Hunter College for the ongoing support. My eternal gratitude goes to Dr Rishi Nath, who mentored me at QED (an extremely supportive academic year REU) and taught me what it means to be a mathematician in the time of genocides.
The people featured in the Just Mathematics Collective and Meet a Mathematicians have been a source of inspiration. Similarly, being a part of the OURFA2M2 community has been one of the best experiences of my math journey. Thank you for the encouragement: Dr ila varma, Dr Siddhi Krishna, Dr Zoe Wellner, Dr Jinyoung Park, Dr Omayra Ortega, Dr Selvi kara, Dr silviana amethyst, Dr Pamela E Harris, Dr federico ardila, Dr Silvia Ghinassi, Dr Catherine Cannizzo, Dr Emily Riehl, Dr Justin Solomon, Dr Renee Bell, Dr Pablo Soberón, Dr Johanna Franklin and the emotional support chickens at the NYC Discrete Math REU. Thank you to all of my friends who reminded me that I belong, including Ilani and Meenakshi, who have also been recognised by the Schafer Prize.
Last but not least, I want to thank all of my chosen family - the love from you all makes me feel like the luckiest person in the world. Especially, thank you, mumin, for sharing my life for the past ten years.
Marie-Hélène Tomé, 2025 AWM Schafer Prize
Citation
Marie-Hélène Tomé is a mathematics major at Duke University interested in number theory and algebraic geometry. Through her participation in numerous research experiences, she has built an impressive body of work, including a solo paper published in the Journal of Number Theory. Her mentors praise her intuition, describing her as a fast learner and a deep thinker. They have indicated that she is already producing work at the level of a strong Ph.D. student and believe she will become a leading researcher. She has received numerous awards for her scholarship, including a Goldwater Scholarship and a National Merit Scholarship.
In addition to her mathematical abilities, her mentors commend her commitment to serving the mathematical community. Her contributions include volunteering in math circles, TAing for several courses, and serving on various STEM clubs on campus.
Response from Tomé
I am honoured and humbled to have been selected as a recipient of the Alice T Schafer prize. I would like to thank the AWM for their work supporting women in mathematics.
I would like to thank the Department of Mathematics at Duke University for nurturing me and my professors who have helped me grow into the person I am today. I would like to thank my nominator Professor Samit Dasgupta for believing in me. I am grateful for the mentorship of Professor Lillian Pierce who showed me the beauty of number theory and geometry. I am grateful to Professor Kirsten Wickelgren for encouraging me to stick with commutative algebra and whose teaching and mentorship have inspired me to pursue algebraic geometry. I am grateful to Professor Jayce Getz for making difficult subjects accessible to undergraduates and for guiding me through research that is both rewarding and challenging. I would also like to thank Professor Robert Calderbank whose abstract algebra course and dedication to teaching encouraged me to pursue pure mathematics.
I am incredibly grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to participate in the UVA REU in Number Theory and the SMALL REU at Williams College. These research experiences have been an integral part of my journey in mathematics. I would like to thank Professor Ken Ono for seeing the potential in me and for helping me to find my own path. I would like to thank Professor Steven J. Miller for encouraging me to challenge myself and for his unwavering support. I continue to be inspired by his dedication to his students.
I would like to thank my coauthors and friends who have helped me to find joy in difficult times and with whom it has been a pleasure to share the good ones. I would like to thank my parents, my sister, and my grandparents without whom I would not be where I am today.
Katherine Tung, 2025 AWM Schafer Prize
Citation
Katherine Tung is a mathematics major at Harvard University. Her impressive mathematical skills showed early through her participation in MIT's PRIMES program conducting original research in mathematics while she was a senior in high school. As a result, she co-authored a paper which was published in the Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society. As an undergraduate, Katherine participated in the Duluth Mathematics REU, as well as in research programs at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and at Northwestern University. She produced outstanding works that resulted in two other publications, one of them a solo paper, and four preprints with her collaborators. She also has four papers in preparation. Her mentors applaud her exceptional character and deep passion for mathematics and are impressed by her ability to adopt a comprehensive perspective on the problems she studies. She is considered to be among a select group of students with coursework and research at a level comparable to that of a math graduate student at a top institution.
Katherine has excellent communication skills and gives superb talks. She has presented her research at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, at the Women in Mathematics in New England conference, and at Aachen University in Germany. She has taught abstract algebra to high school students from underprivileged and underrepresented groups and served in a leadership role for Harvard's Gender Inclusivity in Mathematics group.
Response from Tung
I would like to thank the AWM for the Schafer award and for uplifting women in math through numerous programs, meetings, publications, awards, and policy initiatives. At Harvard, I am fortunate to be surrounded by talented undergraduates, graduates, postdocs, and professors who inspire me to become a better mathematician. I am especially grateful to Prof Lauren Williams for her unwavering support and frequent advice since my first year of college, Dr Colin Defant for his guidance and encouragement, Prof Laura DeMarco for her patient mentorship and probing questions as I grappled with dynamical systems, Prof Joseph Harris for his profound insights that led me to the essence of certain proofs in algebraic geometry, and Charles Wang and Grant Barkley for their commitment and dedication to teaching me through Harvard's directed reading program. Outside of Harvard, I was lucky to participate in three summer research programs I am indebted to Duluth REU organiser Prof Joe Gallian for cultivating a large and active alumni community, Northwestern REU organiser Aaron Peterson and mentors Aaron Brown, Solly Coles, and Homin Lee for being readily available to answer questions and willingness to work through possible approaches together, and Twin Cities REU organisers Profs Victor Reiner and Ayah Almousa for fostering a welcoming and inclusive research environment. I thank project advisors Profs Victor Reiner and Pavlo Pylyavskyy for thoughtful selection of research problems, frequent check-ins, and enlightening remarks. I am also thankful to MIT PRIMES mentor Christian Gaetz for supporting me since high school and taking my ideas seriously despite my lack of expertise. Last, but not least, I must thank my collaborators and friends for teaching, listening to, and correcting me. It is a miracle to have you all in my life, and I look forward to many future conversations.
The Schafer Prize was established in 1990 by the Executive Committee of the Association for Women in Mathematics and is named for the Association for Women in Mathematics former president and one of its founding members, Alice Turner Schafer, who contributed a great deal to women in mathematics throughout her career.Winners of the Alice T Schafer Mathematics Prize:
1990
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Linda Green
Linda Green was described as one of the top undergraduates in the Mathematics Department at Chicago in the last twenty-five years. She began taking graduate courses as a sophomore and has uniformly excelled in them. She also took the Putnam exam in her sophomore year, finishing in the top 100. In the summer of 1989, she participated in an NSF sponsored Research Experience at Chicago studying harmonic analysis on local fields; her work was considered to be outstanding. Green has also, in conjunction with this NSF program, served as a counsellor in the Mathematics Department's program for mathematically talented students from the Chicago Public Schools. Paul Sally, in his letter nominating her for the prize, said, "Linda Green is a truly impressive young woman who has all the talent and drive necessary to become an outstanding mathematician...".
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Elizabeth Wilmer
Being the first to win a mathematics prize is not a new experience to Elizabeth Wilmer; she was a major force behind the Harvard undergraduate math team which won the first SIAM mathematical modelling competition last year. She already showed great promise in high school when she came in second nationally in the Westinghouse Science Competition with a graph theory project and placed seventh on the American Olympiad team. Wilmer spent Fall Semester 1989 taking courses in Budapest, where she was considered to be exceptionally talented. She also worked last summer at the NSF-REU program at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and was asked to return. At Harvard, she has taken several graduate courses and has served as an undergraduate teaching assistant. "She is one of our real super-stars, who seems destined for a distinguished research career," said Benedict Gross in his nomination letter.
1991
Schafer Prize Winner: Jeanne Nielsen
Jeanne Nielsen was described as a "highly original, enthusiastic, and talented young mathematician" and one of the best undergraduate mathematics majors her nominators had seen anywhere. Nielsen began to show promise as a research mathematician the summer after her sophomore year when she obtained results in finite group theory which have been submitted for publication. More recently, her interest in algebraic and differential geometry has yielded some impressive research results there. Professor Robert Bryant, in his letter nominating her for the prize, said, "Her mathematical maturity and insight are astonishing." Nielsen received an Honourable Mention in this year's Putnam exam, a national mathematics competition for undergraduates, finishing 30th out of 2347 contestants.
Runner-Up: Zvezdelina Stankova
Zvezdelina Stankova is on a full scholarship at Bryn Mawr College, having won a competition in Bulgaria to identify gifted students to study in the United States. As a high school student she participated in the International Mathematics Olympiad on the Bulgarian team; she won silver medals in 1987 and 1988. Stankova finished 101st in the 1991 Putnam Competition. Next year, her senior year at Bryn Mawr, she will be taking graduate courses at the University of Pennsylvania and hopes to graduate with both a bachelor's and a master's degree in mathematics. "One of the brightest young people I have ever known, Zvezde is truly a star, as her name suggests," said Professor Rhonda Hughes in her nomination letter.
1992
Schafer Prize Winner: Zvezdelina E Stankova
Zvezdelina E Stankova, a 1992 graduate of Bryn Mawr College, has earned wide recognition for her research and performance in mathematics competitions. She participated last summer in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Minnesota at Duluth, and her research there on classifying permutations with forbidden subsequences of length four was praised as impressive work on a difficult problem. Her paper on the subject was well received at the joint mathematics meetings of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of American in Baltimore in January. In addition to her research in combinatorics, she has done advanced work in a number of areas. In nominating Stankova, Professor Rhonda J Hughes of Bryn Mawr wrote, "Her results are strikingly original, and one is always reminded that her work is that of an extraordinary mathematician." A two-time silver medallist on the International Mathematics Olympiad team from her native Bulgaria, known as both an excellent problem-solver and a first-rate expositor, Stankova was the Runner-Up for the Schafer Prize in 1991. She will return to the REU Program in Duluth this summer before beginning graduate work in mathematics at Harvard University in the fall.
Runner-Up: Julie B Kerr
Julie B Kerr, this year's Runner-Up, will graduate in December from Washington State University. She received Special Recognition from the 1990 Schafer Prize committee for her early achievements, including distinction in graduate courses as a first-year student. In each of the last two years, she finished in the top sixty students on the nationwide Putnam Examination for undergraduates. Following a Budapest Semester in Mathematics as a sophomore, Kerr participated in the 1991 NSF-sponsored Mills Summer Mathematics Institute, and she will work this summer in computational number theory at the REU at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. An aspiring teacher, Kerr also finds time to tutor in mathematics.
1993
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Catherine O'Neil
Catherine O'Neil's serious interest in mathematics began in her first year of high school when she received the highest freshman score in a state-wide mathematics competition. She attended the summer mathematics program at Hampshire College her freshman and sophomore years in high school. During her junior year of high school, O'Neil began taking courses in mathematics at MIT where she performed at the level of their best undergraduates. At Berkeley she has excelled in both undergraduate and graduate courses. In his letter nominating her for the prize Kenneth Ribet said, "Cathy O'Neil is one of the most promising undergraduate students with whom I have ever been associated." She attended the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Minnesota, Duluth in the summer of 1992, a program that can claim two previous Schafer Prize winners as alumnae, and her resulting paper in graph theory has been submitted for publication. During the fall semester of 1992 O'Neil participated in the "Budapest Semesters in Mathematics" program. In addition to her mathematical talent, all of O'Neil's supporting letters stressed her determination, independence, and leadership.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Dana Pascovici
This year has been an exciting one for Dana Pascovici. She finished 16th out of 2421 participants in this year's Putnam Examination, a national mathematics competition for undergraduates, leading a strong Dartmouth team which finished tenth overall. For her performance as the top scoring woman to take the exam, Pascovici was also awarded the first annual Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize. Pascovici came to Dartmouth last year from Romania. She won Dartmouth's Thayer Prize as a freshman, with a score on the exam which was more than double her nearest competitor's. In addition to her success at mathematical competitions, Pascovici has "taken the Dartmouth mathematics department by storm". Her work in both undergraduate and graduate courses in mathematics and computer science has been outstanding. Thomas Shemanske, in his nomination letter, said, "Dana has a truly remarkable mathematical talent. ... Dana is the strongest undergraduate mathematician Dartmouth has seen in many years."
Runner-Up: Melissa Aczon
Melissa Aczon has been awarded the Giovanni Prize in Mathematics this year by the mathematics department at Harvey Mudd College, an honour given to their most outstanding senior mathematics major. Her faculty advisor writes, "She is a very promising young mathematician who has great enthusiasm for the subject and who has the potential to make substantial original contributions." Aczon, who plans to start graduate work for a Ph.D. in applied mathematics next year, already has considerable experience in research. She has participated in a summer research program at Harvey Mudd, as well as in an REU at the University of Tennessee, resulting in two research papers.
Runner-Up: Susan W Goldstine
Susan W Goldstine studied abstract algebra at Penn State even before entering college. She won first prize in Amherst College's Walker prize examination (for first and second year students) in both her freshmen and sophomore years. Now a senior, Goldstein is described in the letter of nomination as "one of the three strongest mathematics students here in the past 27 years." In the summer of 1992 she participated in an REU program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, where she produced a substantial piece of research. For her senior thesis, Goldstein is working on a research project in arithmetical algebraic geometry. This fall, she will continue her studies at Harvard.
1994
Schafer Prize Winner: Jing Rebecca Li
Our winner Jing Rebecca Li, a junior at the University of Michigan, is a relative newcomer to mathematics. An outstanding mechanical engineering student, with a published paper on the deformation of bicrystals, Li switched to mathematics only last fall. Since then, she has excelled in demanding undergraduate and graduate courses, performing at the level of the best graduate students. The summer before she entered the mathematics Honours Program, she participated in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at the Geometry Center, University of Minnesota, where she studied computer music. In his letter of nomination for the Schafer Prize, one of her professors writes, "I have taught some very bright undergraduates, but I would rank her in the upper one-half percent of the undergraduates (male and female) I have known." In addition to praising Li for her remarkable achievement in mathematics in so short a time, Li's nominators commented on her impressive record in such diverse disciplines as physics, computer science, philosophy, Russian literature, and Asian history! Her letters of recommendation for the Prize stressed her determination, stemming from her "burning desire to learn," her love of mathematics, and her energy.
Runner-Up: Patricia Hersh
Runner-up Patricia Hersh, a junior at Harvard University, has already written two research papers on graph theory, which have been submitted for publication. One of her nominators writes, "She is comparable to the best students I have seen in my classes." Last summer, she participated in an REU program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. The director writes, "In my 17 years running summer research programs it has been my experience that each year only one or two of the participants seem to have the ideal blend of talent, work ethic and personality. Patricia Hersh is one of these people." In previous summers, she served as a counsellor at an NSF mathematics program at Boston University for talented high school students, of which she herself was an alumna.
Runner-Up: Julia J Rehmeyer
Runner-up Julia J Rehmeyer is a senior at Wellesley College. In a letter of recommendation, one of her professors writes, "Ms Rehmeyer is certainly the strongest student I have known in my 14 years at Wellesley, but that doesn't describe how different she is from any other student I have known here. She is extraordinarily bright, self-motivated, and thorough, with an intellectual maturity that would suit a mature mathematician." Rehmeyer's work at Wellesley and in undergraduate and graduate courses at MIT is outstanding. She has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship.
Runner-Up: Nina Zipser
Runner-up Nina Zipser has been awarded Columbia University's prestigious Kellet Fellowship, for study at Cambridge University. A senior at Barnard College, she also won the competition for the mathematics department's Van Buren Prize. Referred to in a letter of nomination as "the overall best student I have taught," Zipser not only earned A's and A+'s in graduate mathematics courses, but is now working on two research projects: "the universality of lengths of closed geodesics in hyperbolic manifolds" and an experimental project search for "degenerate groups."
1995
Schafer Prize Winner: Ruth Britto-Pacumio
Our winner Ruth Britto-Pacumio is a junior at MIT, where she has already completed the requirements for a mathematics major with no grade below 'A' in any subject. One faculty member writes, "Ruth is a truly outstanding student. [As a sophomore last year] she took our hardest undergraduate math courses. ... She was the top student, in very tough competition, in my algebra course. This year she continues to excel in graduate courses." Another faculty member comments, "Every few years an individual dominates a class here at MIT. In the class of 1996 this is occurring, [and it is] Ruth Britto-Pacumio. She seems to know everything and be everywhere." Britto-Pacumio was also a participant in a 1994 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and wrote a paper on graph theory, which has been submitted for publication. Her performance in that program was described as "truly extraordinary." This year, she won the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize for her excellence in the Putnam Competition.
Runner-Up: Wung-Kum Fong
Runner-up Wung-Kum Fong is currently in her third year at Berkeley. Having completed several undergraduate honours courses with flying colours, she is now taking graduate level courses and reading courses in which she is also excelling. She is described as an "exceptional student," "stronger than many graduate students" at Berkeley. In the summer of 1994, she participated in the Mills College/Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) Summer Program.
Runner-Up: Nancy Heinschel
Runner-up Nancy Heinschel is a senior at UC, Davis. She has taken an impressive array of advanced math courses there while maintaining a 3.99 GPA. She participated in an REU program at Oregon State University last summer where she completed a research project on "Sufficient Conditions for Global Stability in Population Models." She has also served as president of both the UC Davis math club and the UC Davis chapter of the Pi Mu Epsilon honour society. In the fall, Heinschel will begin graduate studies in mathematics at Stanford University.
Runner-Up: Jessica Wachter
Runner-up Jessica Wachter is a junior at Harvard. Having completed some of Harvard's most challenging undergraduate courses with an outstanding performance, she is now taking graduate courses. In the summer of 1994, she participated in an REU program at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and wrote a paper for publication entitled "Universal Destinations in Graphs." She has also worked as a teaching assistant at a National Science Foundation (NSF) summer program for mathematically talented high school students. One faculty member, in whose class Wachter was the top student, summed up his recommendation by writing, "Jessica is very talented, very mature, and strongly motivated."
1996
Schafer Prize Winner: Ioana Dumitriu
Ioana Dumitriu is a 19-year-old freshman at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (NYU/CIMS). She came to CIMS from Romania for her undergraduate studies and immediately began taking graduate level courses. Her professors uniformly describe her as "truly exceptional," "extremely impressive," "absolutely brilliant," a student "whose mathematical instincts, talent, and knowledge are apparent almost from the beginning." They also remark on her exceptional problem solving abilities and "great independence of thought and originality." This was confirmed (apparently to no one's surprise) when she won this year's Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize for her performance in the Putnam Competition. As one letter states, "There is no doubt that Ioana will become a mathematician, the only question is whether she will be a world class mathematician.... I can't think of anyone whose chances are better."
Runner-Up: Karen Ball
Karen Ball is a senior at Grinnell College in Iowa, where she is consistently at the top of her advanced mathematics classes. As a junior, she participated in the Budapest Semester in Mathematics program, where she audited Complex Analysis in addition to earning all A's in her regular courses. The summer after her sophomore year, she worked on a research project under Professor Charles Jepsen and obtained "with almost no guidance" results which will appear in a paper entitled "Packing Unequal Squares" in the Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series A. She is described as "a remarkable student who is destined to have a great career in mathematics." In the fall, Ball will begin graduate studies in mathematics at the University of California at Berkeley.
Runner-Up: Wung-kum Fong
Wung-kum Fong is a senior at the University of California at Berkeley. During her junior and senior years, she has been taking graduate level courses and seminars in advanced topics. She has ranked among the best students in these classes. She is described as an "exceptional student," "stronger than many graduate students" at Berkeley. One of her instructors characterised her as "one of the brightest undergraduates I've ever met." In addition to her course work, Wung-kum participated in the 1994 Mills College/Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Summer Program. In the fall, Fong will begin graduate studies in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
1997
No prize awarded.
1998
Schafer Prize Co-Winner
Sharon Ann Lozano is a senior mathematics major whose outstanding academic record at the University of Texas places her in the top one percent of over five hundred mathematics majors. According to her professors, Sharon has been the top student in most of her mathematics courses. In her first year, she tied for first place in the Mathematics Department's A E Bennett Examination, a contest that has been in existence for over fifty years, and whose winners include many who subsequently distinguished themselves in mathematics and engineering.
Sharon has participated in two summer research programs, the Cornell SACNAS Summer Institute arid the Mills Summer Institute. She has written three research reports, one of which provided the background for her senior honours thesis involving numerical modelling of surface water flow under the direction of Professor Mary Wheeler. In the Spring of 1997, Lozano was a member of her department's team which received an Honourable Mention in the COMAP Mathematics Contest in Modelling. Sharon has also served her department and community in many ways, particularly through her involvement in the AmeriCorps Program.
In the words of one of her professors, "Sharon is an extraordinary individual and brings to mathematics an excitement arid vitality that enlivens the possibilities for the future of the profession...Sharon, while still an undergraduate, has shaped a mathematical life that merges research with community service and leadership. While pursuing an active mathematical research agenda, Sharon has also blazed a pathway of community service that invites more students from diverse backgrounds to participate in and appreciate mathematics."
Response from Lozano
There are many talented undergraduate women in mathematics. It is an honour to be considered among them and to have been awarded the Alice T Schafer Prize this year. I thank the people and organisations, such as AWM, that do more than share their knowledge. They genuinely believe in and inspire the success of all students. In particular. I would like to thank Efraim Armendariz, Mary Wheeler, Uri Treisman. James Epperson, Monica Martinez, and Jackie McCaffery for inspiring me.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner
Jessica A Shepherd is a senior mathematics major with a minor in computer science at the University of Utah. Her professors are uniform in their praise of her extraordinary mathematical talent; many feel that she is the strongest mathematics student they have seen at Utah in decades, and is in fact on par with their strongest graduate students. She has received many prizes and awards, including the Gibson Award for outstanding achievement in mathematics, and has done research in both mathematics and computer science.
In 1995, Jessica participated in research in the PipeLink Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and in 1996, she participated in the SIMS program at the University of California, Berkeley. She has co-authored two papers, "The Multiplier in Fractals Bounded by Regular Polygons" written with Professor Anne Roberts and "A Corpus-Based Approach for Building Semantic Lexicons" with Professor Ellen Riloff.
One of her professors states, "Jessica has a superb intellect and tremendous drive and discipline. She has the potential to become an intellectual leader." According to another, "She is an absolute joy as a student and I am sure that she will go on to have a fine career. She is outstanding by any standard whatsoever..." Finally, "Jessica is the brightest undergraduate I have ever met. Jessica has a combination of raw intellectual power, self-discipline, motivation, and character that is extraordinarily rare. I fully expect to run across her name again some day, perhaps as a professor at a prestigious university or as the winner of a major award."
Response from Shepherd
I feel extremely honoured to have been selected for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to respond by thanking all the teachers and professors in my life who have taken the time to make mathematics not just possible, but exciting. This award belongs more to them than to me. Thanks especially to Anne Roberts and Ellen Riloff for offering advice and opening doors, both literally and figuratively. Finally, thanks to the AWM and all those who believe in the capabilities of women enough to provide encouragement that helps them excel.
Schafer Prize Runner-up
Jie Li is a senior at the University of Michigan with a dual concentration in Mathematics and Political Science. Jie has done exceptionally well in a challenging mathematics program. She began her involvement in research at an exceptionally early stage in her career, and has participated in three summer research programs, at Michigan, at Williams College, and at Cornell University. As a rising sophomore, she answered a question about the minima of polynomials of several variables posed by Professor A Blass. This work was deemed "a fine accomplishment for a senior. To have done it after her first year is a sign of extraordinary ability and drive." Li's paper on "Stick Knots" with Professor Colin Adams will be submitted for publication. According to her professors, "We all expect a great future for Jie and think that she richly deserves national recognition for her accomplishments."
Response from Li
In making the connection with the individual student, math needs to overcome popular conceptions of being a difficult and esoteric subject. Hence, teachers are so important in guiding the student during the initial stages of learning. I would like to express my appreciation to my professors at The University of Michigan for their patience, kindness, and, more importantly, for a glimpse of their energy and passion for the subject.
1999
Citation: Caroline J Klivans
Caroline J Klivans is a senior at Cornell University. After distinguishing herself in her sophomore and junior year in classes mostly populated by upper-division students and graduate students, Ms Klivans was accepted in the National Science Foundation summer program Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at Rutgers University. There, she "astounded" the faculty by "her ability to assimilate new material and then take it one step further." Her paper on visual navigation for autonomous mobile robots consists of an "outstanding" theoretical proof and algorithms which will be the first to be ported to the vehicle just acquired by Rutgers. Just as exceptional as her mathematical development, Carly's enthusiasm surpasses any that her professors "ever [saw in] an undergraduate [over the course of] thirty years." She was president of the undergraduate Math Club during her junior year, invigorated the colloquium and dinner series, with attendance doubling, and organised trips to attend American Mathematical Society meetings and the Spring Bourbaki Seminar in Paris. With the central student governing body financing mostly airfares, she arranged for her charges to be housed by Parisian mathematicians, who followed up with "very positive feedback." Not only do predictions converge on Ms Klivans' future as a mathematical "leader at a national level," they also acknowledge her uniqueness as a "wonderful role model for young women in mathematics."
Response from Klivans
I am honoured to be recognised by the Association for Women in Mathematics with the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for all of their efforts to promote women in mathematics. It is encouragements such as these which will bring more women into the field. I thank Sven Dickinson and Diane Souvaine for guiding me in new directions. Also, I am indebted to the entire Cornell math department, but would like to thank Oraeme Bailey, Bob Connelly, David Henderson, and especially Lou Billera for teaching and believing in me.
2000
Citation: Mariana E Campbell
Mariana E. Campbell is currently a senior at the University of California at San Diego. After distinguishing herself ("best in the class") as a junior in both undergraduate and graduate classes at UCSD, Ms Campbell participated in the Mount Holyoke REU program where the faculty described her as "astonishing". Her output from that program is a paper "The Igusa local zeta function for the different reduction types of the special fibre of an elliptic curve" that is currently being revised for publication. As one of her recommenders wrote, "Mari is getting into current interesting and difficult research topics at a point in her career several years earlier than the typical student". Ms Campbell gave a talk on this work at the Mathfest '99 meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. She will also give a talk on this topic at the Joint Mathematics Meetings (Washington, D.C.) in the special session entitled: Research in Mathematics by Undergraduates on Saturday, January 22, 2000. In addition to being a fine mathematician, Ms Campbell is a talented violinist. The consensus is that Ms Campbell has "the drive, intellect, and creativity to become a leading mathematician". She is "remarkable" and "someone who will make a difference in the lives of those around her down the line".
Response from Campbell
I feel very honoured to be awarded the Association for Women in Mathematics Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for encouraging women to study mathematics and for continuing to recognise the achievements of women mathematicians at all stages of their careers. I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to my mentors: Harold Stark, Audrey Terras, Margaret Robinson, Peter Doyle, Mark Peterson, and Ron Evans for their generous support and for sharing their enthusiasm in mathematics.
I thank the participants of the Mount Holyoke College REU, Mark Peterson, and especially my advisor Margaret Robinson for a very exciting and productive summer. I also thank the UCSD math community for being an incredible source of stimulation, support, and encouragement.
Runner-Up: Sarah E Dean
Sarah E Dean is a senior mathematics major at Duke University. She is a recipient of the prestigious Barry W Goldwater Scholarship and participated in the Director's Summer Program at the National Security Agency during the summer of 1998. Her mentor at NSA describes her as "one of the top two performers in this fantastically talented group of 22."
Her professors at Duke say that she "has taken nearly all the advanced undergraduate and most first and second year graduate courses at Duke" and is "one of the best undergraduates we have had at Duke University."
Response from Ms Dean
I want to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for honouring me, and especially for recognising my school, Duke University. Duke's math faculty have been wonderfully supportive of me, and dedicated to teaching even outside of the classroom. I especially want to thank David Kraines, Bill Pardon, Greg Lawler, Chad Schoen, Robert Bryant, and my advisor Paul Aspinwall.
Runner-Up: Beth Robinson
Beth Robinson is a senior mathematics major at Carleton College. Beth is lauded by one of her professors as "the only person ever in my 12 years of teaching undergraduates to earn a perfect score on an exam" - as a sophomore in an upperdivision course. She participated in the St Olaf Summer Mathematics Program for Women in 1998 and the REU at the University of Minnesota at Duluth in 1999. As a result, she authored two professional level publishable papers. Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year, Beth devotes long hours to tutoring in Carleton's Math Skills Center and still makes time for painting and folk dancing.
Response from Ms Robinson
I would like to thank the AWM for naming me as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. It is a far greater honour than I ever expected to receive. I'd also like to thank Professor Stephen Kennedy for nominating me and for all his other help and encouragement.
2001
Schafer Prize Winner: Jaclyn (Kohles) Anderson
Jaclyn (Kohles) Anderson is a senior mathematics major at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL). During her senior year of high school she placed first out of almost 1,200 students in the UNL Math Day competition. The summer after her freshman year she participated in the Carleton/St Olaf Colleges Summer Mathematics Program for Women Undergraduates, and during her sophomore year she participated in the Mathematics Advanced Study Semesters (MASS) program at Pennsylvania State University during the fall semester and the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program in the spring. Her work in the MASS program led to a paper entitled "Partitions which are simultaneously - and -core," which has been submitted to the journal Discrete Mathematics, and which her MASS mentor describes as "a very fine result in combinatorics."
Jaclyn has recently completed an NSF-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in the representation theory of commutative local rings, and her advisor expects that her paper "Use of Gröbner bases in integer programming" will eventually be published. He describes it as "a remarkable piece of work." In addition to her research, she has taken many graduate level courses & served as a teaching assistant for UNL's honours calculus courses. Last year she received an honourable mention for the Schafer Prize. According to her professors, her work "far surpassed that of the rest of the students," including the graduate students. They describe her as "the most talented under-graduate I have encountered in my 33 years of college teaching" and "a bona fide star" with "impressive talent, drive and enthusiasm for mathematics." They agree that she "will be much sought after by graduate schools across the country."
Response from Anderson
I am extremely honoured that the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) has awarded me the Alice T Schafer Prize. This award recognizes the achievements of women at the start of their mathematics careers and thereby supports their future mathematical endeavours. Many of my accomplishments would not have been possible without the support of the mathematics faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I would like to thank Drs Jim Lewis and Gordon Woodward who have encouraged me from day one. I would also like to thank Drs Roger Wiegand, Sylvia Wiegand, and David Logan who said wonderful things about me in their nomination. These professors and the rest of the UNL mathematics faculty have made my undergraduate experience something far beyond what I could have ever imagined as a freshman. Finally, I would like to thank everyone involved in the Carleton/St Olaf Summer Program, the Penn State MASS program, and the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics; you have all positively influenced my mathematics career.
Runner-up: Sami Assaf
Sami Assaf is a senior mathematics and philosophy major at the University of Notre Dame. One recommender says she "is the 'best' undergraduate student that I have ever taught." Her results from the Williams College REU program, on the Hermite problem in number theory, will be part of a research paper. She has written many expository papers on advanced undergraduate material, including one which won Notre Dame's Taliaferro Competition in the History of Mathematics. She is currently taking four graduate mathematics courses and is expected to be "courted by many of the nation's best graduate mathematics programs later this academic year."
Response from Assaf
It is a great honour for me to be recognised as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize for undergraduate women in mathematics. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for establishing this prize and for recognising me among the outstanding women mathematicians who have received this honour. I would also like to thank Dr Peter Cholak for first recognising and nurturing my ability in mathematics and for clearing the way for me to develop my ability, Dr Frank Connolly for his encouragement and support both as a teacher and as a mentor, and also Sean Borman without whose encouragement I would not have become a math major.
Runner-up: Suzanne S Sindi
Suzanne S Sindi is a senior mathematics major and President's Scholar at California State University, Fullerton. She has excelled academically, both in her coursework and in two substantial research projects. Her results from the Cornell University REU program, on a model of chromosome size evolution, have been submitted for publication; her research at Cal State Fullerton on bifurcation for one-parameter families of scalar maps has already been published. In addition, Suzanne has won numerous awards, including Honourable Mention in the Mathematical Modelling Competition. Her nominations speak of her "exceptionally strong mathematical ability and professional promise."
Response from Sindi
I feel greatly honoured to have been named as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize by the Association for Women in Mathematics. I would like to express my gratitude to the wonderful mathematics department at Cal State Fullerton and to Mario Martelli, Stephen Goode, Ernie Solheid and Richard Durrett for their support. These professors have inspired me tremendously. I would also like to thank my family and those involved with the Cornell REU program.
2002
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Kay Kirkpatrick
Kay Kirkpatrick is a senior at Montana State University. She has taken many graduate courses; her professors say that she "routinely takes 20-22 credits per term, earning A's in them all." In summer 2000, she participated in the Industrial Mathematics Workshop for Graduate Students at the Center for Research in Scientific Computation at North Carolina State University. Her mentor there says that Kay "was extremely insightful, very creative in her thinking, and was the intellectual peer of the best graduate students in the program. She is one of the brightest undergraduates I have encountered in more than 30 years in academia." He says that her team's work is "destined for publication." Kay also participated in an REU in summer 2001, resulting in a paper being published. Her mentor in this program says that Kay "was just a delight to work with, and to talk to. If I had made a wish-list for the perfect candidate for my summer REU program, Kay would have exceeded that beyond all expectations." In addition, Kay was awarded a Barry M Goldwater Scholarship in 2001. One of her professors says that Kay is "an extremely warm, respectable, enthusiastic and hard working person. Her brilliance and dedication renew my inspiration as a professor."
Response from Kay Kirkpatrick
I feel extremely honoured to be numbered among today's rising women in math. The Association for Women in Mathematics is doing a wonderful thing to encourage and support aspiring mathematicians. I'll spend the rest of my life repaying this debt to AWM and to all of my professors and mentors. You all have not only supported me, but also have been true inspirations. I'd like to thank the Honours Program and Music Department at MSU for bringing me to Montana State University - Bozeman in the first place. I feel indebted to the math professors who noticed my ability while I was still a psychology major, and those who continued to nurture me when I switched to math. Kudos to the scientists and mathematicians at the Center for Computational Biology at MSU, the Modelling Workshop at North Carolina State, and the University of Houston, who all helped me discover the exhilaration of being on the cutting edge of research. Because of each one of you, the quality of my undergraduate education has exceeded even my own high expectations. Special thanks to my family, who always told me that I could do whatever I wanted, even before I figured out what "whatever" was. And to my sister Bonnie, who is also my roommate, best friend and biggest fan: you know you're a mathematician at heart.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Melanie Wood
Melanie Wood is a junior at Duke University. In 1999, she was a member of Duke's 3rd-place Putnam team and received an Honourable Mention for her individual Putnam performance. She has excelled in many graduate courses, beginning in the fall of her freshman year and continuing to the present. Her professors say that Melanie is "a truly remarkable student, one of the best I have ever encountered in my 21 years of teaching" and that "I know that she will become a top-flight mathematician." In summer 2000, she participated in an REU which resulted in a paper that has been submitted to a well-respected journal. Her mentor from this program expects that the paper will be accepted and writes that "in this elite group (of REU participants) Melanie ranks with the best." She has recently begun independent research on another topic and "has already made original and non-trivial progress." In addition, Melanie was awarded a Barry M Goldwater Scholarship in 2001. Her professors agree that Melanie "has a passion for mathematics" and "will become a wonderful role model for others."
Response from Melanie Wood
It is a wonderful honour to be awarded the Alice T Schafer Prize from the Association for Women in Mathematics. I would like to thank those who established the award for their vision to recognise and encourage young women mathematicians. Mathematics, though extremely rewarding, is a difficult career to pursue, and thus it is so important for young mathematicians to feel support from the community as they pursue their careers. I want to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for showing me such support and recognising me among such outstanding young women mathematicians. Also, I would like to thank the Duke Math Department for providing an encouraging, supportive, challenging, and exciting environment in which to do mathematics. My wonderful experience in the department has really solidified my decision to go to math graduate school and pursue math research as a career. In particular, I would like to thank David Kraines for his help in practically every aspect of my mathematical activities, Richard Hain for being a great research mentor, Robert Bryant for leading me through exciting independent work, and Paul Aspinwall for challenging and inspiring classes. The Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Minnesota-Duluth has also been an invaluable part of my undergraduate mathematical career. I would like to thank everyone there who helped me with my research, especially Manjul Bhargava for everything from inspiration to detailed comments on my paper. Finally, I would like to thank Joe Gallian for creating such a top-notch program, inviting me to attend, and supporting all of my mathematical endeavours.
2003
Schafer Prize Winner: Kate Gruher
Kate Gruher is a senior at the University of Chicago. She excelled in the Honours Calculus, Honours Algebra, and Honours Analysis sequences. During the summer after her sophomore year, she participated in the ergodic theory group of the SMALL REU at Williams College.
A paper she co-authored on power weak mixing will appear in the New York Journal of Mathematics for which her "work was crucial" and for which she "provided many of the new ideas." In the summer of 2002, she participated in the highly exclusive Director's Summer Program at the National Security Agency (NSA), at which she contributed "the constructions of families of new examples" which "may improve the efficiency of an algorithm important to NSA." In addition to her classes and research, Kate has graded and run problem sessions for calculus, assisted with New Student Orientation, and worked as a counsellor with the University of Chicago's middle school Young Scholars Program.
Her recommenders say that "Kate has a very special talent for mathematical research and for explaining mathematics to others," and that "she is a true scholar ... she ... has the right aptitude to make a serious long-term contribution to mathematics."
Response from Kate Gruher
I feel greatly honoured to receive the AWM's Alice T Schafer Prize. The AWM provides incredibly important support to women in early stages of their careers as mathematicians and I believe that their vision will help many young women achieve their goals. I feel greatly encouraged in my ambitions by the AWM's support and belief in my abilities. I would like to thank the mathematics department at the University of Chicago for nurturing my love of math, and my classmates and co-researchers for showing me beauty in our work. I would especially like to thank Professor Peter May for nominating me and advising me in many decisions; Professor Paul Sally for his advice and wonderful teaching; and Professor Kevin Corlette for encouraging me to continue studying math at the beginning of my undergraduate career. I would also like to thank Professor Cesar Silva and Dr Elisabeth Pyle for making my summer research projects interesting and successful. Your support and teachings have helped me realise just how exhilarating math can be.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Wei Ho
Wei Ho is a senior at Harvard University. She has taken or is taking graduate algebra, analysis, algebraic topology, and algebraic geometry and "worked on problems in graph theory and combinatorial geometry." She participated in the NSF-sponsored REU at University of Minnesota, Duluth, at which she produced original results in m-step competition numbers of paths and cycles. Her advisor is "confident that her paper will be accepted for publication" in a prestigious journal. She "has already developed... an admirable commitment to mathematical service" which is shown in her assistance with the Harvard/MIT high-school math tournament and Mandelbrot competition, involvement in peer tutoring, and organising women's activities in the Math Club. Her recommenders say that she "has exceptional mathematical talent" and "will likely develop into an excellent research mathematician."
Response from Wei Ho
I am most grateful to the Association for Women in Mathematics for this extraordinary honour and for its role in supporting female mathematicians throughout their careers. Although I am indebted to many people for their encouragement and mathematical inspiration, I would especially like to thank Professor Noam Elkies for his nomination as well as Professor Joseph Gallian for all of his guidance at the Duluth REU. As always, I am grateful to my family and friends for their continual encouragement in mathematics and in life.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Josephine T Yu
Josephine T Yu is a senior at University of California, Davis, She has been working with her VIGRE research advisor since the end of her freshman year and recently coauthored a paper in quantum algebra which is available on the arXiv. Josephine won the UC Davis Spring Mathematics Contest but "never received any training for problem solving skills aimed at winning a contest" and has completed a graduate combinatorics course in which she successfully "competed with some of the smartest graduate students." In addition, Josephine has been President of both the UC Davis Math Club and the local Pi Mu Epsilon chapter, assisted in a third-term Calculus course, and tutored for two years. Her recommenders say that she "is a talented student of mathematics who consistently seeks to dig deeper and reach higher" and "is THE top undergraduate student of her generation here at UC Davis."
Response from Josephine T Yu
I am tremendously honoured to be a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I appreciate AWM for giving the woman mathematicians the much needed encouragement at the beginning of our careers. Knowing that my efforts are recognised, I will strive to achieve further and to contribute something back to the mathematical community. I thank the faculty, staff, and graduate students at the UC Davis math department for giving undergraduate students wonderful education and warm support. I am especially indebted to Professor Motohico Mulase for his guidance and for being the best research mentor. I also thank Professors Abigail Thompson and Evelyn Sitvia for inspiring me to be a math major, Professor Jesus De Loera and all my teachers for the invaluable education. Their confidence in me is always a motivation. I am also grateful to Nancy Davis and Rick West for their support and my friends and family for believing in me.
2004
Schafer Prize Winner: Kimberly Spears
Kimberly Spears is a senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a junior, her "dedication and passion" led her to excel in advanced sequences in abstract algebra and real analysis, courses populated mostly by incoming graduate students. During the following summer she did research with Jeffrey Stopple at UCLA as a participant in the UCLEADS program (Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees). Her project resulted in a generalisation of Gauss's Law of Quadratic Reciprocity to general (nonabelian) groups. Kimberly was "highly motivated and enthusiastic about learning" and "had to master a lot of new material on group representation theory to even understand the question." Kimberly's senior thesis addresses the question of classifying discriminants d with one class per genus. Her proof that assuming a conjecture about the Grand Unitary Ensemble (GUE), no discriminant greater than d66 (the smallest with 66 prime factors) has one class per genus "would satisfy the minimum required for a Ph.D. thesis" at USCB. Kimberly's subsequent presentation in the UCSB Arithmetic and Geometry Seminar left the faculty audience "flabbergasted." "No undergrad had ever given a talk before, much less on original research," and "the breadth of material she has mastered astonished them." Papers on both of Kimberly's research projects will be submitted to journals this fall. Her recommenders also praise Kimberly's "remarkable ability to absorb the highlights and essential concepts of broad areas of mathematics quickly" and write that "Kimberly is without any doubt the best student I have ever seen in my 16-year career."
Response from Kimberly Spears
I am pleased to receive the 2004 Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for encouraging me to continue doing what I love. Every day I have had to do research and learn more math is one that I have enjoyed.
I would like to thank my mentor Jeffrey Stopple who has been crucial to my development into a young mathematician. His dedication and support are indescribable. I would also like to thank William Duke for his mentoring and James McKernan. I would like to thank Sarah Dillingham and the UCLEADS program. Thank you to the mathematics department at UCSB for all their congratulations and support.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Karola Meszaros
Karola Meszaros is a junior mathematics major at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After her first semester of her freshman year at MIT, she embarked on a research project in combinatorics. "In a remarkable tour de force of intricate reasoning," Karola successfully disproved a conjecture, found the correct formulation, and solved the given problem. The result was described as "a worthy Ph.D. thesis." Karola has another paper ready for publication, on Latin squares and a conjecture of Mahdian and Mahmoodian. While writing two papers in her first two years at MIT, Karola Meszaros has also been putting in outstanding performances in several difficult mathematics courses.
Response from Karola Meszaros
I am honoured to be recognised by the AWM as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I am extremely grateful for all the encouragement I have received in exploring the beauties of mathematics. I would like to express my deepest thanks to Professor Richard P Stanley for his support and guidance since my first year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The opportunity of doing mathematical research in the vivacious atmosphere of MIT is of great importance to me, since for me, research represents the most refined charm of mathematics and science in general.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Jennifer Novak
Jennifer Novak is a senior mathematics major at Texas A&M University. Jennifer is the current President of the TAMU Math Club, garnering praise from TAMU professors for her outstanding work in undergraduate as well as graduate math courses. She spent the summer of 2003 in an NSF-sponsored REU on Knot Theory at Williams College. The students' research project was successful, producing a paper predicted to "be of great interest to knot theorists, geometers and topologists." Jennifer was "critical to the success of the paper." Jennifer also won one of the top two awards for her talk on this research at the 2003 MathFest in Boulder. In the summer of 2002 Jennifer Novak participated in an REU/VIGRE program at Texas A&M on mathematical modelling in ecology. Her mentor there remarked that Jennifer rapidly "grasped the heart of the problems" Her nominators describe Jennifer Novak as creative, independent, enthusiastic, and tenacious.
Response from Jennifer Novak
I am pleased and excited to receive the exceptional honour of being named a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. The Association for Women in Mathematics has made phenomenal progress for women in maths by supporting programmes throughout their careers, in the work place and in their personal lives. I am especially grateful for AWM's constant efforts to encourage young female mathematicians by providing them opportunities and recognising their achievements. I would like to give special thanks to Dr Susan Geller for her overabundance of support, encouragement, and guidance throughout college; Dr Colin Adams for showing me the beauty of mathematical research and the possibilities afforded by determination; and Dr Keri Kornelson for going out of her way to help women succeed in mathematics. I would like to thank the entire faculty in the Texas A&M math department for their continuous support and encouragement of undergraduates determined to become mathematicians. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their constant encouragement and assistance in my life.
2005
Schafer Prize Winner: Melody Chan
Melody Chan is a senior at Yale University where she excelled in a wide variety of mathematics courses and was awarded the prestigious Hart Lyman Prize. She has made presentations at the Yale Math Club, earned an honourable mention on the Putnam Competition and is Vice President of the Yale chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Melody also did outstanding work in advanced courses at the Budapest Semester in Mathematics in Hungary.
Melody participated in an REU at East Tennessee State University where she investigated the pebbling number problem. Her approach to the problem was described as "ingenious," and she able to significantly improve on the bounds for the pebbling number of a graph with n vertices. She gave a well-received talk on this work at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in 2003, and her results have been submitted for publication.
In the summer of 2004, Melody participated in an REU at the University of Minnesota at Duluth during which she wrote three professional level papers on the concept of the distinguishing number. In the first paper, she was able to answer a long-standing open question, dating from the paper in which the distinguishing number was introduced. In her subsequent papers, she took a group-theoretic approach to the distinguishing number problem. This work exhibited a mastery of groups acting on sets. Various experts in the field described her papers as "remarkable" and "beautiful work" and a "foundational contribution" to the field that will likely be frequently cited.
Response from Melody Chan
I am truly happy to be able to accept the 2005 Alice T Schafer Prize from the Association for Women in Mathematics. I view this prize as both an honour and a responsibility. The AWM fills an invaluable role in encouraging women to pursue mathematical careers, and I can only hope to contribute to the pursuit of its commendable goals.
So many people deserve my most profound thanks for their support. In particular, I would like to thank Richard Beals and Dana Angluin, two of my professors at Yale without whose guidance and excellent teaching I would be a very different person and mathematician. I would also like to thank Anant Godbole and Joseph Gallian for their wonderful REU programs at East Tennessee State University and at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Finally, I would like to thank my research advisors at Duluth, Melanie Wood and Philip Matchett, who have helped me so much at every stage of the mathematical research process.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Margaret I Doig
Margaret I Doig is a senior honours mathematics major at the University of Notre Dame. Her impressive credentials include being the 2001 Notre Dame high scorer on the Putnam, a year spent at Oxford University being tutored by, among others, number theorist Susan Howson and topologist Wilson Sutherland, and receiving the Goldwater Scholarship.
Margaret's research at the University of Minnesota at Duluth REU during the summer of 2003 resulted in the paper "Maximum Run Length in a Toriodal Grid Graph". She presented this work at the 2004 Joint Mathematics Meetings in Arizona. Next, she spent the summer of 2004 doing research on braid groups with Frank Connolly. Specifically, they worked on the Right Angled Artin Conjecture of Abrams and Ghrist, which they believe they have solved. Margaret made a particularly substantial contribution by developing a crucial technique. This work will result in two papers, one by her alone that will detail the technique, and one coauthored with Connolly. For her senior thesis, supervised by Claudia Polini, Margaret further extends her areas of mathematical expertise to include commutative algebra and algebraic geometry.
Response from Margaret I Doig
I am very grateful to the Association for Women in Mathematics for this honour. The encouragement and care of the organisation are tremendously important, and I hope to be able to make an equivalent return someday. I am thankful to Joe Gallian and the rest of the Duluth REU for teaching me what it means to do maths, and I greatly appreciate the excellent education I have received from the Notre Dame community, especially from Frank Connolly. Not to be overlooked is the contribution of my high school mentors Wright Vermilya and Tom Brieske.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Elena Fuchs
Elena Fuchs is a senior at the University of California at Berkeley. Her coursework, which includes a number of graduate courses, has been called "especially incisive" and "quite clever". Her instructors comment on her advanced mathematical maturity.
During the summer of 2003 Elena attended the Penn State University MASS program. One outcome of her work was a paper coauthored with Paul Baginski on modular invariants of elliptic curves. Her work at the University of Minnesota at Duluth REU during the summer of 2004 resulted in a paper entitled "Longest Induced Cycles in Cayley Graphs," which has been submitted for publication. For her senior thesis, she returns to the impressively complicated topic of elliptic curves. Under the direction of Ken Ribet, she will study endomorphisms of the Jacobian of hyperelliptic curves.
Response from Elena Fuchs
It is a great honour to be selected as runner-up to the Alice Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for the encouragement and recognition they offer young women pursuing maths - this award is only one of the many ways in which it promotes emerging female mathematicians. I am also deeply grateful to Professor Ken Ribet, who has truly inspired me in my research and studies, for his invaluable teaching, as well as his patience and guidance. Thank you to Professor Gallian and everyone at his wonderful Duluth REU, which has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my mathematical career thus far. As always, I want to thank my family and friends for supporting me in all of my endeavours. A special thanks to my father, who has been more than just a mathematical role model to me for many years.
2006
Schafer Prize Winner: Alexandra Ovetsky
Alexandra Ovetsky is a senior at Princeton University. A Goldwater scholar, Ovetsky is also the recipient of the Princeton math department's Andrew H. Brown prize for outstanding research in mathematics as a junior. Her coauthored paper "Surreal Dimensions" has been published in Advances in Applied Mathematics.
In the summer of 2004, Ovetsky participated in the REU program at the University of Minnesota at Duluth. There she wrote a professional-level paper about well-covered graphs, turning the idea around and showing that the property of being not well-covered behaves well under Cartesian products. In the summer of 2005, Ovetsky participated in the Director's Summer Program at the National Security Agency. There she tackled three problems and made significant progress on all three. This work is being published internally at NSA.
For her junior paper at Princeton, Ovetsky proved a result in graph theory, generalising a famous theorem of Claude Shannon from 1948. Ovetsky's theorem relates the chromatic number to the clique number for quasi-line graphs. One recommender reports, "She already has the research capabilities of an advanced graduate student or junior faculty member."
Response from Alexandra Ovetsky
I am greatly honoured to be this year's recipient of the Alice T Schafer prize. I would like to thank the AWM for being such an encouragement to women in mathematics, in particular those at early stages of their careers.
I became passionate about mathematics at a very early age; however I only discovered the true beauty of this subject when I was introduced to mathematical research by Dr Ted Chinburg of the University of Pennsylvania. I would like to thank him for his inspiration and patience in working with an enthusiastic but inexperienced high school student. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Joe Gallian for giving me the opportunity to interact with a group of the nation's top young mathematicians that he gathers at his REU at Duluth, Minnesota. Finally, I would like to thank Maria Chudnovsky, my thesis and junior independent work advisor at Princeton University, for encouraging me to continue working in the field of graph theory and for her excellent guidance of my research endeavours with her. The support of many other faculty members of the Princeton math department has also been invaluable.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Allison Bishop
Allison Bishop is a senior at Princeton University. She is a Goldwater scholar and in 2003 she was the recipient of Princeton's Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence. Bishop's strengths in - and passion for - mathematics are evident in a wide variety of fields, including game theory, classical analysis, number theory, and algebraic geometry. In her coursework and her research endeavours, Bishop's versatility, creativity and tenacity earn high praise. She is described as a natural leader and also a team player.
In Summer 2004, Bishop participated in the REU program at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Her project mentor writes of Bishop's ingenuity as well as her remarkable mathematical sophistication. Allison Bishop's research project used game theory to study the evolution of cooperation; that is, the probability of a single cooperator taking over in a non-cooperating population. This work generalises previous studies, modifying a fixed population to a growing one. At the NSA's Director's Summer Program in Summer 2005, Bishop's performance was again exceptional. Of her project, one advisor writes, "By the midpoint of the summer program, Ms Bishop had demonstrated a solution far better than the project mentor had anticipated."
Bishop's senior thesis at Princeton is an undergraduate mathematics textbook, which aims to introduce readers to the fundamental concept of mathematical proof, while demonstrating the wide variety of mathematical fields, the connections between them, and their applications.
Response from Allison Bishop
I am very honoured to be recognised by the Association for Women in Mathematics. The support and encouragement of female mathematicians has been a crucial element of my positive experiences in mathematics and I am glad that the Association provides such support for other women in the field. In particular, I am greatly indebted to Wendy Hines at the University of Nebraska, as well as Alice Chang, Ingrid Daubechies, and Alina Cojocaru at Princeton University, all of whom have guided me through my mathematical studies and research. I would also like to thank Jamie Radcliffe at the University of Nebraska and Jordon Ellenberg for his wonderful teaching and encouragement in my first semester at Princeton. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my high school calculus teacher, John Kotmel, who first taught me that mathematics could be creative to a degree far beyond my expectations. My mathematical interests came a bit late and unexpectedly in my academic life, but I have been very lucky in having great advisors and fellow students to help me learn and discover mathematics. I am very excited about continuing my studies and pursuing a mathematical career.
2007
Schafer Prize Winner: Ana Caraiani
Ana Caraiani is a senior at Princeton University, and she is already conducting professional-level mathematical research. In the summers of 2005 and 2006, Caraiani participated in the REU program at the University of Minnesota at Duluth. She worked independently on a project on semigroups of rational numbers, related to the 3x + 1 problem. Her work on this problem is highly praised. The resulting paper, "On Wild Semigroups," introduces new ideas that exhibit significant ingenuity.
Caraiani's coursework at Princeton has been remarkable. She has done very well in extremely difficult classes, and is noted for her independence and mathematical sophistication. One professor has said that her work "made you think that it was a professional mathematician who was answering the problems" Another professor rates her among the top undergraduate mathematics majors in fifty years at Princeton.
Caraiani has won the William Lowell Putnam competition twice, scoring among the top five competitors in both her freshman and sophomore years, and is the only woman ever to have done so. The Princeton math department awarded her the Class of 1861 Prize her sophomore year and the Andrew H Brown prize for outstanding juniors. She is expected to become a major mathematical figure and a world class research mathematician.
Response from Ana Caraiani
I am extremely honoured to receive the Alice T Schafer Prize and to be recognised along with so many distinguished women in mathematics. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for inspiring women to excel in math. This award has certainly encouraged me to aim higher and to set new standards for my work in the hope that I would live up to the expectations associated with such an honour.
I would not have made it this far without the support of many people over the last several years. I would first like to thank my math teacher, Liana Manu, for nurturing my interest in math before and throughout high school. I am also very grateful to Joe Gallian for inviting me to his REU in Duluth, finding the best suited problem for me, and for believing in my abilities even more than I did. The Princeton math department has provided the best environment I could have asked for in which to learn math. I am especially grateful to Robert Gunning for introducing me to an amazing new field and letting me share in his enthusiasm for its elegance. I would like to extend my deepest thanks to Andrew Wiles for entrusting me with a senior thesis problem and for all of his support and guidance in approaching it. I am also indebted to John Conway for suggesting an exciting problem for my junior paper and to William Browder for a challenging yet rewarding reading course. There are many other professors at Princeton whose excellent teaching and encouragement have been indispensable and I thank them all.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Tamara Broderick
Tamara Broderick is a senior at Princeton University. A Goldwater scholar, Broderick was awarded the George B Wood Legacy Sophomore Prize for her exceptional achievements during her sophomore year, and the Princeton Class of 1939 Prize at the end of her junior year for achieving the highest standing in all preceding college work at Princeton. She is described by her professors as "one of the very, very best," "extraordinarily talented and intelligent," "bursting with drive, energy and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge."
For her junior paper at Princeton, Broderick developed a mathematical model of animal movement based on radio telemetry data, and she is currently engaged in research on drifting games.
In the summers of her sophomore and junior years, Broderick participated in the Director's Summer Program at the National Security Agency and worked on problems involving crypto-analysis, data mining, combinatorics, statistics and numerical analysis. She quickly emerged as a team leader in each problem she attacked, and as a result she published two internal classified papers each summer at NSA. Being the outstanding problem solver amongst all participants, Broderick was selected, after her first summer at NSA, to represent the United States during the following summer at a student exchange program with the GCHQ, an intelligence and security organisation in the United Kingdom. A correspondent from GCHQ comments that Broderick's work "will no doubt shape further work by GCHQ analysts".
In addition to being an outstanding mathematician, Broderick serves as a leader in numerous math-related activities at Princeton; amongst others she is the current president of the Math Club. Broderick's professors predict she will have an extraordinary career arc in mathematics.
Response from Tamara Broderick
I am honoured and excited to be selected as a Runner-Up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. My thanks go first and foremost to the AWM not only for their recognition but also for their wonderful encouragement of women in mathematics by means of concrete and far-reaching initiatives.
I was lucky enough to have female mathematicians showing me the ropes from the very beginning. My gratitude goes out to my middle school math teacher Ms Vega for seeing early potential, to Ellen Stenson for coming to my high school and giving us a multivariable calculus class, to Ingrid Daubechies for agreeing to be our Princeton Math Club faculty adviser, and to countless other female mentors and role models. I would also like to thank Reza Beigi and Jeanne Stephens for their unfailing encouragement of my pursuit of mathematics though their fields are, respectively, physics and English, Elias Stein for his amazing and beloved analysis series at Princeton, and all of the good mathematics teachers from whom I have had the pleasure of learning. Finally, I am deeply grateful to Robert Schapire for his clear and thoughtful classroom instruction, endless research guidance, and boundless support for this aspiring mathematician.
I've always had the sense that there was something both magical and powerful to mathematics, and I am lucky to have so many people and opportunities to regularly refresh my sense of wonder at the field.
Schafer Prize Runner-Up: Yaim Cooper
Yaim Cooper is a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her outstanding success in a vast array of both undergraduate and graduate mathematics courses has been augmented by her research at the Louisiana State University and the University of Wisconsin REUs. Cooper's "exceptional vigour and zeal" for mathematics becomes apparent with her achievements.
At the LSU REU, Cooper investigated the Ihara zeta function of a graph. Impressively, under a non-partiteness condition, she gave an elementary proof of a theorem due to Bass and generalised an important example appearing in a doctoral dissertation. She has submitted her results for publication in a major combinatorics journal. Showing her breadth, Cooper's research at the Wisconsin REU focussed on the completely different mathematical area of modular forms. Her REU team was asked to generalise a theorem of Serre on congruence properties of the classical j-function. Led by Cooper they "nicely obtained what is surely the best generalisation." Their significant joint paper is expected to appear in an international number theory journal. Cooper is also active in the undergraduate math club and has started two new lecture series at MIT.
Response from Yaim Cooper
I am honoured to have been selected as a runner-up for the Alice T Schafer prize. However much of the recognition should be directed at the people who have helped me along the way. First, I thank my parents, for giving me so many opportunities. I'd like to also thank Professor Lee Stout, who helped me far beyond what was required of him, and helped me learn and love math during my critical high school years. I was lucky to spend two wonderful summers doing math research, and am grateful to Professors Robert Perlis and Ken Ono for giving me a delightful introduction to math research, and the interesting topics they guided me to. I also must thank my peers at both REUs, in particular my coauthors from last summer, Nick Wage and Irena Wang. At MIT, Professor Pavel Etingof has been a wonderful advisor, and I thank Professor Steven Kleiman for introducing me to commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, in such a way that has made me want to learn a lot more of it!
2008
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Galyna Dobrovolska
Galyna Dobrovolska is a senior who is an outstanding mathematics major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her coursework there has been exceptional: she has exhausted the undergraduate offerings in the Mathematics Department while earning the highest possible grade in every class. Dobrovolska is now moving through the graduate mathematics curriculum at MIT with the same success.
Dobrovolska has further distinguished herself through her impressive and original mathematical research. Her research is focused in algebra, and would be considered broad even for a mathematician much further along in their career. Her research in algebraic combinatorics has resulted in a co-authored publication solving the Support Containment Conjecture. This paper resolves a significant open problem, and as such has drawn notice from researchers in the field. Dobrovolska is currently pursuing an active research program in the theory of lower central series quotients of an associative algebra. Here she has, yet again, already obtained impressive theoretical results in confirming a conjecture of Feigin and Shoikhet.
In addition to winning a gold medal at the International Mathematics Olympiad, Dobrovolska won the top prize in 2006 in the Summer Program of Undergraduate Research at MIT. Her ingenious solutions to difficult problems have earned her descriptions as "a star student" and "absolutely outstanding."
Response from Galyna Dobrovolska
I am greatly honoured to be a co-winner of the Alice T Schafer prize this year, and I would like to thank AWM for this honour.
I am thankful to Professor Pavel Etingof for doing research with me and nominating me for this prize. I would like to thank Professor Michael Artin for teaching Algebra so inspirationally and for directing me to do research with Professor Etingof. I would also like to thank Professor Victor Guillemin for his support and advice to continue working on my research this summer. I want to thank Pavlo Pylyavskyy who did research with me during the SPUR program at MIT. I am very thankful to my high school mathematics teacher Mikhail Yakir and his student Maksym Fedorchuk for encouraging me to apply to MIT from Ukraine. I am also grateful to Mikhail Yakir because he taught me mathematics which enabled me to go to the IMO and win a gold medal so that I could come to study to MIT. Finally, I want to thank my parents for their support and patience with me in every stage of my life.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Alison Miller
Alison Miller is a senior at Harvard University and has already published important research in number theory. She was a member of the 2004 United States International Mathematical Olympiad team, and was the first ever U.S. female to win a gold medal at the IMO. She won the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam award for outstanding performance by a woman in the Putnam Competition in 2005 and 2006.
In the summer of 2006, Miller participated in an REU at the University of Wisconsin, where she coauthored two papers on infinite product expansions of modular forms The first of these papers, which answered a deep and difficult question originating in the Fields Medal work of Borcherds, has appeared in the Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society. The second paper, currently in preprint form, is expected to be very influential in this area of number theory.
In the summer of 2007, Miller wrote an independent research paper on the super-pattern problem as part of an REU program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. In this paper she developed a new technique and used it to solve a problem that had been open, and widely discussed, since 2002. Her work has been cited as "the best thing that happened to our field since November 2003."
Response from Alison Miller
I am very honoured to have been chosen as a co-winner of the AWM Schafer Prize. I wish to thank the AWM; not only for this prize, but for everything else they have done to encourage women in their mathematical endeavours.
I have been blessed with many teachers and peers from whom I have learned much, and I would like to thank the many people who have helped me get this far on my mathematical journey. First, my parents, who encouraged my mathematical explorations from the beginning. I also thank my instructors and classmates at the Math Olympiad Program who showed me so much mathematics as a high school student. I thank Joe Gallian for giving me an engaging problem to spend a summer thinking about, and for his ongoing encouragement. I also thank Ken Ono for an unforgettable REU experience from which I learned a lot. I must also thank all my advisors and peers at both REUs, particularly my co-authors at the Madison REU, Carl Erickson and Aaron Pixton. As well, I thank everyone in the Harvard math department for their inspiration and support, and for all I have learned. I am especially indebted to Wilfried Schmid for providing me with a solid base from which to start my mathematical explorations, and to Elizabeth Denne for her encouragement and support.
2009
Schafer Prize Winner: Maria Monks
Maria Monks a junior mathematics major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has already written six research papers; one has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Combinatorial Theory Series A, three have been submitted to leading research journals, and the other two are in nearly final form. On five of these six papers she is the sol author. Her outstanding work is already so widely known in the mathematical research community that she gets invitations to speak at mathematics meetings and in research departments. At the same time, Monks does exceptional work in her classes at MIT and has achieved a perfect grade point average. She has furthermore contributed phenomenal service to the mathematics community, for example by coaching the USA China Girls' Math Olympiad team.
Monks wrote her first research paper while in high school and has since worked on diverse topics in combinatorics and number theory. She has impressed her recommenders with her amazing growth as a research mathematician. One of her projects concerns Freeman Dyson's partition ranks and has earned her such praise as "dramatically beautiful" and "really sensational". A key consequence of her work is a fully combinatorial explanation of the fact that Q(n), the number of partitions of n into distinct parts, is divisible by 4 for almost every n. One of her recommenders writes that this work is "right in the mainstream of a really hot area" and "reveals ... startling insight."
Maria Monks' outstanding research abilities, her exceptional course work and her great leadership in the mathematics community make her this year's winner of the Schafer prize.
Response from Maria Monks
I am very honoured to receive the 2009 Alice T Schafer Prize. I am grateful to the Association for Women in Mathematics for their encouragement and recognition of women in mathematics. Many people have helped make my mathematical journey possible thus far. First and foremost, I thank my father, Ken Monks, for his continual support and encouragement in all of my mathematical endeavours. He opened my eyes to the beauty of mathematics and served as a coach, teacher and mentor throughout my childhood, inspiring me to pursue my love of mathematics to the best of my ability. I am also grateful for the love and support of my mother, Gina Monks, and my brothers, Ken and Keenan Monks, and I am thankful for the countless mathematical discussions and problem-solving sessions that our entire family has had together.
I thank Joe Gallian for nominating me for this prize and for his mentorship at the Duluth REU in the summers of 2007 and 2008. I also thank Ricky Liu, Reid Barton, and Nathan Kaplan for their help, insights, and proofreading of my papers at the Duluth REU. I am grateful for Ken Ono's help and direction during my visit to Madison in the summer of 2008. I also thank Zuming Feng for giving me the opportunity to be a coach of the Girls' Math Olympiad team this year. Finally, thanks to my teachers at MIT for making college a wonderful educational experience so far.
2010
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Hannah Alpert
Hannah Alpert, a junior at the University of Chicago and a Goldwater scholar, approaches mathematics "with great conceptual understanding and a fierce tenacity." Her performance in her classes has been superb. She began her research career even before she started college, co-authoring a paper on topological graph theory. After her first year in college, Alpert attended the Willamette Valley Research Experience for Undergraduates, where her rapid resolution of suggested problems drove her supervisor to present more. Her (co-authored) paper on obstacle numbers of graphs has been accepted; the corresponding poster presentation was awarded an MAA Undergraduate Poster Session prize in 2009.
Alpert spent summer 2009 at the Duluth REU. Remarkably, she has written and submitted for publication three sole-authored papers in three different areas based on her work there. In one, she determined the k-ranking numbers of 3 by n grid graphs, using "innovative" methods that also "give tremendous insight into the general case." She has been invited to present the results of another, on finite phase transitions in countable abelian groups, in a graduate seminar.
Alpert's mentors paint a consistent picture of a remarkably mature young mathematician, one who is a creative problem solver with a "formidable talent." Over and over, she has solved challenging open problems in elegant and fully original ways. One letter writer compares her to a Nobel Prize winner he taught; others describe her as "incredible," "fantastic," and "destined to become a first-rate mathematician."
Response from Hannah Alpert
I would like to thank the AWM for selecting me this year as a co-winner of the Schafer Prize. The award represents the efforts of many advisers who have advocated for me and insisted that all the best opportunities be open to me. Most of all I am grateful to Sarah-Marie Belcastro, for many years of work aggressively supporting my mathematical education. Joe Gallian, Josh Laison, and Paul Sally have also worked hard on my behalf. I am glad their efforts are being recognised in this prize, and I am confident that they will continue to render mathematics careers more and more accessible to young women.
Schafer Prize Co-Winner: Charmaine Sia
Charmaine Sia is a senior at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she has excelled in both undergraduate and graduate classes. She has a perfect undergraduate transcript. To quote one of her recommenders, "Charmaine absorbs mathematics like a sponge." Another one writes, "I have never seen a student with as voracious an appetite for knowledge."
In addition to her academic performance, Sia is also an expert contest-taker with three bronze medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad and a top 75 ranking in the Putnam Mathematical Competition. In her three years as an undergraduate, Sia has already gained extensive research experience. She has written four papers, two of which are single-authored. Sia has spent the past three summers in undergraduate research programs, starting with SPUR at MIT in 2007, where she won the prize for best research in the program for her work on zero-sum problems in finite group theory. The next summer she participated in the Duluth REU program, where she wrote two papers, one on classifying the orbits of special groups under the Hurwitz action, and the other on game chromatic numbers of products of graphs. Both papers have been published in professional journals. In the summer of 2009, Sia participated in the SMALL research program at Williams College, where she co-authored two papers on knot theory. She was in charge of one of these papers. Her mentor there writes, "Charmaine single-handedly made rigorous the very difficult collection of ideas that we discussed, but as a group understood incompletely. ... she did a better job ... than I could have done myself."
Sia is, in the words of her teachers and mentors, an "astonishing" student who "has distinguished herself in every possible way" and "already a mature mathematician" with "immense potential." She is expected to become an outstanding research mathematician.
Response from Charmaine Sia
I am very honoured to be a co-winner of the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for their invaluable role in encouraging and supporting women in mathematics. I am grateful to several people who have guided, encouraged, and supported me thus far. I would first like to thank my family, who has constantly supported my pursuit of mathematics. I thank my instructors in the Singapore IMO program for nurturing my interest in mathematics. I also thank Hoda Bidkhori, who provided much guidance and encouragement on my first research paper at SPUR. I am especially grateful to Joe Gallian and Colin Adams for their wonderful REU programs in Duluth and Williams College respectively, which gave me the opportunity to interact with other extremely talented mathematics students there. Finally, I would like to thank the many people, in particular the MIT mathematics department, who generously shared their wisdom and knowledge with me, and from whom I benefited immensely.
2011
Citation: Sherry Gong
Sherry Gong is a senior at Harvard University where her performance in her classes has been outstanding. She began with Harvard's famous problem solving class, in which she achieved a score above 100, and since her sophomore year has taken numerous graduate mathematics courses, earning As in all of them. Whether in a class or independently mastering background for a research project, her recommenders were universally amazed by her ability to master sophisticated mathematics rapidly.
Gong has been involved in four different research projects, and is the author or co-author of three papers. She spent summer 2008 at the Duluth REU researching cyclotomic polynomials; her paper was published in the Journal of Number Theory. In 2009 she worked with a group at MIT that did research on computing the dimension of the space of characters of the Lie algebra of Hamiltonian vector fields on a symplectic vector space; their work will be published shortly. She and an economist have published a paper in Integers on congruence conditions characterising primes. Most recently she did research on periodic cyclic cohomology of group algebras of torsion free groups at Vanderbilt.
As a high school student, Gong medalled repeatedly in the International Mathematical Olympiad, winning a gold medal in 2007. After entering college, she returned to the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program as a grader and also served as a grader for the Mathematical Olympiad of Central America and the Caribbean. In 2010 Gong served as one of the coaches for the USA team for the China Girls' Mathematical Olympiad. Five of the eight girls on the team won gold medals, and the head coach describes Gong as "a young lady with a great heart, thoughtful and gentle," who pushed the students with "acute mathematical insights and inspiring personality."
Gong's mentors describe a remarkable young mathematician, exceptionally talented and original, with one commenting she is already "comparable to some of the best mathematical minds I know."
Response from Sherry Gong
I am deeply honoured to be selected to receive Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for inspiring and encouraging women in mathematics. I am grateful to many people who have brought me to this stage mathematically. Thank you to Zuming Feng, for teaching, guiding and encouraging me throughout my high school years. To Dennis Gaitsgory, who has been an amazing teacher and adviser. To Guoliang Yu and Pavel Etingof for guiding me in undergraduate research and sharing with me their penetrating mathematical insights, and in particular, to Joe Gallian who introduced me to the world of mathematical research through his wonderful REU program. I would like to thank the Harvard and MIT mathematics departments for the wisdom and guidance they have shared with me.
Schafer Prize Runner-up: Ruthi Hortsch
Ruthi Hortsch is a senior mathematics major at the University of Michigan, where she has excelled in undergraduate courses and is currently taking second-year graduate mathematics courses. She is a mathematical leader who has served as a peer-tutor, as a course assistant, worked with gifted high school students, and organised a problem solving class.
Hortsch has been involved in three successful mathematics research projects (in addition to doing research in physics). She worked with a group at Michigan on vertex algebras, and their work has recently appeared in the Journal of Algebra. She is in the process of preparing for publication her results from a project in which she solved the problem of describing the de Rham cohomology of a particular exceptional curve as a representation for the automorphism group of that curve. During summer 2010, she solved a challenging problem "initially intended as a possible PhD thesis topic" which drew upon knowledge of number theory, group theory, algebraic geometry, algebraic topology, and complex analysis.
Her recommenders describe her as having "a talent that is already strong," someone who "keeps getting better and better," and predict that she "has an exceptional and brilliant career ahead of her."
Response from: Ruth Hortsch
I am honoured to be the runner-up for the Schafer Prize. Thank you to the AWM for this distinction, and for their hard work and dedication to advancing the work of women in mathematics. My deepest thanks to my family, whose love and encouragement has always supported me.
Many people, particularly at the University of Michigan, have provided me with support and while I cannot name them all, my thanks goes to them. I am particularly grateful to Stephen DeBacker, who instilled in me a passion for mathematics and whose advice and encouragement has been integral these past few years. Thank you to Mike Zieve, whose infectious energy has made working on research with him a joy and whose mathematical insights have given me a deeper understanding, to Bryden Cais, whose advice and guidance have shaped my interests, and Djordje Milicevic, whose teaching and care have encouraged and inspired me.
2012
Citation: Fan Wei
Fan Wei is a senior at MIT, who distinguished herself both by her outstanding coursework and by the excellence and unusually broad range of her research. She has authored or co-authored five upcoming papers in fields as diverse as Number Theory, Combinatorics, Statistics, and Tropical Geometry. She has participated in multiple undergraduate research projects at MIT, and in two summer REU programs Of the latter, the first was at Williams College (Summer 2010), where she co-wrote a paper investigating the properties of Rikuna polynomials. The second one was at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Summer 2011), where she produced two papers: one on a connection between the evacuation of Young tableaux and chip-firing, and the second on tropical properties for general chain graphs. The latter paper is single-authored.
Fan has already presented her results at two conferences: Young Mathematician's Conference, Ohio State University, 2010, and Permutation Patterns, Dartmouth College, 2010. Her work is being described as "elegant," "intricate," "very creative," "quite surprising," and "having stirred up a lot of interest [in the area]." According to her mentors, she is expected to have a very successful career as a research mathematician, because "she learns very quickly" and has "an excellent instinct for seeing what needs to be done and then doing it."
In addition to her varied research projects, her coursework at MIT is absolutely outstanding: she has earned the top grade in 21 advanced mathematics courses, 5 of which were at graduate level. Her MIT instructors describe her as "incredibly bright," "truly outstanding," "one of the best students I have ever had in the course," and "destined to excel."
Aside from her research and coursework, Fan was part of a Meritorious Winner Team for the Mathematical Contest in Modelling (2010), she is a mentor for the Girl's Angle Math Club in Cambridge, and she has served on the board of MIT's Society of Women Engineers.
For her outstanding research abilities, as well as the breadth of her research interests, the excellence of her academic work, and the service she provides to the mathematical community, Fan Wei is the winner of the 2012 Alice T Schafer Prize.
Response from Fan Wei
I am very honored and grateful to receive the Alice T Schafer Prize. It is a great encouragement for me and I would like to thank AWM for providing this award.
First and foremost, I want to thank my parents for their constant love, understanding, and tolerance. My home has always been and will continue to be my motivation. My gratitude goes to my mentor and nominator, Richard Dudley. His meticulous research style is exemplary of the rigor of mathematics and continues to inspire me. I want to thank my first research supervisor, Richard Stanley, for introducing me to the world of mathematical research. Furthermore, I want to express my gratitude to the hosts of UMN REU - Gregg Musiker, Victor Reiner and Pavlo Pylyavskyy - and the hosts of Williams College SMALL REU, especially Allison Pacelli, for providing me with two memorable summers. I am also grateful to the MIT math department, especially Prof Artin, Prof Edelman, and Prof Kim for their great help, patience, and support. Lastly, I want to thank all my friends for giving me a second family. I am lucky to know all of them.
2013
Citation: MurphyKate Montee
MurphyKate Montee is a senior Honours Mathematics Major at University of Notre Dame and a member of its Seminar for Undergraduate Mathematics Research Program. At Notre Dame, Montee has consistently excelled in mathematics classes at both the undergraduate and graduate level and has received numerous merit scholarships rewarding her extraordinary ability and promise.
Montee has participated in multiple undergraduate research projects at Notre Dame and in two summer NSF-REU programs Her time at the Louisiana State University REU led to a co-authored paper on the recursive behaviour of ribbon graph polynomials. The following summer, Montee attended the SMALL program at Williams College, where she produced two papers. The first was a single-authored paper "with lots of clever geometric arguments" predicted to appear in a strong mathematics research journal. The second, "Knot Projections with a Single Multi-Crossing," is hailed by her advisor as "perhaps the best work I have ever done with students", containing results that will have a significant influence on future knot theory research.
Montee's mentors uniformly praise her motivation and "infectious" enthusiasm for the subject, calling her "one of the most mathematically mature students I have ever known" and "exceptionally gifted". Those who have worked with Montee expect that she will have many more "impressive results" and an "amazing career" ahead of her, in part because of her uncanny ability to get right at the heart of a problem.
Response from MurphyKate Montee
I am honoured to be selected as the recipient of the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the AWM for offering this award to support young women in mathematics, and the selection committee in particular for choosing me. I am incredibly grateful to so many people for helping me get here; to my family and friends for their constant support, and to the Notre Dame math department, as well as to the REUs at LSU and Williams College. Special thanks to Mr Cliff Wind, for going above and beyond for me in high school; his obvious love of math and brilliant teaching inspired me to pursue a career in mathematics. To Prof Neal Stoltzfus, who mentored me in my first research experience, and who helped me find my own mathematical style. To Prof Colin Adams, whose endless stream of interesting questions is exciting and inspirational, and whose support and encouragement means more to me than I can say. To my advisor, Prof Frank Connolly, who has worked with me since my sophomore year to keep me challenged, and who has always pushed me beyond what I thought myself capable of.
Runner-Up: Yuhou (Susan) Xia
Yuhou (Susan) Xia is a senior at Bryn Mawr College, but has also taken courses at Haverford College, Swarthmore College, and at the University of Pennsylvania. She has won scholarly awards at Bryn Mawr from both the mathematics department and the college. Her recommendation letters call her a "tenacious problem solver", and rave about her exceptional mathematical writing. She is repeatedly lauded for her mathematical maturity, evidenced both by her understanding of deep topics and her clear expositions.
Xia has completed graduate-level coursework at the University of Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing an independent study there for her honour's thesis. Her work in the graduate courses has been "as good as those of the best Ph.D. students in the class", and she is praised for her enthusiasm and excitement for new mathematical ideas.
Xia participated in an REU at Michigan, achieving results on "longstanding and much-studied" problems related to Diophantine equations and complex polynomials. She took on the difficult case where the polynomial is reducible, building up skills from Galois theory to tackle the problem. Her contribution was "at the level of a world-class professional mathematician". The results from her group were termed "major breakthroughs" which will result in articles submitted to high-level research journals.
Response from Yuhou (Susan) Xia
I am deeply honoured to be the runner-up of the 2013 Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank AWM for offering this prize and for its continuous support for women in mathematics. There are many people who helped me along the way during my pursuit of mathematics and I am grateful for them all. I would like to thank three people in particular. I want to thank Professor Mike Zieve, my advisor at the University of Michigan REU, for his meticulous hands-on guidance during the program. He is extremely prolific and efficient as a research mathematician and shows great care for his students. I am also very appreciative of my major advisor, Professor Josh Sabloff, who has always been supportive of my goals and encouraged me through some tough times. Finally, I would like to thank Professor David Harbater. He opened me to many opportunities and also gave me a lot of encouragement and valuable advice by sharing his own experience. I would not be where I am today if it were not for him.
2014
Citation: Sarah Peluse
Sarah Peluse is a senior mathematics major at the University of Chicago. She is hailed by the faculty there as one of the "top 5 undergraduates in 49 years." Peluse transferred to the University of Chicago in 2011 from Lake Forest College, and has gone on to take a rigorous curriculum of advanced mathematics courses. In one reading course, she gave a "seminar-quality presentation at the board" each week, skilfully fielding questions on extensions and applications of the material and discussing current research. She is currently working as a research assistant to a faculty member in the area of model theory. Peluse attended an REU at Williams College, her work there resulted in a talk and poster at the Joint Mathematical Meetings in 2012. She also attended an REU in number theory at Emory University in 2012 and 2013 and was recognised as a "true star". At Emory, she worked on problems concerning lacunary q-series, irreducible representations of SU(n) which have prime power degree, and zeros of Eichler integrals of cusp forms This work has resulted in one published article and others submitted for publication. Peluse is described as having impressive creativity and the capability to obtain deep understanding of sophisticated material on her own. Peluse's recommendation letters praise not only her "impressive talent" but also her motivation, saying that she is a "ferocious worker" who "has a drive ... only observed in a few top people." She is viewed as a "future superstar."
Response from Sarah Peluse
I am greatly honoured to be selected as the winner of the 2014 Schafer Prize. First, I'd like to thank Jan Robinson, my middle school maths teacher, for sparking my love for maths and putting up with me when I'd sneak out of my other classes to talk to her about it. I want to thank every math professor I've taken a course with at Lake Forest College and the University of Chicago for contributing to my education. In particular, I want to thank Ed Packel and Dave Yuen for encouraging me to pursue maths at a higher level and providing outlets to do and discuss maths outside of my courses at Lake Forest. I'm exceedingly grateful to Paul Sally for convincing me to come to the University of Chicago, for his ample advice and encouragement, for always looking out for my best interests, and for his always engaging and challenging classes. I'd also like to thank Maryanthe Malliaris for many good mathematical discussions and for pointing out to me interesting talks and papers. I'm thankful for my experiences at the wonderful REUs I attended at Williams College and Emory University. I would especially like to thank Ken Ono for being a fantastic and tireless advisor who is generous with advice, for creating an amazing environment to do maths in at the Emory REU, and for suggesting interesting problems to work on. Finally, I want to thank my family, my friends, and my teammates for their love and support.
Runner-Up: Morgan Opie
Morgan Opie is currently a senior mathematics major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Opie was home-schooled from a young age and attended a community college in lieu of high school before transferring to UMass Amherst. Once at UMass, Morgan took and excelled in essentially the entire undergraduate and graduate mathematics curriculum.
She has participated in the Undergraduate Summer School at the UCLA logic centre and was an REU student in algebraic geometry at UMass last summer. During her REU, Opie worked on a conjecture concerning the moduli space of stable genus zero curves. Not only did she quickly learn the necessary background to work on the research problem, she in fact found a series of counterexamples to the conjecture. The work has been presented at a conference for young mathematicians and is currently being written up for publication.
Opie's recommenders describe her mathematical abilities as truly impressive and remarkable. She is able to improvise at the board, discover non-standard and exciting solutions to challenging problems, and effectively share her mathematical insights with others. Moreover, they add that Opie is "One of the new emerging leaders in mathematics."
Response from Morgan Opie
It is truly an honour to be the 2014 Alice T Schafer Prize Runner-up. I am grateful to the AWM for advancing women in this field, and in particular for offering the Schafer prize. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge a few of the many individuals who have helped me in my mathematical journey thus far. Firstly, I must thank Professor Jenia Tevelev of the University of Massachusetts. As my teacher and REU mentor, his energetic approach to mathematics, consistent support, and high expectations have been instrumental to my mathematical development. I would also like to thank Professors Eduardo Cattani, Tom Braden, and Richard Ellis of the University of Massachusetts. Their exceptional teaching, insightful explanations, and constant encouragement have motivated me in my quest for mathematical knowledge. I am also grateful to Minxie Zhang and Negash Yusuf, my instructors at Cape Cod Community College, who first inspired me to explore mathematics. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for supporting me in all my endeavours.
2015
Citation: Sheela Devadas
Sheela Devadas is majoring in mathematics at MIT. As a sophomore in high school, Devadas joined a research group for high school students at MIT (PRIMES), where she was assigned a project on Cherednik algebras. As a 15-year-old, she quickly mastered the basics of representation theory, commutative algebra and computer algebra systems In 2011, the Advantage Testing Foundation Math Prize for Girls announced the names of 19 "astonishingly accomplished young women," including Silver Medalist, Sheela Devadas.
After completing her junior year of high school, she began studying at MIT, taking many advanced mathematics courses, including Fourier analysis, arithmetic geometry, discrete mathematics, and graduate-level courses in randomness and computation, representation theory, cryptography and commutative algebra.
Continuing her work in representation theory, she is now coauthor of a paper to appear in the Journal of Commutative Algebra. Her mentors comment that this is an "excellent paper" and her work is at a level far beyond her age. Devadas shows great breadth by also engaging in research in theoretical computer science, specifically homomorphism testing. These results are currently being written for publication. Sheela Devadas, who has the "highest level of imagination and skill" is an "outstanding student" who is "brilliant, and at the same time very hard working, mature, and motivated. This is surely a winning combination." She "has a bright research career ahead of her" and of the "many amazing MIT undergraduates, Sheela is second to none."
Response from Sheela Devadas
I am very honoured by my selection as the winner of the 2015 Schafer Prize. I was first introduced to complex mathematics by Ms Tatyana Finkelstein, my middle school math teacher; she has given me interesting problems to work on, encouraged me to pursue opportunities like the MIT-PRIMES program, and always provided inspiration. I would like to thank the MIT-PRIMES program for enabling me to do research in representation theory in high school and my research mentor Dr Steven Sam for his invaluable teaching and guidance in my first experience with research. I am grateful to my advisor Professor Pavel Etingof for suggesting my PRIMES research project and for his continued guidance, advice, and teaching. At the PROMYS program at BU I was able to listen to the engaging lectures of Professor Glenn Stevens and make a connection with a greater mathematical community. I am grateful to Professor Ronitt Rubinfeld for suggesting and guiding me through research in linearity testing. MIT not only offers wonderful classes, but also provides ample opportunities for undergraduate research. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their support in all my endeavours.
Runner-Up: Samantha Petti
Samantha Petti is a senior mathematics major at Williams College. She is lauded by the faculty for her excellent performance in advanced courses, including a class in upper-level knot theory in her first year. As a student in Tiling Theory, she also served as a teaching assistant for the course. She took a tutorial course in topology in which her weekly presentations "displayed her strong understanding of the material and strong expository skills." Petti participated in the SMALL REU at Williams College. Her group produced two research papers, both expected to be published in strong research journals. She also spent a summer working on research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she worked on an open problem about convergence conditions for the Markov Clustering Algorithm. As a researcher, she was praised for her "originality, confidence, and healthy self-awareness." She has presented her work at MathFest and UnKnot, an undergraduate knot theory conference. She participated in the Budapest Semester in Mathematics and was awarded a 2014 Barry M Goldwater Scholarship.
Petti's recommendation letters tout her communication skills, focus, and enthusiasm. Additionally, she "has the intellectual firepower, the organisational skills and the fire in the belly to do amazingly strong work."
Response from Samantha Petti
I am honoured to be named the Alice T Schafer Prize Runner-up. I would like to thank the AWM for encouraging women to pursue mathematics in many ways, including the offering of this prize. There are many people I need to thank for contributing to my mathematics education and inspiring me to be a researcher. In particular, I would like to thank Professor Adams for sharing his contagious excitement for research and providing me with opportunities to begin research early, Professor Silva for challenging me in several key courses, Dr Ferragut for his valuable research guidance this summer, and Professor Devadoss for advising my senior thesis. Additionally, I am thankful for the entire math faculty at Williams College, who make the department an inviting and exciting place to learn. I would also like to thank the folks at the Summer Math Program at Carleton College for introducing me to a great community of women mathematicians. Finally, I am grateful for all the support provided by my family and friends through the years.
2016
Citation: Mackenzie Simper
Mackenzie Simper is a senior mathematics major at the University at Utah where she received the Calvin Wilcox Scholarship, one of the department's most prestigious scholarships. After a flawless academic performance at Salt Lake Community College, Simper transferred to the University of Utah where she has impressed the faculty as a student "with a stellar academic track record, proven ability to do original mathematical research, [who] is keenly committed to excelling in her mathematical career, and is highly praised as a student and a colleague" with "research ability ... never witnessed before in someone so young."
In just one year, Simper has participated in three research projects: two at an REU at the University of Utah, one of which derives a "surprisingly general model for the equilibrium distribution of the Bak-Sneppens model of evolution." The results will appear in a paper that is currently in preparation. "Given the mathematical depth and the technical difficulty of the problem, this is an extraordinary achievement for a 17-year-old undergraduate student." Simper also participated in a third REU in the Applied Mathematics Department at Brown University, where her performance was "simply amazing." The resulting paper is also in preparation and expected to be submitted to a top dynamics journal. Simper's mentors agree that she is "passionate about mathematics and one of the most creative and advanced undergraduates" with whom they have worked.
Response from Mackenzie Simper
I am honoured to be selected as the winner of the 2016 Alice T Schafer Prize and I would like to thank the AWM for encouraging and supporting women in mathematics. Nothing has contributed more to my success than the many wonderful people who have helped me on my journey, including my amazing family. Kyle Costello at Salt Lake Community College was the first to encourage me to pursue math, for which I am tremendously grateful. I am also grateful to the entire math department at the University of Utah, for creating a welcoming and stimulating environment in which to explore this spectacular subject. I very much appreciate everyone involved in the REU at Brown this past summer, for the great experience and all of the advice. Specifically, I am thankful to John Gemmer, for supervising my project, which was an absolute blast, and Professor Bjӧrn Sandstede, for creating countless opportunities to learn. Finally, I would like to thank Professor Tom Alberts, who was the first to expose me to the fascinating realm of mathematical research and has continually provided guidance and inspiration since then.
Runner-Up: Sarah Tammen
Sarah Tammen is a senior at the University of Georgia where she received the Strahan award, the department's award to honour the outstanding undergraduate mathematics major. She is "incredibly gifted, deeply passionate about mathematics and truly driven to succeed." Her academic performance has been exceptional, including her performance in the graduate-level real and complex analysis courses.
Tammen participated in the SMALL REU program, where she was an "outstanding member" of the SMALL undergraduate research Geometry Group. Her research culminated in a "major theorem" generalising the isoperimetric inequality in Rn with density rp. The resulting paper has been submitted for publication. At the University of Georgia, she is currently preparing a longer version of this for her honours thesis. Her mentors describe her as "a mathematics star in the making." Tammen also participated as a teaching assistant/counsellor in the SIMUW program for motivated high school students at the University of Washington.
Tammen is "very independent and already a remarkably careful and precise mathematician." In addition to her talent from mathematics, she "also has something extra: guts, determination and creativity."
Response from Sarah Tammen
It is an honour to be the Runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I am thankful for all of the teachers and mentors who have helped me to become the mathematician I am today. I am thankful for Ted Shifrin, who told me, "you should be doing challenge problems," after the first week of his multivariable calculus class. I am thankful for Frank Morgan and for his guidance during the SMALL REU. I am thankful for all of the professors who have taught me at UGA, and I am glad to be representing their students as the Schafer Prize Runner-up.
2017
Citation: Hannah Larson
Hannah Larson is a senior mathematics major at Harvard University where she is a Herchel Smith Harvard Undergraduate Science Research Fellow and Barry M Goldwater Scholarship recipient. She has been doing "jaw-dropping" mathematical work since she was a high school student when she won the Davidson Fellowship for her work on fusion categories. At Harvard she has been taking advanced graduate courses such as algebraic geometry where she "sailed through the course; she did all the assignments and did them perfectly" and algebraic curves where she "was at the top of the class."
Larson did research at University of Oregon as a high school student participated in the Number Theory REU at Emory for three summers, and did research at Harvard for one summer. She has published eight papers in a variety of fields: number theory, algebra, combinatorics, and moonshine. Her work in moonshine, for example, was an extension of Borcherds' Fields Medal work. She was able to answer a question posed by Ed Witten. "Her work was completely unexpected ...This reordering is presently a mystery in the math physics community, and it is called the 'Larson Anomaly'."
As her mentors say, "Hannah Larson is a phenomenon. She has been a star for many years, first as a high school student in Oregon...Incredibly, she wrote 5 papers in the summer of 2015... I have never witnessed anything like Hannah's 2015 REU performance." "She is an exceptional student." "She will be a star."
Response from Hannah Larson
I am very honoured to receive the 2017 Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for creating this prize and supporting women in math. I would also like to thank my professors and mentors for their incredible support, without which I would not be here today. I am especially grateful to Professor Victor Ostrik for mentoring my first research project in high school; to Professor Ken Ono for challenging me with interesting problems at his Research Experience for Undergraduates at Emory University and for his years of steadfast support and counsel; and to Professor Joe Harris for his inspiring teaching and advising my senior thesis. I also want to thank my middle school math teacher, Marna Knoer, for sparking my interest in math. Finally, thank you to my family for their love and encouragement, and especially to my older brother and role model, Eric Larson, for always supporting me, mathematically and personally.
Runner-Up: Sarah McClain Fleming
Sarah McClain Fleming is a senior at Williams College. She is active in her department and vice president of the Williams College AWM chapter. She has received a Goldwater Scholarship and the Erastus C Benedict, Class of 1821, Prize in Mathematics that recognises sophomore maths majors. Starting from her first semester at Williams, she "greatly enjoyed studying advanced topics in Mathematics and [her instructors were] delighted to observe, throughout the semester, her talent and passion for both mathematics and physics."
Fleming has "produced an impressive amount of original research in mathematics." She has participated in the SMALL REU at Williams College and REUs at Emory University and the University of Michigan. Fleming "has superb mathematical talent, and approaches problems with great energy and creativity." Her research has focused on a range of algebra topics and as part of these experiences, she has written four papers. Two of these papers are submitted to journals and the two others have been accepted for publication.
Fleming's mentors describe the rich mathematical conversations they have had with her - it is a "tremendous joy to talk to a student with so much drive and passion for mathematics!" They also praise her enthusiasm and understanding. "She is exceptionally strong, talented and passionate about mathematics" and "her potential for a successful research career in mathematics is incredibly high."
2018
Citation: Libby Taylor
Libby Taylor is a senior mathematics major at the Georgia Institute of Technology; she began taking mathematics courses there during high school. Faculty describe her as currently "performing at the level of an exceptional graduate student." She participated along with graduate students in the 2017 AMS Research Community on Crossing Numbers and the 2017 MSRI Graduate Summer School on Soergel Bimodules. Last year she won the Georgia Tech Mathematics Department's Outstanding Junior Award.
Her research track record is substantial; she has collaborated with several groups at Georgia Tech. An advisor describes conversations with her as "almost as if I was taking with a colleague." Taylor with co-authors has submitted six papers and written four preprints on topics including combinatorics, tropical geometry and random graphs. She has presented her results at several conferences, including the 6th Polish Combinatorics Conference, the 2017 Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics, and the 2017 AMS Southeastern Sectional Meeting.
Taylor's mentors are particularly impressed by her "fearless" approach to new material; she is described as one of "the most motivated students I've ever seen," with "staggering potential."
Response from Libby Taylor
I am very honoured to receive the 2018 Alice T Schafer prize, and I would like to thank the AWM for offering this prize and for their continued support of women in mathematics. I would like to express my gratitude to Tom Trotter, who first showed me the beauty of mathematics and made me fall in love with the subject. He has provided me with many opportunities to grow as a mathematician, and his infectious enthusiasm has been a continual inspiration. Without his support and encouragement, I certainly would not have made it as far as I have. I would also like to thank Matt Baker for his mentorship and for the many hours he has spent advising my research, answering questions, and providing valuable advice and encouragement. I owe a good deal to several professors at Georgia Tech - Jen Hom, Joe Rabinoff, and Larry Rolen in particular - who have regularly taken time out of their schedules to discuss math with me and help answer any questions I have had. Great thanks go to Padma Srinivasan for her friendship, support, and boundless enthusiasm for all areas of life; her love of number theory in particular has proved contagious, and she has enriched my life both mathematically and personally. Last, I would like to thank my parents for having been my first math teachers and for having challenged me to achieve all that I was capable of, both in academics and in life.
Runner-Up: Sameera Vemulapalli
Sameera Vemulapalli is a senior mathematics and computer science major at UC Berkeley. She is a relatively recent addition to the math community who has impressed mentors with her passion, talent, focus and motivation. They are amazed "to see how fast she grows while learning thoroughly, excelling in classes, and doing her own research". She is curious, asks deep and sharp questions, and is "exceptional in demonstrating her depth and clarify of understanding through her talks". Her mentors describe how pleasant their meetings are with her: "Advising Sameera on this project has been one of my most fun and productive REU advising experiences."
Last summer she participated in the REU at Emory University. Working with another undergraduate student, she wrote a paper in arithmetic geometry that significantly extends recent work of several authors. The paper is of "superb quality" and " serious professional piece that is expected to appear in a respected journal." This project required Sameera to learn a broad range of background material very quickly - which she did very successfully and with a "relentless in her desire to understand the details of everything".
2019
Citation for Naomi Sweeting, AWM 2019 Schafer Prize Winner
Naomi Sweeting is a senior mathematics and history major at the University of Chicago. At Chicago, she has excelled in both difficult coursework as well as independent research projects. Her mentors at Chicago describe her as a "truly exceptional student, with a promising future ahead of her." She has already been the recipient of many awards, including the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship and a First Prize the International Mathematics Competition.
Last summer, Sweeting participated in an REU at Emory University, where she conducted research with other undergraduates in number theory resulting in three excellent publications. On these projects she quickly emerged amongst her peers as an exceptionally gifted mathematician. One of her mentors describes being dazzled by her "depth, vision and sheer computational skill," and believes that one day she "will emerge as a world leading mathematician."
Citation for Danielle Wang, AWM 2019 Schafer Prize Runner-Up
Danielle Wang is a senior math major at MIT. She has excelled in many demanding classes, written four impressive papers and has a strong record both as a participant in math competitions and helping support the next generation of students. Faculty members who have worked with her are enthusiastic about her potential, stating "I believe she will have an excellent career as a research mathematician and bring added prestige to the (Schafer) prize." Faculty who have taught graduate classes Danielle has taken describe her comfort with complicated and abstract ideas and the clarity of her solutions. They describe her as combining "world-class problem-solving skills with determination and effort." Danielle has also been very successful on the Putnam exam including winning the Elizabeth William Lowell Putnam Prize for her performance on the Putnam Exam in 2015. She has also been a teaching assistant at the Math Olympiad Summer Program.
Danielle has participated in the REUs at Emory University and the University of Minnesota at Duluth. Her mentors in both programs describe her results with great enthusiasm, noting her "work is at the level of an advanced PhD student at a top school." In some of her papers, Danielle has resolved conjectures in the literature and identified new conjectures that are likely to draw attention on their own. In other papers, she has successfully mastered and applied technically demanding new approaches. Reflecting this breath of skills, faculty who have worked with her describe her as having "the tools to become a star mathematician."
2020
Citation for Natalia Pacheco-Tallaj, AWM 2020 Schafer Prize Winner:
Natalia Pacheco-Tallaj is a senior math major at Harvard University. She had her first experience with research as a high school student and as an undergraduate she has participated in REUs at the University of Michigan and Williams College. Through these experiences she has three papers accepted or published in peer-reviewed journals and another that will be submitted soon. Three of these papers have focused on knot theory and they are expected to inspire future research and be amenable to generalisations.
In addition to her research skills, Pacheco-Tallaj has excelled in course work and independent reading with mentors. She started taking graduate classes last year and is currently enrolled in the Kan seminar at MIT. Pacheco-Tallaj's mentors describe her as "exceptionally smart, able to absorb difficult mathematics quickly on the fly, and incredibly committed and enthusiastic." They are delighted by her intellectual curiosity. Her enthusiasm for research has helped move her research groups forward, and her commitment to grappling with challenging material means her meetings with mentors become opportunities for both her and her mentor to learn from each other.
Pacheco-Tallaj has been an exciting and inspirational member of the mathematically communities she is part of. Mentors describe her enthusiasm for research and learning as "contagious". She is present in her department "all the time, collaborating on problems, and helping people who are stuck." They predict she will be wonderful addition to whatever mathematical community she chooses to join.
Citation for Yuhan (Michelle) Jiang, AWM 2020 Schafer Prize Runner-Up:
Yuhan (Michelle) Jiang is a senior mathematics major at the University of California Berkeley. At Berkeley, she has excelled in her coursework, which includes many graduate-level mathematics classes as well as courses in computer science, statistics and economics. Faculty members state that "breadth of Yuhan's interests and the depth of her understanding is really quite remarkable."
In addition to her coursework, Jiang has also pursued a number of research projects. Her contributions in the algebraic geometry of singular plane curves at Berkeley led to an invitation to spend the summer conducting research at MPI Leipzig. She is also conducting research in algebraic combinatorics and representation theory. Her mentors describe her as a "phenomenal talent who has a very bright research career in mathematics ahead of her."
2021
Citation for Elena Kim, AWM 2021 Schafer Prize Winner:
Elena Kim is a senior math major at Pomona College. She has excelled in all of her mathematics courses and received the top Pomona mathematics prize in every year that she has been a student at the College.
Kim has also made important contributions to research, and she has three accepted or published papers. She participated in the SMALL REU at Williams college where she worked on two projects, one related to the Erdös distance problem as well as an investigation in additive combinatorics. Both of these papers have led to papers that have been submitted. Kim also participated in an REU in Mathematical Analysis at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2019, where she worked on estimates on the Kohn Laplacian on CR manifolds. For her senior thesis at Pomona, Kim is working on a project studying generalised Frobenius norms, and she has already made significant progress that will lead to another publication.
Kim has also participated in outreach and teaching activities, including helping to mentor middle schoolers in a summer mathematics camp during her REU in Michigan. She has also served as a TA, grader and mentor at Pomona for several mathematics courses. Kim's mentors believe that she will have great success in a mathematical career, stating that she "keeps us on our toes" and "compares favourably to the best students I have seen in terms of independence, creativity, and motivation."
Response from Kim
I am extremely honoured to have been selected as the recipient of this prize and would like to thank the AWM for all they do to support women in mathematics.
I would like to thank all my professors at the Pomona math department, as well as those at Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna. I am especially thankful to Professor Stephan Garcia for believing in me, mentoring me, and fostering my love of analysis. I would also like to thank Professor Yunus Zeytuncu from University of Michigan-Dearborn for all his support and helping me gain confidence as a mathematician. I am extremely grateful for Professors Steven J. Miller and Eyviandur Palsson for their invaluable mentorship at the SMALL REU. Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, and teammates for all their support and my peers at Pomona and Harvey Mudd for their work in creating inclusive, collaborative environments that have undoubtedly led to my success.
Citation for Eunice Sukarto, AWM 2021 Schafer Prize Runner-Up:
Eunice Sukarto is a senior Mathematics and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science major at the University of California, Berkeley. In her three and half years at Berkeley she has taken a wide variety of classes. These include many graduate classes focusing on topology and algebra. Her instructors describe her as careful, curious, persistent and welcoming challenges. She has the enviable ability to learn deeply from confusions and mistakes.
To complement her course work, Eunice has worked on three research projects, a senior thesis and computer science internships. These research projects have explored different mathematical areas and have had very different structures. Eunice worked on a project in computational algebraic geometry with a research mentor and this lead to a more independent project in geometric complexity theory. She has worked with a small group of collaborators through the AIM UP program on a project studying parking functions. Her current project is her senior thesis which concerns homotopy theory and geometric representation theory. Eunice has thrived in all of these settings and projects and currently has a published paper and two more preprints on the arXiv. Her research mentors praise her energy, enthusiasm, imagination and originality. They describe her as a delight to collaborate with because of these qualities and because she makes space for everyone in her research team.
Response from Sukarto
It's an honour to be selected as runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize and I would like to thank the AWM for supporting women in math. I am really grateful to Prof Bernd Sturmfels for the many learning opportunities, Prof David Nadler for his patience and support in supervising my senior thesis, and Prof Alexander Givental for a whole year of algebraic topology. I wish to thank Laura Colmenarejo and the wonderful AIM UP team for fostering a fun and collaborative environment. I am thankful to Anna Seigal, Holly Mandel, and Prof Ralph Morrison for mentoring me on the cubic surfaces project, and Lauren Heller for her kindness (and for letting me crash into her office hours). I would also like to thank my major advisor, Jennifer Sixt, for initiating meaningful connections. I am truly indebted to Berkeley's math department where I first encountered the beauty of the subject, and to all my professors, mentors, and friends who have been sources of guidance and inspiration throughout my journey. I thank Lia for both mathematical and emotional support. Finally, I am grateful towards my family for always having my back no matter what.
2022
Citation for (Carina) Letong Hong, AWM 2022 Schafer Prize Winner
(Carina) Letong Hong is a junior mathematics and physics major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has contributed to REUs at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Virginia in addition to research projects at MIT and the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, leading to three articles accepted for publication and numerous others submitted or in preparation. She has already taken extensive graduate mathematics courses, receiving the highest possible grades in each, and plans to graduate in Spring 2022 after 3 years at MIT.
Hong already has an impressive track record of completed research in many areas, including stack-sorting algorithms, pattern avoidance in inversion sequences, the Monstrous Moonshine Conjecture, L-functions of modular elliptic curves and K3 surfaces, and Markov chains on edge colourings of bipartite graphs; Hong's research addressed open questions posed by top mathematicians in their respective fields. Her mentors describe her as "headed to be a superstar in mathematical research," "driven and overflowing with enthusiasm," and "extraordinarily active on both the research side and the broader community-building side." Hong recently received the Emerging Leader Award and Community Building Award at MIT, where she is the President of the Undergraduate Mathematics Association and the Advocacy and Outreach Chair of the First Generation and Low Income Students Coalition.
Response from Hong
It is an honour to have been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Alice T Schafer Prize and I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Association for Women in Mathematics for their efforts in supporting young women mathematicians.
My experience has been shaped by the intellectually challenging and engaging academic environment that the MIT Mathematics Department fosters. I am especially grateful to my nominator and advisor Professor Pavel Etingof for his tremendous kind help. I am thankful to Professor Scott Sheffield and Professor Wei Zhang for their recommendation, teaching, and mentorship. I thank Professor Gigliola Staffilani and Professor David Vogan for important conversations that solidify my intention to be an academic.
I am extremely thankful to Professor Ken Ono for helping me realize my potential. He pushes my growth as a researcher not only at the University of Virginia REU but throughout my undergraduate career. I am deeply grateful to Professor Joseph Gallian for his dedication over years to make the University of Minnesota Duluth REU a warm, belonging, and supportive family; in my utopia I hope to prove many conjectures with this family.
Furthermore I would like to thank Professor Daniel Shapiro at the Ross Mathematics Program, Dr Simon Rubinstein-Salzedo at the Stanford University Mathematics Camp, and Dr Istvan Miklos and faculties at the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics for stimulating my early sparks in advanced math.
Finally, I thank my family and especially my mother for their unconditional love.
Citation for Faye Jackson, AWM 2022 Schafer Prize Runner-Up
Faye Jackson is a maths major at the University of Michigan. She excels in course work, in research, and in community engagement both within her department and in the broader Ann Arbor and surrounding areas. Her mentors and professors describe her as enthusiastically engaged in the classroom and an eager, insightful learner. Her instructors consistently describe Faye as a top-achieving student, even as an undergraduate in PhD-level courses, and as "dedicated and passionate ... a clear-thinking, creative, and effective problem solver." In addition to research at the Lab of Geometry at Michigan, she participated in the SMALL REU where she worked on research questions on four distinct projects (Zeckendorf decompositions, Discrete Erdös Distance Problems, Random Matrix Theory, and More Sums Than Differences sets) and is now a co-author on six papers. (Three already on the arXiv and three more to come!)
In addition to these exceptionally strong academic accomplishments, Faye has been an essential and incredibly reliable presence in the outreach programs of the University of Michigan Mathematics Department. She has participated in Math Mondays in Ypsi, Super Saturdays, the Michigan Math Circle, and the new Math Corps in Ann Arbor. In class, research, and outreach she makes significant contributions that delight all of her mentors, and they also seriously appreciate her ability to make space for other people to contribute. With middle school and high school students this takes the form of working "well with students of all backgrounds, abilities and interests, and help(s) make sure everyone was heard and had something to work on that fit their strengths". With her peers this becomes sharing her ideas freely to help spark lively discussion.
Response from Jackson
I want to sincerely thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for selecting me as the runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Mathematics Prize. More directly, I want to thank all of my mentors and professors - in particular Stephen DeBacker, Sarah Koch, Steven J Miller, and Jenny Wilson - who have provided me with so many opportunities for learning new mathematics, research, and contributing to the mathematical community and who have given me so much advice. I also want to thank my co-researchers from the SMALL REU as well as my classmates at the University of Michigan who have been such amazing collaborators and friends. Many of my qualities which were specifically pointed out in the citation do not just come from me as an individual. Instead, they are the result of talented and caring mentors combined with a vibrant and accepting mathematical community at the University of Michigan as well as the SMALL REU. I hope to channel the renewed energy and confidence that winning this award brings me back into my work, into my students, and into my outreach. One of the great lessons that my mentors have taught me is that when you do well you should share that success - both through appropriate thanks and pouring energy into your peers, students, and yes even your mentors. My goal is not just to do great things mathematically and in outreach. I am not sure I am equipped to do either alone. However, I can enable those around me to do greater things together than I ever could.
2023
Citation for Faye Jackson, AWM 2023 Schafer Prize Winner
Faye Jackson is a maths major at the University of Michigan. She has made impressive contributions in research, course work and engagement with her community. In Summer 2021 she participated in the SMALL REU at Williams College and played a major role in four different research projects. This work led to one published paper, one accepted paper, three submitted preprints and two papers in preparation. Her mentor praises her creativity, generosity and the clarity of her exposition. In Summer 2022 she participated in the REU at the University of Virginia and co-authored two submitted papers. Her mentor praised the beauty of her work and her impressive contributions to the life of the community.
Faye's instructors are similarly enthusiastic about her abilities and enthusiasm, and they describe her as a delight to have in class who helps spark important discussions. They are particularly excited about her contributions to outreach, and they describe her as a talented teacher for the Math Mondays in Ypsi, Super Saturday and Math Corps programs
Response from Jackson
First of all, it is a great honour to have been selected for the Alice T Schafer Prize and I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for sponsoring this award and for supporting women mathematicians. The mathematical community at the University of Michigan has influenced my understanding of mathematics as well as what it means to be a mathematician more deeply than I can express with words. The vibrancy, inclusivity, and collaborative spirit which characterises the community there has made my past four years incredible. This is in no small part due to a few key professors. I am quite blessed to know Professors Sarah Koch and Stephen DeBacker, who have moulded that community by pouring their souls into it. Their passion for teaching and outreach is constantly inspiring. They have also been incredible mentors to me in both my finest and my worst moments. I would not be where I am without them. Sarah Koch's dynamism in particular sparks my excitement for mathematics whenever I am around her, and Stephen DeBacker provides me with the space and the resources to pursue whatever idea I have towards improving the department community. I would also like to thank Professor Jenny Wilson, who fostered my love of algebraic topology during an especially difficult academic year over Zoom. Her clear teaching style and love for the subject was not hampered in the slightest by these conditions. I am deeply grateful for Professor Steven J Miller, who has been a key mentor for me since I attended the SMALL REU in 2021. He is so deeply dedicated to his students that it astounds me, and he has pushed me to show the same dedication to my students and also to my work. As I constantly tell him, his advice is invaluable. Furthermore, the REU showed me how incredible mathematical research can be, and I would like to thank the entire cohort of the SMALL 2021 REU. I would also like to thank Professor Ken Ono for showing me the beauty of number theory. Through the University of Virginia REU I grew immensely as a researcher, and developed an appreciation for a field of mathematics which had previously been foreign to me. I would like to thank my cohort at the Virginia REU as well. I would specifically like to thank my coauthor Misheel Otgonbayar, whose brilliance and kindness continually astounded me throughout the program, and who made me laugh more times than I could count. I would also like to thank my roommate Catherine Cossaboom, who provided me with invaluable support whenever I was at my wit's end with my research or when I was struggling personally.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for their love and support throughout my college career. Specifically, my mother's sense of service has extended to my passion for outreach, and I would not be who I am without her. Likewise, my father's dedication to his work and to other people always astounds me. I would also like to thank my partner, Cassandra Prokopowicz, for supporting me for the past four years. Whether I am on top of the mountain after conquering a problem or at the bottom of it after falling from the cliffs, she has always been there for me, and that has allowed me to achieve so much.
Citation for Anqi Li, AWM 2023 Schafer Prize Runner-Up
Anqi Li is a math major at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has participated in three summer research experiences. The first was the NYC Discrete Math REU at Baruch College, City University of New York. In that summer she wrote a paper that has been accepted by the European Journal of Combinatorics. In Summer 2021 she participated in the MIT Math Summer Program in Undergraduate Research and co authored a paper her mentor describes as remarkable work. This paper was recognised as the top project from the summer program. In Summer 2022, Anqi participated in the REU at the University of Minnesota Duluth leading to three more papers in preparation. In addition to these summer projects, Anqi has sought out research experiences during the academic year and has two current projects with faculty at MIT.
Anqi's mentors praise her for deeply understanding challenging material, for asking insightful questions and for a willingness to try anything. They describe working with her as like working with an advanced graduate student.
Response from Li
It is an honour to be recognised by the Association for Women in Mathematics for the Alice T Schafer prize. I would like to thank the Association for their support of early career women researchers and their important work in promoting gender representation in mathematics.
I am deeply grateful for the guidance of my mentors, who have shaped me into the student and researcher I am today. I would like to start by thanking Prof Yufei Zhao for his unwavering guidance throughout my mathematics journey at MIT and his many insights into academia and beyond. I am also sincerely grateful for the opportunity to work under the patient mentorship of Prof Lisa Sauermann, who has been one of my biggest role models as a woman mathematician. I also draw deep inspiration from the fruitful conversations I have had with my research collaborators and professors, and in particular thank Prof Dor Minzer for our many intellectually stimulating discussions and his influence on my current research directions.
I also extend my gratitude to the numerous other faculty I have interacted with over the years, including Prof Henry Cohn and Prof Davesh Maulik, as well as my postdoc and graduate student collaborators who constantly inspire me to reach greater heights. I am also thankful for opportunities through the CUNY Baruch Combinatorics REU, MIT Summer Program in Undergraduate Research+ (SPUR+) and University of Minnesota Duluth REU, which were instrumental in shaping my research interests in combinatorics. I would especially like to acknowledge Prof Adam Sheffer for getting me started on my university research journey.
Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my loved ones, whose unconditional support motivates me every day.
2024
Zoë Batterman, 2024 AWM Schafer Prize Winner
Zoë Batterman is a mathematics major at Pomona College. She has participated in two summer research experiences. In Summer 2022, she participated in the PRiME REU at Pomona College. Her mentor praised her knowledge and ability to ask questions and write up rigorous proofs of her conjectures. In Summer 2023, she participated in the SMALL REU at Williams College. She was a key contributor to 3 research projects, which led to four preprints with two more papers in preparation. Her mentor complimented the quality of her work, which has attracted the attention of experts in the area. In addition to these summer projects, Zoë has sought out research experiences during the academic year and has a paper in preparation with faculty at Pomona College. Zoë has received multiple scholarships and awards and received Honourable Mention for Outstanding Poster at MAA MathFest and won an Award for Outstanding Poster, MAA SoCal-Nevada Section. She has been named a Goldwater Scholar and a Pomona College Scholar.
Zoë's mentors are very enthusiastic about her potential and skills in mathematics. Beyond her ability to produce excellent research, they spoke highly of her presentation skills and aptitude for learning mathematics at a graduate level.
Response from Batterman
It is an honour to be selected for the Alice T Schafer Mathematics Prize. I am grateful to those who continue to recognise and encourage young women in mathematics through this award.
I would like to thank the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Pomona College; in particular, I would like to thank Professor Shahriar Shahriari, for exposing me to proof-based mathematics through 1-2-1 Math at Pomona College, a program I participated in the summer before my first year of college. I am also grateful to Professor Konrad Aguilar for taking me under his wing and for giving me my first research project. Under his guidance, I saw the excitement and creativity of conducting research. I would also like to thank Stephan R Garcia for supporting me to present my work at conferences.
I am also grateful for the opportunity to conduct research at REUs. I would like to thank my nominator Professor Edray H Goins for putting the utmost care into fostering a diverse community through the Pomona Research in Mathematics Experience (PRiME). I cannot express my gratitude in words for his phenomenal attention to detail in mentoring, training, and advising me in all aspects of my mathematics career. I thank Professors Renee Bell and Alex Barrios for their warm and generous conversations and mentorship. I am deeply grateful to SMALL which made my research experience fun and rewarding. In particular, I thank Professor Steven J Miller of Williams College who gave me the freedom to grow as a researcher. The immense dedication he has for giving opportunities to his students impresses me beyond words.
And most importantly, I thank my parents, Dr Michael Batterman and Dr Veronique Day, for their unwavering love and support.
(Arianna) Meenakshi McNamara, 2024 AWM Schafer Prize Winner
Arianna Meenakshi McNamara is a mathematics and physics major (with honours in both) at Purdue University. She has carried out research in graph theory at Purdue and has participated in REUs in topology and discrete math at Carnegie Mellon University and in mathematical physics at Louisiana State University. Meenakshi is interested in a variety of mathematical research topics including quantum graphs, operator algebras, and topology. Her research work led to two papers that are already published and several in-prep works. Her work was described as strong and independent by all of her mentors, and she received numerous awards for her scholarship, including a Goldwater Scholarship, an Astronaut Scholarship, and a National Merit Scholarship. She has also presented her research at various national conferences and seminars.
Meenakshi has also excelled in undergraduate honours courses as well as graduate core and advanced topics courses in mathematics and physics, on topics such as analytic number theory and category theory. Her mentors praised her curiosity and maturity in mathematical research and some mentioned that working with her broadened their own research goals. In addition, Meenakshi has made significant contributions to the mathematical community, through leadership roles in her AWM and Women in Physics chapters, and through starting a mentoring program as president of the Purdue Math Club.
Response from McNamara
I am extremely honoured to have been selected as a recipient of this prize, and I would like to thank the AWM for their support and for their work to support all women in mathematics.
The support and encouragement that I have found at Purdue has played a huge role in shaping me into the person I am today, and would like to thank all of the mentors who have supported me. I am especially grateful to Professor Rolando de Santiago for introducing me to the world of mathematical research and for believing in me and mentoring me as I have grown as a mathematician. He has been the best possible mentor I could have asked for and I would not be where I am today without him. I would also like to thank Professors Caviglia, Fischbach and Jung in the math and physics departments as well as the entire operator algebras group at Purdue for supporting and mentoring me as I have explored different areas of research.
I am also extremely grateful to Professor Florian Frick at Carnegie Mellon University for his invaluable mentorship, encouraging me to achieve my potential, and making the CMU REU into a welcoming and supportive community. This REU showed me how incredible collaborating on math research can be, and I am also thankful to my other mentors and collaborators at CMU who are all brilliant and made the experience so amazing. Additionally, I am deeply thankful to Professor Parampreet Singh at Louisianna State University for supporting my growth in mathematics through physics, and for further encouraging me to go for my dreams.
Further, I would like to thank Professor Csaba Biro at the University of Louisville and Dr Scott Bagley for supporting my early sparks of interest in mathematics and encouraging me to double major in math in college.
Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family who have supported and loved me throughout my life, and my partner Cameron who has been there for me through all my ups and downs in college.
Mattie Ji, 2024 AWM Schafer Prize Runner-up
Mattie Ji is a senior at Brown University majoring in Mathematics-Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. She has participated in several REUs where she has displayed her natural aptitude for algebraic geometry and topology. Mattie has an extremely wide knowledge base, allowing her to significantly contribute to several different projects, including an investigation into the relationship between the concepts of Euler characteristic transform (ECT) and smooth ECT, fake projective planes, and the study of a class of conic bundle three-folds.
She has a keen interest in coding complex problems and has a fantastic repository set up on GitHub displaying her work. She is consistently described as an outstanding student with the initiative to develop her knowledge and understanding and has an infectious passion for mathematics, with a remarkable record of co-authored papers and conference presentations.
Response from Ji
First of all, it is a great honour to be recognised as the runner-up for the Alice T Schafer Prize. I would like to thank the Association for Women in Mathematics for promoting underrepresented genders in mathematics.
I am deeply grateful to Professor Nicole Looper, who encouraged me to stay in her modern algebra class and motivated my decision to pursue mathematics. I am also incredibly thankful to Professor Lena Ji, who selected me as her first REU student at the University of Michigan and fostered my interests in algebraic geometry. They are my two biggest role models for women in mathematics.
I am indebted to Professor Lev Borisov, who believed in my potential and ability to do research in fake projective planes at the DIMACS REU while I struggled with personal hardships. I would also like to thank Professor Kun Meng, who introduced me to topological data analysis, gave me immense freedom in research, and had made a profound influence on my current research directions.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Professor Richard Schwartz and Professor Thomas Goodwillie, who have both been amazing mentors to me. Professor Schwartz's passion in undergraduate advising is only rivalled by his depth of mathematical knowledge. Professor Goodwillie has helped me to overcome my fear of algebraic topology and supervised my exploration of many mathematical topics.
Outside of academics, I want to thank my friends for their warmest support in my worst and best days, especially to everyone who knows what happened.
Finally, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Cassie Ding for making a profound impact on my mathematical journey, encouraging me to come out, and so much more. I would not be anywhere near where I am today without your support. Thank you.
2025
tahda queer, 2025 AWM Schafer Prize
Citation
tahda queer is a mathematics and Thomas Hunter Honours Program (THHP) interdisciplinary major at City University of New York (CUNY), and they have keen interests in discrete mathematics and probability theory. Although having endured many personal struggles, tahda has shown extreme resilience and determination in their journey through mathematics, thriving and succeeding in many of their endeavours. tahda has been awarded many scholarships, including the Goldwater Scholarship and the oSTEM Undergraduate Scholarship. Their first paper, resulting from the UCSB Math REU, is published by the Journal of Applied and Computational Topology. tahda then studied integer partitions through the Queens Experience in Discrete Mathematics (QED), an academic-year REU at CUNY. In 2023, tahda was a participant of SUAMI at CMU, where they disproved a published conjecture and delivered more original results in extremal combinatorics with their collaborators. In spring 2024, tahda started working on an ongoing biology-inspired probability project at Baruch College, and in summer 2024, contributed to research in lattice theory at NYC Discrete Math REU. In addition to their strong publication record, tahda has given an impressive number of presentations at conferences such as the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) MATHFest and the Spectra Survey of Mathematics Conference.
As well as their academic achievements, tahda is praised for their ability to work with others and their drive to help their community. This is particularly evident in their efforts organising the NSF-funded Online Undergraduate Resource Fair for the Advancement and Alliance for Marginalized Mathematicians (OURFA2M2).
Response from queer
The land we occupy is stolen through ongoing colonisation and genocides, and I want to first acknowledge that everything we do on this land, including maths, is part of the story. If you haven't yet, please learn more and support Indigenous peoples by visiting Native-Land.ca and the inspiring IndigenousMathematicians.org!
I am grateful for the recognition from those who strive for a more equitable mathematical community at AWM. I have so many thank-yous to say, from all the sanitary workers to kino the cat (featured in the profile photo). I'd like to start by thanking the amazing people at Food not Bombs, the Ali Forney Center, Callen Lorde Community Health Center, the Door, and the Hetrick Martin Institute, who offered free food, housing, medical care, legal assistance, and emotional support to me and many others in need. I also want to express my gratitude to my mentors and peers at City As High School and New York Math Circle. Special thanks to Dr Adam Sheffer, who ignited my passion for maths research when I was an undocumented youth in 2020, and continues to offer me unwavering support at CUNY today.
Thank you to all of my research advisors and collaborators, especially Dr Fedor Manin, Dr Juergen Kritschgau, Dr Subash Shankar, Dr Matthew Junge, and Dr Anna Pun - you have made my research journey full of joy and wonder. I also want to thank Dr Ian Blecher, Dr Vincent Martinez, Dr Robert Thompson, Dr Barry Cherkas, Dr Tatyanna Khodorovskiy, Dr Ara Basmajian, Dr Stephen Lassonde, Dr Saad Mneimneh and Chanel the guinea pig at Hunter College for the ongoing support. My eternal gratitude goes to Dr Rishi Nath, who mentored me at QED (an extremely supportive academic year REU) and taught me what it means to be a mathematician in the time of genocides.
The people featured in the Just Mathematics Collective and Meet a Mathematicians have been a source of inspiration. Similarly, being a part of the OURFA2M2 community has been one of the best experiences of my math journey. Thank you for the encouragement: Dr ila varma, Dr Siddhi Krishna, Dr Zoe Wellner, Dr Jinyoung Park, Dr Omayra Ortega, Dr Selvi kara, Dr silviana amethyst, Dr Pamela E Harris, Dr federico ardila, Dr Silvia Ghinassi, Dr Catherine Cannizzo, Dr Emily Riehl, Dr Justin Solomon, Dr Renee Bell, Dr Pablo Soberón, Dr Johanna Franklin and the emotional support chickens at the NYC Discrete Math REU. Thank you to all of my friends who reminded me that I belong, including Ilani and Meenakshi, who have also been recognised by the Schafer Prize.
Last but not least, I want to thank all of my chosen family - the love from you all makes me feel like the luckiest person in the world. Especially, thank you, mumin, for sharing my life for the past ten years.
Marie-Hélène Tomé, 2025 AWM Schafer Prize
Citation
Marie-Hélène Tomé is a mathematics major at Duke University interested in number theory and algebraic geometry. Through her participation in numerous research experiences, she has built an impressive body of work, including a solo paper published in the Journal of Number Theory. Her mentors praise her intuition, describing her as a fast learner and a deep thinker. They have indicated that she is already producing work at the level of a strong Ph.D. student and believe she will become a leading researcher. She has received numerous awards for her scholarship, including a Goldwater Scholarship and a National Merit Scholarship.
In addition to her mathematical abilities, her mentors commend her commitment to serving the mathematical community. Her contributions include volunteering in math circles, TAing for several courses, and serving on various STEM clubs on campus.
Response from Tomé
I am honoured and humbled to have been selected as a recipient of the Alice T Schafer prize. I would like to thank the AWM for their work supporting women in mathematics.
I would like to thank the Department of Mathematics at Duke University for nurturing me and my professors who have helped me grow into the person I am today. I would like to thank my nominator Professor Samit Dasgupta for believing in me. I am grateful for the mentorship of Professor Lillian Pierce who showed me the beauty of number theory and geometry. I am grateful to Professor Kirsten Wickelgren for encouraging me to stick with commutative algebra and whose teaching and mentorship have inspired me to pursue algebraic geometry. I am grateful to Professor Jayce Getz for making difficult subjects accessible to undergraduates and for guiding me through research that is both rewarding and challenging. I would also like to thank Professor Robert Calderbank whose abstract algebra course and dedication to teaching encouraged me to pursue pure mathematics.
I am incredibly grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to participate in the UVA REU in Number Theory and the SMALL REU at Williams College. These research experiences have been an integral part of my journey in mathematics. I would like to thank Professor Ken Ono for seeing the potential in me and for helping me to find my own path. I would like to thank Professor Steven J. Miller for encouraging me to challenge myself and for his unwavering support. I continue to be inspired by his dedication to his students.
I would like to thank my coauthors and friends who have helped me to find joy in difficult times and with whom it has been a pleasure to share the good ones. I would like to thank my parents, my sister, and my grandparents without whom I would not be where I am today.
Katherine Tung, 2025 AWM Schafer Prize
Citation
Katherine Tung is a mathematics major at Harvard University. Her impressive mathematical skills showed early through her participation in MIT's PRIMES program conducting original research in mathematics while she was a senior in high school. As a result, she co-authored a paper which was published in the Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society. As an undergraduate, Katherine participated in the Duluth Mathematics REU, as well as in research programs at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and at Northwestern University. She produced outstanding works that resulted in two other publications, one of them a solo paper, and four preprints with her collaborators. She also has four papers in preparation. Her mentors applaud her exceptional character and deep passion for mathematics and are impressed by her ability to adopt a comprehensive perspective on the problems she studies. She is considered to be among a select group of students with coursework and research at a level comparable to that of a math graduate student at a top institution.
Katherine has excellent communication skills and gives superb talks. She has presented her research at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, at the Women in Mathematics in New England conference, and at Aachen University in Germany. She has taught abstract algebra to high school students from underprivileged and underrepresented groups and served in a leadership role for Harvard's Gender Inclusivity in Mathematics group.
Response from Tung
I would like to thank the AWM for the Schafer award and for uplifting women in math through numerous programs, meetings, publications, awards, and policy initiatives. At Harvard, I am fortunate to be surrounded by talented undergraduates, graduates, postdocs, and professors who inspire me to become a better mathematician. I am especially grateful to Prof Lauren Williams for her unwavering support and frequent advice since my first year of college, Dr Colin Defant for his guidance and encouragement, Prof Laura DeMarco for her patient mentorship and probing questions as I grappled with dynamical systems, Prof Joseph Harris for his profound insights that led me to the essence of certain proofs in algebraic geometry, and Charles Wang and Grant Barkley for their commitment and dedication to teaching me through Harvard's directed reading program. Outside of Harvard, I was lucky to participate in three summer research programs I am indebted to Duluth REU organiser Prof Joe Gallian for cultivating a large and active alumni community, Northwestern REU organiser Aaron Peterson and mentors Aaron Brown, Solly Coles, and Homin Lee for being readily available to answer questions and willingness to work through possible approaches together, and Twin Cities REU organisers Profs Victor Reiner and Ayah Almousa for fostering a welcoming and inclusive research environment. I thank project advisors Profs Victor Reiner and Pavlo Pylyavskyy for thoughtful selection of research problems, frequent check-ins, and enlightening remarks. I am also thankful to MIT PRIMES mentor Christian Gaetz for supporting me since high school and taking my ideas seriously despite my lack of expertise. Last, but not least, I must thank my collaborators and friends for teaching, listening to, and correcting me. It is a miracle to have you all in my life, and I look forward to many future conversations.