Students Recognized for Outstanding Achievements
(L to R) Graduate students Justin Fitzpatrick and Abey Lopez, and undergraduate senior Sam Nolen.Two graduate students and three undergraduates were recognized at the Department of Mathematics’ annual student awards ceremony in April 2010.
This year’s graduate honors went to Justin Fitzpatrick for excellence in teaching and to Abey Lopez for outstanding research. Mathematics senior Sam Nolen was recognized for undergraduate achievement along with two runners-up: Scott Atkinson and Andrew Levin.
The Bjarni J?nsson Prize for Research was awarded to Abey Lopez, whose research area is in constructive approximation. Lopez has already published several papers in journals that include Advances in Mathematics, Constructive Approximation, and Journal of Approximation Theory. In addition, he has presented his research results at a number of conferences in the constructive approximation theory community.
“Abey has demonstrated substantial independence and creativity in establishing results that will form a firm foundation for his future career as a research mathematician,” said his advisor, Professor Ed Saff.
Lopez will receive his Ph.D. in August 2010. He has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Leuven in Belgium.
The 2010 B.F. Bryant Prize for Excellence in Teaching was awarded to Justin Fitzpatrick. In announcing his award, Director of Teaching Jo Ann Staples noted that Fitzpatrick’s student evaluations praised not only his skill at making mathematics interesting but also his availability to help students.
One student wrote: “He is passionate about the subject matter and truly cares about his students.” Another remarked, “He takes personal interest in the success of his students and bends over backwards to accommodate and help all that he can. He entices interest in the class with his dedication and humor.”
Fitzpatrick will receive his Ph.D. in August 2010. He has accepted a position as a lecturer in the Vanderbilt Department of Mathematics.
Sam Nolen received the Richard J. Larsen Award for Achievement in Undergraduate Mathematics. The Larsen Award is given each spring to the senior math major judged by the faculty to have excelled in all aspects of undergraduate mathematics.
“Sam has distinguished himself by taking a total of 20 classes at the graduate level, and he has excelled in all of them,” said Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies Gieri Simonett.
Nolen was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program at Stanford University.
Two other undergraduates received recognition as runners-up for the Larsen Award. Scott Atkinson and Andrew Levin both took several graduate mathematics courses and excelled in all of their mathematics classes. Atkinson is now in the Ph.D. program at the University of Virginia and Levin is pursuing graduate studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
The Department of Mathematics is proud to honor these excellent students.