Each spring the Mathematics Department hosts its Annual Awards Banquet to recognize our most outstanding students and to meet their families. Many math faculty (past and present), as well as generous alumni, contribute regularly to the Mathematics Endowment Fund, which provides money to support annual scholarships. This year the banquet will be held on Friday, April 16.

This year we are delighted to award Department Scholarships to seven students. The selection criteria include a personal essay, grade point average, letters of recommendation, and extra-curricular mathematical endeavors. The students selected to receive this honor are:

Each year, the Mathematics Department selects at least one of its majors to receive the Community Service Award. The intent of this award is to honor mathematics majors who exhibit excellence in mathematics and a strong record of community service related to mathematics, mathematics education, or education. For their outstanding leadership in this arena, Carlee Hollenbeck and Elizabeth Whaley have been named co-recipients of the 2010 Community Service Award.

Our Outstanding Sophomore Award recognizes the academic achievements of one or two students at the beginning of their respective academic careers. The purpose of the award is to encourage continued success in the study of mathematics. Students may only win this award by being nominated by one or more faculty; the 2010 Outstanding Sophomore is shared by Elizabeth Drake Parker and Jacob Schuurman.

In addition, we will honor eleven graduates receiving Department Senior Awards for their accumulated excellence in the mathematics major and their overall contributions to the department. Students such as these make a tremendous difference in the life of the mathematics department as they have demonstrated exceptional work in their courses and often leadership among their classmates and participation in extracurricular mathematical activities. The winners of department senior awards for 2010 are:

Finally, each year every academic department on campus gets to select one student to be recognized as its most outstanding graduate. All of these students participate in a university-wide awards banquet and ceremony that recognizes their superb achievements. The 2009 Outstanding Senior from the Department of Mathematics is Clifford Taylor.