Math department announces award winners

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas Department of Math recognized its undergraduate and graduate students and faculty for outstanding academic and teaching achievements at its 58th annual honors banquet this spring at the KU Adams Alumni Center.

This year the math department presented $95,250 in awards and scholarships. Winners were announced in the spring. Scholarship recipients will be announced in the fall. Funds for the awards and scholarships are administered through the KU Endowment Association.

Three students received certificates and Jayhawk statues from the Kansas Algebra Program for their outstanding contributions to teaching, tutoring and extra duties. Winners were Grace Garrison, a senior in mathematics from Shawnee; Samuel Lee, a senior in engineering from Manchester, Missouri, and Ashton Wiens, a senior in mathematics from Wichita.

KU's math department annually recognizes outstanding graduate students.

Peter Lewis, Lawrence, received the Florence Black Award for Excellence in Teaching by a graduate student. The award was established in memory of Black, a faculty member who served from 1918 to 1960.

Cody Clifton, West Linn, Oregon, received the John Bunce Award. The Bunce award commemorates a KU math professor who served from 1970 to 1991 and his extraordinary concern for the welfare and intellectual development of graduate students. 

Khoa Le, Plano, Texas; Yanghui Liu, Lawrence, and Tony Se, Lawrence, received the Paul F. Conrad Graduate Scholarship. This award is given in his memory. Conrad was the first Henry J. Bischoff Professor of Mathematics.

Yufei Yu, Wuhan, China, received the Ralph Byers Student Award. This award is presented to outstanding graduate students in numerical analysis in memory of Professor Ralph Byers. Byers was a faculty member of the Department of Mathematics from 1987 to 2007.

Estela Gavosto, associate professor of mathematics, received the G. Baley Price award for Excellence in Teaching, presented by the Mathematics Graduate Student Organization. This award is given to a faculty member who displays the greatest ability and effectiveness in teaching graduate math courses.

Yaozhong Hu, professor of mathematics, received the Max Wells Teaching Award in recognition of outstanding or exemplary teaching in the field of mathematics by a KU faculty member in mathematics. 

Erik Van Vleck, professor of mathematics, was presented with the Morrison Foundation Teaching Award. This award was established in 2008 by the Don and Pat Morrison Foundation to recognize outstanding teaching in mathematics.

Joseph Cummings, senior in mathematics from Wichita; Trey Fox, senior in mechanical engineering from West Jordan, Utah; Andy Grobe, senior in mathematics from Lenexa; Sean Holloway, senior in engineering from Mission; Daniel Knight, senior in mathematics from Lawrence; Paul McElroy, a Topeka senior in mathematics and computer science; Trevor Scheopner, a junior in mathematics from Wichita, and Robert Winslow, a senior in math and computer science from Olathe, received a cash award for their performance in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, administered by the Mathematical Association of America. This competition is open to all regularly enrolled undergraduates in colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada.

Several other undergraduate students were recognized for their participation in math competitions. Winners of these competitions were announced prior to the banquet and were presented checks at the banquet.