Awards for Graduate Students
Wolfe Research Fellowship
Departmental Awards
The mathematics department gives one teaching and
two research awards -- one in Pure Mathematics, one in Applied
Mathematics -- every year. Each award carries a $1000 cash prize. They are:
Robert J. Lambert Award for Teaching Excellence
Aggie Ho Pure Mathematics Award (excellence in research)
J. J. L. Hinrichsen Applied Mathematics Award (excellence in
research)
Graduate College
Departments may submit nominations for Graduate
College teaching/research excellence awards. Awards to our graduate students carry a $200 cash prize
contributed by the Department of Mathematics. The research award may only be given in the semester the student
graduates.
Teaching Excellence (4)
Research Excellence (1)
Details
While the departmental awards are officially given in the spring and
graduate college awards can be given either or both semesters, the
graduate committee will consider all nominations received by the
deadline this fall, with a view to selecting recipients now in any cases
involving recipients expecting to graduate with a terminal degree during
that fall or the following spring or summer. By doing this, the award
may help the winner in the job application process. In previous years,
more than half of the departmental award winners were chosen in the
fall, and half of the graduate college award winners were chosen in the
fall.
Historically, our department has considered the department awards to be
the more prestigious, and prior recipients of the departmental teaching
award have already won a graduate college teaching award. The Wolfe
research fellowship is now the department's highest research honor,
although it will be awarded earlier in a student's career.
The purpose of these awards is to recognize and encourage outstanding
achievement by graduate students in teaching and/or research. All
faculty members are encouraged to nominate students for these awards --
they are important to students and the committee needs your
nominations. In particular, Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) mentors,
members of a POS committee designated to observe the student's teaching,
and faculty who supervise recitation TAs are encouraged to nominate
deserving eligible students for teaching awards. Major professors are
encouraged to nominate deserving eligible students for research awards.
Wolfe Graduate Research Fellowship
The purpose of the this fellowship is to improve the quantity and
quality of research produced by the fellow, by allowing him/her to focus
on research during the spring semester with no teaching duties. The pay
will be the same as received by a TA, and a tuition scholarship will be
provided. The selection of the Wolfe Fellow will be made by the
Graduate Committee based on application materials. An interested
student should consult with his/her major professor before applying.
Major professors are encouraged to help deserving eligible students
apply for the fellowship.
Eligibility Criteria
1. Student will not finish in the spring during or the summer
immediately following the fellowship.
2. Student must be in good standing and funded by the department at
time of application.
3. Student has passed the prelim exam at the time of award
(preferably by the application deadline).
Application Materials
1. Student Research portfolio, submitted by the student, that includes:
(a) Research CV listing educational background and all
presentations and publications (distinguishing between
appeared/accepted vs. submitted for papers and ISU seminar
vs. research meeting contributed vs. special session invited
for presentations);
(b) research statement;
(c) copies of any papers; and
(d) a copy of some material relevant to each presentation, such
as the abstract. In the case of a computer slide
presentation, the slides may be submitted (either paper
copies, emailed or on a CD) if desired.
2. Letter of recommendation from the student's major professor
Applications for the Wolfe Fellowship may be submitted in print or electronic format to Melanie Erickson.
PDF, LaTeX, and Word attachments are accepted.
The student's research statement should be similar to one that would be
used to apply for a post-doctoral position. It should describe the
research the student has already carried out and plans for future
research, including specifically, the proposed research while on
fellowship, but is limited to two pages.
The application process is designed not only to assist the committee in
the selection but to help the student prepare a strong application for a
post-doctoral research position. It is not intended to impose an undue
burden on the student or major professor. If there are concerns about
the process, please confer with the Director of Graduate Education at least two
weeks before the application deadline.
Robert J. Lambert Award Teaching Excellence
Robert J. Lambert, retired professor of Mathematics and associate director of the Computation Center, died on April 22, 1991. Lambert received his B.A. degree in mathematics and physics from Drake University in 1943, his M.S. degree in mathematics from Iowa State University in 1948, his PhD. In mathematics from Iowa State University in 1951 and then worked for the National Security Agency from 1951-1953. In 1953 he joined the mathematics faculty at Iowa State University where he remained until his retirement in June, 1988. In addition to his quality contributions to the university community in research and teaching, Dr. Lambert had a special gift of encouraging students to recognize their great potential and to do their best to develop that potential. Lambert is remembered as a kind and gentle person, a loyal colleague and a true friend.
The Aggie Ho Pure Mathematics Award
Aggie Gloria Ho, assistant professor of Mathematics, died on February 25, 1985, after a long courageous battle with cancer.
Born in China, Ho immigrated to the United States in 1960. She received her B.S. degree from Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas in 1964, her M.S. degree from Stanford University in 1966, and her Ph.D. from the Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California, in 1978. After serving one year as a post-doctoral fellow with the Mathematics Clinic at the Claremont Colleges, Aggie came to ISU as an instructor in the Fall of 1979, and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1980. In the Spring of 1982, she became ill and was unable to continue in her duties for over a year. She taught again during the Fall of 1983, but once again had to leave due to her illness.
Colleagues recall Ho as a very active researcher and teacher with a genuine interest in her students and a great appreciation for the beauty of mathematical reasoning. She loved both learning and doing mathematics.
J. J. L. Hinrichsen Applied Mathematics Award
John J. L. Hinrichsen, professor emeritus of mathematics, died on February 5th, 1987.
Hinrichsen received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University, winning the Story County Alumni Prize awarded to the graduating senior with the highest four-year academic record.
During his graduate work at Harvard University, he held the Charles Elliott Perkins Scholarship and the George Williams Sawin Fellowship. He received his MA and PhD degrees from Harvard. In 1929 he returned to Iowa State as a mathematics instructor. Later, he engaged in post-doctoral studies at the university in Munich, Germany.
During 45 years of service to Iowa State, John held a variety of other demanding posts: He served as Acting Dean of the College of Sciences and Humanities from 1961 through April, 1962; he was Acting Head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 1956 to 1968; and he was Budget and Personnel Coordinator for the College of Sciences and Humanities in 1969. He retired as a Professor Emeritus in 1974, but continued to serve in the Dean’s office for some time.
Graduate College Teaching Excellence Awards
Any graduate student with current
classroom teaching responsibilities (including recitations), and who has
been on a teaching appointment for at least two terms including summer
sessions, is eligible for the award. Teaching award recipients usually
have taught their own class at least once, but need not be currently
teaching their own class. Letters describing observations of teaching
and/or the nominee's extra efforts or innovations in teaching are
crucial in determining the winner of this award, as are committee
observations of nominees.
Graduate College Research Excellence Award
Recipients will normally have at least one of
the following qualifications: 1) co-authorship on a paper published or
accepted by a research journal; 2) sole authorship on a paper submitted
to a research journal; or 3) presentation of a talk at a research meeting
(note that AMS central section qualifies, and many of our students speak
at one). A letter evaluating the nominee's research (and her/his
contribution to a paper on which s/he is a co-author, if applicable) is
crucial, and an (electronic or paper) copy of the paper (or abstract of
the talk) should be submitted with the letter.
Nominees for a research award will automatically be considered for both
the departmental and the college award (provided the nominee eligible
for the latter); nominees for a teaching award will be considered for a
graduate college award unless they have already won that, in which case
they will be considered for the departmental award. In the case of a
student who has not yet won a graduate college teaching award, s/he may
be considered for both if the nominator explicitly requests
consideration for both awards.
A student would not normally be considered for both the Wolfe Fellowship
and a research award in the same year since the awards are usually given
in the last year; a prior year's Wolfe Fellow may receive a research
award. There have been a few cases of students winning both a teaching
and research award in the same year.
