Alice T. Schafer Mathematics Prize
For Excellence in Mathematics by an Undergraduate Woman
The Executive Committee of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) has established the Alice T. Schafer Mathematics Prize to be awarded to an undergraduate woman for excellence in mathematics.
The Schafer Prize was established in 1990 and is named for AWM former President and one of its founding members, Alice T. Schafer, who contributed a great deal to women in mathematics throughout her career.
You can read about the career paths of the first twenty-five Schafer Prize winners in this article by Joe Gallian, which appeared in the June/July 2019 issue of the Notices of the AMS.
Nomination Procedures for the Schafer Prize
Nomination Period: August 1 – September 15
Nomination Location: All nominations can be made at MathPrograms.org. To locate the nomination form in MathPrograms, click on “View Programs” at the top right of the page. Scroll down to the programs listed for “Association for Women in Mathematics” and click “Nominate” next to the AWM Alice T. Schafer Mathematics Prize.
Historically, excellence has been defined in a very narrow way, often limited to attendance at an elite institution, early enrollment in advanced courses, attendance at a well-recognized REU, independent research, and, ultimately, publication of one or more research results. While we continue to value these qualities, we also desire to expand that definition and considerably broaden the mathematical community’s understanding of what constitutes excellence in undergraduate work. The objective of the Schafer Prize is to “recognize talented women with an eye to the highly diverse opportunities immediately available to undergraduates in a wide variety of institutions.” In order to encourage and sustain the entry of a gifted and representative pool of young mathematicians into our professional community, we welcome nominations of undergraduates from a diverse set of institutions and diverse paths of mathematical excellence.
Nominator: Any person can be a nominator! People of any gender can be a nominator, self-nominations are allowed, and you do not need to be an AWM member to nominate someone for this award. If this is a self-nomination, then you must have one additional letter of support.
Eligibility: The nominee must be an undergraduate as of the date the nomination is due.
Nomination Packet: A nomination packet should be compiled into 1 PDF file for submission and include:
- One letter of nomination (at most three pages) highlighting the exceptional qualities of the candidate to be recognized. The letter of nomination may include (but is not limited to) an evaluation of the nominee on the following criteria:
* quality of performance in advanced mathematics courses, special programs, or mathematical competitions
* mathematical growth of the nominee
* nominee’s ability to overcome barriers in their mathematical journey
* nominee’s ability to seek out and make the most of resources both at and outside of their institution
* ability for independent work in mathematics or ability to work equitably in a team in mathematics;
- A copy of the student’s transcripts that indicates their expected graduation date.
- Additional supporting materials should be included with the nomination, if applicable. Example supporting materials include: reports from summer work using math, copies of talks given, recommendation letters from professors, colleagues, etc.
- The name, position, institution, address, phone, and e-mail address of the nominee and the nominator should be included in then MathPrograms.org cover sheet.
- All submitted materials become the property of the AWM.
Please visit https://awm-math.org/awards/schafer-prize-for-undergraduates/ for more information!