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.

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.

Wolfe Graduate Research Fellowship

The purpose of 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:

  • 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).
  • Research statement.
  • Copies of any papers.
  • 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.

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.

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.