2011 Morgan Prize

Maria Monks received the 2011 AMS-MAA-SIAM solving through her MATHCOUNTS team, the Le- Frank and Brennie Morgan Prize for Outstanding high Valley ARML team, and the Math Olympiad Research in by an Undergraduate Summer Program. She also began mathematical Student at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in New research as a high school student, writing a paper Orleans in January 2011. Receiving honorable men- on the 3x+1 conjecture and coauthoring another tions were Michael Viscardi and Yufei Zhao. on a conjecture of Erdo˝s and Straus. As an undergraduate, Maria participated in the Citation: Maria Monks Duluth mathematics REU under the direction of Joe Gallian, and she worked with Richard Maria Monks is the winner of the 2011 Morgan Stanley and Mia Minnes at MIT, writing Prize for Outstanding Research in Mathematics a total of five more research papers by an Undergraduate Student. The award is based over the course of her undergraduate on her impressive work in and career. She also discovered her pas- number theory, which has appeared in Advances sion for teaching in college; she was in Applied Mathematics, Proceedings of the AMS, a coach of the 2008 USA team for the Electronic Journal of Combinatorics, Discrete Math- Girls’ Math Olympiad in China and ematics, and Journal of Combinatorial Theory, became involved in local educational Series A. programs, such as Girls’ Angle and One of her recommenders wrote, “Although Idea Math. She is a dedicated distance Maria has just finished her bachelor’s degree, her runner, earning All-American honors accomplishments are what you might expect from at the NCAA Cross-Country National someone in the second year of a postdoctoral Championships during her last year position.” Another wrote that her work “reveals a as a varsity athlete at MIT. Maria Monks broad knowledge of relevant methods as well as Maria is currently in a one-year mas- startling insight, and it is in the mainstream of a ter’s program in mathematics at the University of really ‘hot’ area.” Cambridge. She will pursue a Ph.D. at the Univer- Monks is a Churchill Scholar, a Goldwater sity of California, Berkeley, in the fall, where she Scholar, a Hertz Fellow, and an NSF Graduate Re- plans to study combinatorics. search Fellowship recipient. She received the Alice T. Schafer Prize for Women in Mathematics in 2009 and a Morgan Prize Honorable Mention in 2010. Response: Maria Monks She is also an NCAA All-American cross-country I am very honored to have been named the winner runner. She graduated from MIT in 2010. of the 2011 Frank and Brennie Morgan Prize, and I thank the AMS, MAA, and SIAM Morgan Prize Com- Biographical Sketch: Maria Monks mittee for selecting me for this award. Maria Monks grew up in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I would like to thank the people who have had with her parents and two brothers. Her interest in the most impact on my mathematical education mathematics began in elementary school, when thus far. I thank Joe Gallian for nominating me for her father, Ken Monks, began to home school her this prize and for serving as a wonderful advisor in mathematics. In middle school and high school, at the Duluth REU. I also express my gratitude to she became involved in mathematical problem Ken Ono, Richard Stanley, and Mia Minnes for their

APRIL 2011 NOTICES OF THE AMS 599 help, advice, and mentorship in various research Richard Stanley and Michel Goemans on various projects. Finally, I thank my father, Ken Monks, and problems in combinatorics. In the summer of 2009 the rest of my family for providing a wonderful Yufei attended the Duluth REU directed by Joe Gal- environment in which to grow up and for fostering lian and spent a very productive summer working my interest in mathematics. on problems in additive combinatorics and . After graduating from MIT, Yufei did a Citation for Honorable Mention: Michael summer internship at Microsoft Research New Viscardi England working with Henry Cohn on theoreti- The Morgan Prize Committee is pleased to award cal problems in coding theory. Yufei is currently Honorable Mention for the 2011 Morgan Prize for studying at the University of Cambridge pursuing Outstanding Research in Mathematics by an Un- a one-year Master of Advanced Study in Mathemat- dergraduate Student to Michael Viscardi. ics. Afterward he plans to return to MIT to start The award recognizes in particular his impres- his Ph.D. in mathematics. sive senior thesis, “Alternate Compactifications of the Moduli Space of Genus One Maps”. Concerning Response: Yufei Zhao his thesis, one recommender wrote, “If this were a I am very honored to receive this recognition, and I doctoral thesis, it would secure an entry-level posi- would like to thank AMS, MAA, and SIAM for select- tion for him at one of the top departments in the ing me for this award. I would like to express my country.” In addition to his mathematical talents, gratitude to my parents for their constant support. Viscardi is an accomplished pianist and violinist. I am indebted to all my teachers and mentors for educating me and furthering my interests in math- Biographical Sketch: Michael Viscardi ematics. There are too many of them to list, but in Michael Viscardi graduated summa cum laude particular, I am grateful to Joe Gallian for running from Harvard in 2010, where he was awarded the an incredible REU program and to Richard Stanley, Thomas T. Hoopes Prize for Outstanding Research Michel Goemans, and Henry Cohn for being won- or Scholarly Work by a Senior and the David Mum- derful mentors and taking the time to supervise ford Mathematics Prize. He is currently finishing me on various projects. And finally, I thank my friends and classmates for creating a wonderfully the Harvard/New England Conservatory five-year supportive environment for doing mathematics. A.B./M.M. joint program in violin performance and will begin his Ph.D. in mathematics at MIT this fall. About the Prize Response: Michael Viscardi The Morgan Prize is awarded annually for out- standing research in mathematics by an under- I want to thank my advisor, Professor Joe Harris, graduate student (or students having submitted for his invaluable guidance, support, and humor joint work). Students in Canada, Mexico, or the throughout the course of this research. United States or its possessions are eligible for Citation for Honorable Mention: Yufei Zhao consideration for the prize. Established in 1995, the prize was endowed by Mrs. Frank (Brennie) The Morgan Prize Committee is pleased to award Morgan of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and carries Honorable Mention for the 2011 Morgan Prize the name of her late husband. The prize is given for Outstanding Research in Mathematics by an jointly by the AMS, the Mathematical Association Undergraduate Student to Yufei Zhao. of America (MAA), and the Society for Industrial The award recognizes his excellent work in and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and carries a cash combinatorics and number theory. One of his rec- award of US$1,200. ommenders wrote, “Zhao is extraordinarily strong Recipients of the Morgan Prize are chosen by at research, functioning more like an established a joint AMS-MAA-SIAM selection committee. For mathematician than an undergraduate.” Zhao is a the 2011 prize, the members of the selection com- three-time Putnam Fellow and the recipient of a mittee were Georgia Benkart, Anna L. Mazzucato, Gates Cambridge Scholarship. He graduated from Maeve L. McCarthy, Michael E. Orrison, Kannan MIT in 2010. Soundararajan, and Sergei Tabachnikov. Previous recipients of the Morgan Prize are Biographical Sketch: Yufei Zhao (1995), Yufei Zhao was born in Wuhan, China, and moved (1996), Jade Vinson (1997), (1998), to Toronto at the age of eleven. In high school Yufei Sean McLaughlin (1999), Jacob Lurie (2000), Ciprian developed his interest in mathematics through Manolescu (2001), Joshua Greene (2002), Melanie competitions. He competed for the Canadian team Wood (2003), Reid Barton (2005), (2006), three times at the International Mathematics Olym- Daniel Kane (2007), Nathan Kaplan (2008), Aaron piad, where he received a gold medal, and he also Pixton (2009), and Scott Duke Kominers (2010). subsequently coached the team as a Deputy Leader. As an undergraduate at MIT Yufei studied math- ematics and computer science, and he worked with

600 NOTICES OF THE AMS VOLUME 58, NUMBER 4