Nebraska's Math Department Judged Outstanding

April 21, 2009

The American Mathematical Society's 2009 "Award for an Exemplary Program or Achievement in a Mathematics Department" has gone to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"One can honestly say that every one of this year's nominees deserves the kind of recognition that an award of this type confers," said Steven A. Bleiler (Portland State University), chair of the award selection committee. "Yet it was very gratifying to see Nebraska emerge from our review process as a first among equals and receive well-deserved accolades for the profound effect their innovation, outreach, and willingness to do things differently have had on their own programs, as well as on the future face of our discipline."

The University's Mathematics Department does remarkable things. Each year, for instance, it hosts 200 students from around the country for the Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics. An even bigger program under its wings is the American Mathematics Competitions, sponsored by the MAA, which coordinates a nationwide series of contests involving 400,000 high school participants. The tests culminate in the selection of the U.S. team for the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Yet another Nebraska math program is All Girls/All Math, a week-long summer camp for mathematically talented high school girls. The department also runs a "Research Experience for Undergraduates in Applied Mathematics" program; a summer program for students about to enter graduate school; a professional development effort for middle school teachers—and more.

"Of course the big programs make a difference," observed David Manderscheid, dean of Nebraska's College of Arts and Sciences (and blogger). "There are going to be those critical moments, those impact moments, where a student will say, 'I could be a mathematician' or 'I'm good at mathematics'—these might come from big events like the Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women or All Girls/All Math," he said. "But it's also the day-to-day things—when a student is sitting in the lounge and a faculty member stops by and helps the student for no reason other than the fact that they both love mathematics. That's part of the fabric of the department."

The official announcement of the award, including the selection committee's citation, and an article by Allyn Jackson about the Nebraska Department appear in the May Notices of the American Mathematical Society.

Source: American Mathematical Society, April 14, 2009.