April 2022
UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS
John M. Allen Prizes, presented by Dr. Vyron Vellis
The Allen Medal in mathematics was originated by John Mebane Allen in 1890 and has since been presented annually. It is noted to be one of the oldest awards given by The University of Tennessee. The Allen Medal is given to recognize freshman students who demonstrate, upon testing, the best knowledge of Algebra, Plane Geometry, Trigonometry, Analytic Geometry, Single Variable Calculus, and/or any other areas of mathematics as may be determined by the department head and select faculty members.
This year’s first place winner of the Allen Medal prize is Nicholas Murray.
This year’s second place winner is Baker Northern.
John H. Barrett Prize, presented by Dr. Remus Nicoara
The tradition of the John H. Barrett Prize began in 1970. It is an annual memorial award given to outstanding undergraduate seniors who have a concentration in mathematics or are mathematics majors.
This year’s winners of the John H. Barrett Prize are Victoria Howard, Joshua Miller, Owen Queen, and Jeffery Utley.
Cooper D. Schmitt Memorial Scholarship, presented by Dr. Marie Jameson
The Cooper D. Schmitt Endowment was established in 1987. The goal of this fund is to provide undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships and appropriate awards to outstanding students in the Department of Mathematics at The University of Tennessee.
This year’s winners of the Cooper D. Schmitt Memorial Scholarship are Noor Hassan, Ye He, Dylan Holloway, Hanson Lam, Fisher Latham, Ian MacDougall, John Maddox, Nathaniel Sheets, and Melanie Trouse.
Dr. Glenn R. & Elise I. Young Scholarship, presented by Dr. Conrad Plaut
The Dr. Glenn R. and Elise I. Young Scholarship was established in 2010. Its purpose is to support Physics or Mathematics majors who demonstrate successful academic performance. Preference is given to juniors. Awards are given in the Mathematics and the Physics Departments.
This year’s winner of the Dr. Glenn R. and Elise I. Young Scholarship is Gage Erwin.
James A. Cooley Scholarship, presented by Dr. Theodora Bourni
The James A. Cooley Memorial Scholarship was established to honor the memory of James A. Cooley and to help qualified and deserving mathematics students secure a college education. Professor Cooley was Head of the Department of Mathematics from 1942 until he returned to full time teaching in 1961. Preference is given to students interested in a teaching career.
This year’s winners of the James A. Cooley Scholarship are Spencer Catron, Henry Coen, Gesa Nestler, and Lauren Proctor.
Simms Foundation Scholarship, presented by April Conner.
The Simms Foundation Scholarship was created through a generous gift from Carol Sue Simms in 2014. The Simms Foundation Scholarship is a 4-year merit scholarship awarded to an incoming freshman with an excellent high school record who will major in math and has an interest in teaching.
This year’s winners of the Simms Foundation Scholarship are Nicolette Abate and Ashleigh Clark.
Dr. Warren L. & Kyleen D. Franz Scholarship, presented by Dr. Vyron Vellis
The Dr. Warren L. & Kyleen D. Franz Endowed Mathematics Scholarship was established in 2015 to support mathematics majors who demonstrate successful academic performance.
This year’s winners of the Dr. Warren L. & Mrs. Kyleen D. Franz Scholarship are Spencer Catron, Ye He, Hanson Lam, John Maddox, Gesa Nestler, and Lauren Proctor.
Polly Anna Harris Scholarship, presented by Dr. Jeneva Clark and family of Polly Anna Harris.
This scholarship helps support a future mathematics teacher. Applicants must be fourth-year undergraduate students pursuing a major in mathematics, with intent to become a high school mathematics teacher. Polly Anna Harris, a former UTK math major, taught at Bearden High School for many years before she retired. She was a recipient of the UT Alumna and Presidential Award for outstanding teaching. This scholarship is sponsored by her family, son, David Harris, MD, who is also a former UTK math major, and his wife Patricia, son, Frank Harris and wife Abby Avery, daughter, Paula Morrison, also a former UTK math major, and her husband G. Grainger Morrison.
This year’s winners of the Polly Anna Harris Scholarship are Henery Coen and Olivia Devault.
Kenneth Vann Scholarship, presented by Dr. Xiaobing Feng
The Kenneth Vann Scholarship is a 4-year award for an incoming student with a promising high school record and an intention to study math.
This year’s winners of the Kenneth Vann Scholarship are Justin Brentwood and Ashley Sonenshein.
April Marie Morton Scholarship, presented by Dr. Jochen Denzler
The April Marie Memorial Scholarship was established in 2021 by Mrs. Sharon Morton in memory of her daughter April who was a Mathematics graduate student who died as a result of a kayaking accident in 2019. The scholarship supports students who are studying Applied Mathematics and have demonstrated financial need.
This year’s winner of the April Marie Morton Scholarship is Kristina Wilson.
Lucille & Herbert Lee Memorial Scholarship, presented by Dr. Christopher Strickland
The Lucille and Herbert Lee Scholarship Awards were established in 1986 by a generous endowment from the Lee estate, and are awarded to sophomore and upperclassmen mathematics majors with outstanding records of academic achievement. Herbert E. Lee, who received his Ph.D. from Duke University, taught mathematics at UTK for three decades until his retirement in 1969. He, and his wife Lucille, were cheerful, friendly, outgoing people who always kept students’ welfare in mind.
This year’s winners of the Lucille and Herbert E. Lee Memorial Scholarship are Pierluigi Cambie-Fabris, Joshua Douden, Elinor Elkington, Kevin Scott Farmer, Ella Hunter, Faith Inkum, Matthew Winn Milam, Veda Rose Seay, and Isabelle Grace Stratton.
J.P. & Gladys Maples Scholarship, presented by Dr. Suzanne Lenhart
J. P. and Gladys Maples set up their scholarship endowment fund to encourage scholastic excellence.
This year’s winner of the J.P. and Gladys Maples Scholarship is Ka’Darrell Lovell Howell.
GRADUATE AWARDS
Randall E. Cline Award, presented by Dr. Tuoc Phan
This award was established by friends and colleagues in memory of Dr. Randall E. Cline. It is to provide student aid for scholarly activities associated with graduate student work in The University of Tennessee Department of Mathematics. Currently enrolled and prospective math graduate students are eligible for the award.
This year’s winners of the Randall E. Cline Award are Johannes Krotz, Junyuan Fang, Liam Bitting.
Graduate Student Achievement Award, presented by Dr. Xiaobing Feng
The goal of these awards is to recognize outstanding academic achievement among graduate students. It was established several years ago to parallel the award for outstanding teaching among graduate students.
This year’s winners of the Graduate Student Academic Achievement Award are Jeremiah Smith, Liet Vo, and Sandra Nguemto Guiawa.
Spike Tickle STEM Endowed Fellowship, presented by Dr. Alex Freire
The Spike Tickle Fellowship was established by Mr. John D. “Spike” Tickle to recognize students who have an outstanding academic performance and desire to use their talents and education in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The award is given to a graduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences to focus on teaching and/or research efforts in mathematics.
This year’s winners of the Spike Tickle STEM Endowed Fellowship are David Elzinga, Michael Hanson, and Sathya Rengaswami.
Dorthea & Edgar D. Eaves Teaching Awards, presented by Dr. Ohannes Karakashian
The Dorothea and Edgar D. Eaves Awards were established in 1977 in order to recognize outstanding teaching among graduate teaching assistants.
This year’s winners of the Junior Level award are Abigayle McClurkin and Sam Wilson.
This year’s winners of the Senior Level award are David Elzinga, Apostolos Gournaris, and Anna Lawson.
Math GTA Teaching Excellence Fellowship, presented by Dr. Marie Jameson
This award was established in 2019 to recognize excellence in teaching, as well as significant contribution to the undergraduate education mission of the Department of Mathematics. The award is designed to encourage Math GTAs to deepen their involvement in the educational mission of the department.
This year’s winners of the Math GTA Teaching Excellence Fellowship are Lucy Jiang and Joshua Siktar.
SIAM UTK Graduate Student Research Showcase, presented by Dr. Stefan Richter
The SIAM UTK Graduate Student Research Showcase is a presentation competition established in 2021 which showcases the research of current graduate students and their advisors. Presentations are 20 minutes in length with 5 minutes for questions and are judged by a panel.
This year’s first place winner is David Elzinga.
This year’s second place winner is Joshua Siktar.
This year’s third place winner is Liam Bitting.
Yueh-er, Hong-hsu & Clarence Cheng Kuo Fellowship Endowment, presented by Dr. Suzanne Lenhart
The Yueh-er, Hong-hsu and Clarence Cheng Kuo Fellowship Endowment was established in 2003 by Dr. Yueh-er Kuo to promote Masters’ degree education in the Department of Mathematics. Yueh-er Kuo was a professor in the Department of Mathematics since 1964. She was an expert in educating Masters’ degree students in addition to her own research. She had 56 thesis and project students and many of them are very successful in their careers. Hong-hsu Kuo was the husband of Yueh-er Kuo and was a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Clarence Cheng Kuo was the son of Yueh-er and Hong-hsu. He was a brilliant model student of University Nursery School. This award is given to graduate students with outstanding academic merit.
This year’s winners of the Yueh-er, Hong-hsu and Clarence Cheng Kuo Fellowship Endowment are Kimberlyn Eversman and Alexanderia Lacy.
MASTER’S OF MATHEMATICS AWARDS
Dorothea & Edgar D. Eaves Summer Fellowship, presented by Dr. Anne Ho
The Dorothea and Edgar D. Eaves Summer Fellowships were established in 1977 to encourage high school mathematics teachers to return to the University of Tennessee during the summer to further the study of mathematics.
This year’s winner of the Dorothea and Edgar D. Eaves Summer Fellowship is Michelle Keating.
Harry Row Scholarship, presented by Dr. Anne Ho
Harry Row was deeply committed to teaching and spent considerable time working with teachers. One of his professional goals was to promote the appropriate use of technology in the teaching of Mathematics. This scholarship funds a teacher who wants to continue the study of Mathematics and preference is given to those who have significantly used technology in their teaching.
This year’s winner of the Harry Row Scholarship is Dayle Warren.
UT Mathematics Teacher of the Year Award, presented by Dr. Karin Pringle
The Department of Mathematics Teacher of the Year Award is given to a local high school mathematics teacher who best exemplifies the knowledge of and enthusiasm for the discipline of mathematics inside the classroom and out.
This year’s winner of the UT Mathematics Teacher of the Year Award is Ashley Porter.
OTHER AWARDS
Recognition of Pi Mu Epsilon Tennessee Delta Chapter, presented by Dr. Jochen Denzler
This year’s Mathematics Department merit-based award membership to the Pi Mu Epsilon Honors Society goes to Owen Queen and Kristina Wilson.
This year’s Mathematics Department nominee award winners goes to Lukas Carpenter, Ye He, Matthew Milam, and Langdon Skarda.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION GRADUATE STUDENTS
Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development Summer Graduate Research Assistantship, presented by Dr. Christopher Strickland
This award is to recognize research by graduate students and to encourage the highest levels of scholarship, research and writing. The award goes to a graduate student that will supplement and enhance research support on exceptional levels.
This year’s winner of the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development Summer Graduate Research Assistantship is Michael Hanson.
Dawn and Lawrence Taylor Dissertation Award (Graduate School), presented by Dr. Christopher Strickland
This is awarded to only 4 doctoral students from the College of Arts and Sciences. This endowment was established to support outstanding PhD students during the writing of their dissertation. Dawn Taylor established this endowment to serve as a reminder of the many contributions by her late husband, Lawrence A. Taylor, professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and founder of the UT Planetary Geosciences Institute. His scientific discoveries helped develop a greater understanding of the universe and our planet. His love for teaching and sharing knowledge impacted generations of scholars.
This year’s winner of the Dawn and Lawrence Taylor Dissertation Award is Eddie Mitchell.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Trjitzinsky Award, presented by Dr. Christopher Strickland
Waldemar J. Trjitzinsky memorial fund is to assist students in their pursuit of a career in mathematics. AMS now chooses eight geographically distributed schools to receive these one-time awards in mathematic department in memory of Waldemar J. Trjitzinsky was an AMS member for 46 years.
This year’s winner of the Trjitzinsky Award is Kristina Wilson.
Math Graduate Student Council Teaching Award, presented by MGSC President Emily Campbell
This award goes to a professor who has done an exceptional job teaching a course for graduate students this school year. A generous gift from Mrs. Ann S. Keith Rea helps to support the award. Voted on by the graduate students, this award is meant to recognize the work and dedication a professor has given to help students under-stand the course material.
This year’s winner of the MGSC Teaching Award is Dr. Xiaobing Feng.
Math Graduate Student Council Service Award, presented by , MGSC President Emily Campbell
This award goes to a professor who has gone above and beyond to mentor, advise, or in general help graduate students this year in a non-teaching capacity. Voted on by the graduate students, this award is meant to recognize the extraordinary work a professor has done to foster students’ progress through the program and/or aid stu-dents in their preparation for a career.
This year’s winner of the MGSC Service Award is Dr. Jeneva Clark.
2021-2022 MATHEMATICS PROGRAM GRADUATES
Graduates of the Mathematics Honors Program
Garrett Byrd
Adrian Calderon
Zachary Costa
Victoria Howard
Ethan Kessinger
Owen Queen
Immanuel Schimdt
Wyatt Smith
Jeffrey Utley
Graduate Program Graduates
M.M Graduates
Madeline Gustafson (Fall 2021)
Jack Colston (Spring 2022)
Emilee Frazier (Spring 2022)
Melissa Hendrix (Spring 2022)
Joanna Koziar (Spring 2022)
Ashley Porter (Spring 2022)
Robert Davis (Summer 2022)
Melissa Horning (Summer 2022)
Sarah Johnson (Summer 2022)
Jake Smith (Summer 2022)
M.S. Graduates
Emily Campbell
Jared Deighton
Brooke Denney
Apostolos Gournaris
Kevin Huerto
Tariquel Islam
Lucy Jiang
Chiara Mattamira
Daniel McBride
Abigayle McClurkin
James Ren
Guilherme Silva
Jeremiah Smith
Hanlin Wang
Alex Wooden
Amber Young
Ph.D. Graduates
Kelly Buch
Cameron Cook
Shuler Hopkins
Morganne Igoe
Anna Lawson
Hussain Rashed
Timothy Robertson
Jesse Sautel
Anna Sisk
Mitchell Sutton
Wencel Valega
Dony Varghese
Liet Vo