2006 Trjitzinsky Awards

October 6, 2006

Providence, RI:

The American Mathematical Society has made $18,000 in awards to seven students through the Waldemar J. Trjitzinsky Memorial Fund. The fund is made possible by a bequest from the estate of Waldemar J., Barbara G. and Juliette Trjitzinsky. The will of Barbara Trjitzinsky stipulates that the income from the bequest should be used to establish a fund to assist needy students in mathematics, in honor of the memory of her husband. Below are the names of the students receiving the awards, and some information about them.

Lorena Pulido and Jennifer Renee Winter, California State University, San Bernardino ($1,500 each) :

Jennifer Winter is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics, and plans to graduate in the spring. When she came to CSUSB in 2003 she was invited to become a student in the University's Honors Program. She has been involved in several other programs including the Inland Counties Math Project, the Intensive Math Program, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation--programs that work with students and teachers to increase the level of mathematics education not only at CSUSB but also within San Bernardino County. Jennifer plans to pursue a Master's degree and Ph.D. in mathematics with the ultimate goal of working in a university.

Lorena Pulido is a junior at CSUSB and plans to complete her B.A. in mathematics by June 2007. She is a first-generation college student and a daughter of immigrants. A valedictorian at La Sierra High School, Lorena has won several awards including Riverside County's Top Scholar, the CSF Seymour Memorial Award, Inland Empire's Top 12 Scholars Award and the 2004 Distinguished AVID Scholar. Lorena decided to pursue a degree in mathematics because she has always had a profound interest in, and fascination for, the subject. She received the Academic Excellence award for outstanding academic performance in algebra in the Golden State Examination. She plans to become a high school mathematics teacher because she believes that teachers can affect and change lives in a positive way, just as her teachers changed her path to the future.

Dean Robert Carlson, Jennifer Winter, Lorena Pulido, and Peter Williams, chair of the CSUSB department of mathematics

Sean Michael Eagan, University of Missouri, Rolla ($3,000):

Sean M. Eagan (center) accepts the award from UMR mathematics and statistics department representatives Dr. Ilene Morgan, director of undergraduate studies, and Dr. Leon Hall, chair.

Sean Eagan was born in Missouri and has spent most of his life in the state. He graduated from Saint Francis Borgia College Preparatory High School in Washington, MO, where he was on two state championship cross country teams. Since high school his interests have varied between mathematics and creative writing. Sean has one published poem to his credit. Before transferring to the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) in January of 2006, he completed three and a half years of work at East Central Community College in Union, MO. Sean is married and has two daughters, ages 3 months and 2 years. He supports his family and funds his college expenses by working at Wal-Mart. Even with the time demands of work and family, he earned a 4.0 GPA during his first semester at UMR. After finishing his undergraduate degree he hopes to continue graduate school in mathematics.

Khadijah Shadeed, University of Central Missouri ($3,000):

Ms. Khadijah Shadeed is a junior in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. She is pursuing a B.A. degree in mathematics, and enjoys solving Sudoku puzzles and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Phoebe McLaughlin (left), professor of mathematics and chair of the department’s scholarship committee, presents the Waldemar J. Trjitzinsky Scholarship to Ms. Khadijah Shadeed, a junior mathematics major from Kansas City, MO.

Elizabeth Rini, Boston College ($3,000):

Elizabeth Rini entered Boston College as a communications major, but soon discovered that her true interests were elsewhere. She now majors in both mathematics and secondary education, after having completed extra coursework to get her program back on schedule. Presently a senior, Elizabeth has already begun her student-teaching, where she has demonstrated an excellent rapport with her students with what her supervisor calls a "student-centered approach." Elizabeth's goal as a future high school teacher is to spread mathematical enthusiasm by stimulating and motivating her students.

Elizabeth R. Morra, Eckerd College ($3,000):

Dr. Walter Walker and Elizabeth Morra with her award

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Morra is currently a junior mathematics major. She graduated from Onteora High School in Boiceville, New York, in 2004, where she completed AP course work in Calculus, Physics and Government. In her senior year at Onteora, she also completed a probability and statistics course at Syracuse University. In her first two years at Eckerd, Lizzy completed her three-course calculus sequence, differential equations and linear algebra with distinction. She will be taking courses in abstract algebra and advanced probability and statistics this year. Lizzy also has been accepted into the Ford Apprentice Scholars Program at Eckerd, which is a two-year program designed to develop the skills and habits of professional scholars. In the program she will be working with several mathematicians and engineers to develop a variety of numeric techniques to model fractures within an oil well environment.

John Roosevelt Quinn, University of California, San Diego ($3,000):

John Quinn, a 34-year old father of three sons, decided to pursue higher mathematics while working as an electronics technician in the telecommunications industry. He has been a lifelong reader of popular books about science and mathematics and hopes to continue his study in the area of mathematical physics. John's other interests include electronic communications and number theory.

John Roosevelt Quinn (left) with UCSD Math Department Chair, Professor Sam Buss

Waldemar J. Trjitzinsky was born in Russia in 1901 and received his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1926. He taught at a number of institutions before taking a position at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he remained for the rest of his professional life. He showed particular concern for students of mathematics and in some cases made personal efforts to ensure that financial considerations would not hinder their studies. Trjitzinsky was the author of about sixty mathematics papers, primarily on quasi-analytic functions and partial differential equations. A member of the AMS for 46 years, he died in 1973.

For further information, contact:

Annette Emerson or Mike Breen
Public Awareness Office
American Mathematical Society
201 Charles St.
Providence, RI 02904
Email: paoffice at ams dot org
Phone: 401-455-4000
Fax: 401-331-3842

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Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, the 30,000-member American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.