Rice AWM honored with student chapter award

Association for Women in Mathematics student chapter organized the Texas Women in Mathematics Symposium in 2022.

Bilyana Tzolova, Rachael Alfant, Shelly Harvey, Jaihee Choi, and Sara Edelman-Munoz posing for photograph on Rice University campus.

The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) has honored Rice University's student chapter with the 2022 AWM Student Chapter Award for Scientific Excellence.

The Rice AWM chapter received the award for organizing the Texas Women in Mathematics Symposium 2022 (TWIMS), a weekend conference highlighting the accomplishments of women mathematicians and providing network opportunities and visibility for early-career mathematicians.

The chapter, which draws members from various disciplines on campus, including computational and applied mathematics (CAAM), statistics and mathematics, also organized a joint colloquium by Amanda Glazer, who presented her undergraduate thesis study, discussing the difficulties and barriers for women in mathematical fields. Following such discussion, and with continued help from faculty advisor Jo Nelson and support from the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, the chapter started the “Math Nights” program — regular events where students meet and study together to build community. 

"We are really proud of the accomplishment," said Bilyana Tzolova, public relations chair for Rice AWM and a fourth-year Ph.D. student in computational and applied mathematics. "Our group supplies support for all women, men and non-binary undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs at Rice who are doing mathematics."

The national AWM was founded in 1971 and has more than 5,200 members, including some 250 institutional members, such as colleges, universities and mathematical societies.

Pictured above: Bilyana Tzolova, left, Rachael Alfant, Shelly Harvey, Jaihee Choi, and Sara Edelman-Munoz. Not pictured: Jo Nelson.