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Rice University computational mathematician Richard Tapia has won the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s 2016 AAAS Public Engagement with Science Award. The honor specifically recognizes Tapia’s “remarkable career blending world-class scholarship, admirable mentoring and profound contributions to science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and public engagement.”
To help get students excited about computing and problem-solving, the Rice University School Mathematics Project (RUSMP) and Houston Independent School District (HISD) co-hosted an invitational round of the Bebras Computing Challenge Oct. 1 at Rice.
Rice’s Energy and Environment Initiative is reaching out to university faculty for new ideas about interdisciplinary research collaborations that could attract significant government and industry support. “The research funding environment is always challenging, and we need to do all we can to remain competitive,” said Rice Vice Provost for Research Yousif Shamoo.
Gillman is one of 126 new Sloan fellows announced today by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The prestigious fellowships, awarded annually since 1955, include a generous grant to support the work of early career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential mark them as rising stars.
The son of Mexican immigrants, Tapia was the first member of his family to attend college. Today he is University Professor, the Maxfield-Oshman Professor in Engineering and a professor of computational and applied mathematics. Moreover, his research and dedication to diversity education in the U.S. have achieved a number of distinguished honors, including the National Medal of Science from President Barack Obama.
Rice University today announced that applied mathematician and seismologist Maarten de Hoop has accepted a newly created faculty position that was established with a substantial grant from the Simons Foundation’s Math+X Program. De Hoop said the move to Houston will facilitate in-depth research collaborations between his research group and the energy industry.
Rice Professor Richard Tapia has received the 2014 Mayor’s Hispanic Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award for his commitment to helping minorities and women prepare for higher education and to increase participation of underrepresented students in the sciences.
The board presents the award each year to exceptional, lifelong leaders in science and technology who have made substantial contributions to the welfare of the nation through public service activities in science, technology and public policy. The NSB is the governing board of the National Science Foundation and policy advisers to the president and Congress.
Two Rice University professors and a fellow from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Bonnie Bartel, Richard Tapia and John Mendelsohn joined the ranks of astronaut John Glenn, singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, actor Sally Field and operatic soprano Renee Fleming as members of the academy’s Class of 2013 — one of the highest honors for leaders in academia, business, public affairs, the humanities and the arts.
Paul Pfeiffer ’38, professor emeritus of computational and applied mathematics and one of Rice’s longest-serving faculty members, died Sunday in Austin at age 95. Pfeiffer taught full time at Rice for more than 50 years, served as dean of students for four years and played an instrumental role in establishing the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics (CAAM).
