The Department has not one but two SIAM fellows! Professor Emeritus Ivar Stakgold and Professor Pam Cook are newly elected fellows.

According to the SIAM press release "The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) is pleased to announce the SIAM Fellows Class of 2009 and the inauguration of the SIAM Fellows Program. Fellowship is an honorific designation conferred on members distinguished for their outstanding contributions to the fields of applied mathematics and computational science. During this inaugural year of the program, SIAM will confer Fellows status on 183 noteworthy professionals who will be recognized during the 2009 SIAM Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado."

Many faculty in the Department of Mathematical Sciences are actively pursuing research in applied mathematics. This has been a hallmark of the Department since at least 1975 when Ivar Stakgold became chair. Under his leadership, the Department expanded in applied mathematics and gained a strong reputation in this area. During his final years as chair, Ivar was elected President of SIAM in 1988 and served as President for two years from 1989-90. The photograph below is of Ivar at a celebration on the occasion of his election. The people in the picture are, from left to right, Ed Bloch (SIAM Manager), Ivar Stakgold, Dean Helen Gouldner, and Ralph Kleinman (deceased, Professor of Mathematical Sciences).

As Chair from 1992-2000 Pam Cook continued the emphasis on applied mathematics in the Department, but with the added goal of promoting ties with industry. Pam is now Secretary of SIAM and also served as the editor in chief of the SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics for a number of years. This journal is one of the premier journals in applied mathematics.

In view of the Department's reputation for excellence in applied mathematics research, it is wholly appropriate that members of the Department occupy leadership roles in the applied mathematics community. The Department is delighted to see that Pam and Ivar's excellent service contribution has been recognized by SIAM.

For more information see the article which appeared in UDAILY.

Article created: May 1, 2009