Pamela Ferguson
Pamela Ferguson was appointed president of Grinnell College in 1991 and served in that position until 1997. After stepping down from the presidency, she continued to teach as a professor of mathematics. In 2003, she was appointed the Breid-McFarland Professor of Science.
Though she is best remembered at Grinnell College as a former president, Pam Ferguson has been described as a lover of mathematics. She published over forty papers in her area of group theory, most appearing in the highly regarded Journal of Algebra. Her work was strongly connected to the classification of finite simple groups, one of the landmark results of twentieth-century mathematics. The endowment supporting this prize was established by her husband, D. Roger Ferguson.
The Pamela Ferguson Endowed Prize in Mathematics
The goal of this merit prize is to recognize and encourage mathematical potential among students, particularly among women, who are traditionally under-represented in the discipline.
Up to two prizes will be awarded to the mathematics majors entering their senior year who are judged by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics to have demonstrated the greatest achievement and promise, as measured by such criteria as performance in mathematics classes (particularly upper-level courses), independent research projects, posters and other presentations, publications, competitions, etc.
Recipients of the Pamela Ferguson Prize
2012: Bingxi Wu 2013 and Alice Nadeau 2013
2011: Boanne MacGregor 2012 and Klevi Xhaxho 2012
2010: Nicole Bridgland 2011 and Benjy Greenberg 2011
2009: Sam Calisch 2010 and Barbara Monaco 2010
2008: Buchan (Lynn) Xue 2009 and Katie Shepard 2009
2007: Katrina M. Honigs 2008 and Rolf W. Hoyer 2008
2006: Stephanie Daniel Fried 2007 and Norman Lewis Perlmutter 2007
