McKibben and Merner Professorship

Selim Tuncel, Craig McKibben and Sarah Merner, and Sándor Kovács

Sándor Kovács was appointed last year as the inaugural recipient of the Craig McKibben and Sarah Merner Professorship. Kovács’s research is in the area of higher dimensional complex algebraic geometry. The ultimate goal of the field is to classify all algebraically defined geometric objects.

A celebration of the professorship was held on May 1, 2007 at the Henry Art Gallery. The celebration included a talk by Kovács entitled “Singularities” followed by a reception (see photo at right).

Walker Family Professorship

Doug and Maggie Walker

Gunther Uhlmann was appointed last year as the inaugural recipient of the Walker Family Professorship. Uhlmann’s research is in the area of partial differential equations and inverse problems arising in several applications including medical imaging and the geosciences.

A celebration of the professorship was held on October 23, 2007 at the Henry Art Gallery. The celebration included a talk by Uhlmann entitled “Inverse Problems: Visibility and Invisibility” (see article) followed by a reception.

Phelps Professorship

Robert and Elaine Phelps

In 1999 Robert and Elaine Phelps created the Robert R. and Elaine F. Phelps Endowed Fund to support and encourage graduate mathematics students and untenured mathematics faculty. Most recently, with gifts matched by the Department, they have added to the fund to create the Phelps Professorship of Mathematics. The Department plans to make the inaugural award of the Phelps Professorship this spring, the term for which will begin in the 2008-09 academic year.

Kauffman and Rebassoo Professorship

Jim Morrow has been named the Kauffman and Rebassoo Professor in Mathematics for a three-year term. A member of the Department since 1969, Morrow has been a powerful force in mathematics eduation. Just some of his achievements include coordinating the Research Experience for Undergraduates program and mentoring teams in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling. Morrow has been recognized numerous times for his efforts with awards such as the Honors Excellence in Teaching Award and the Distinguished Teaching Award of the Pacific Northwest Section of the Mathematical Association of America.

The professorship was created through gifts from George B. Kauffman, Vaho Rebassoo, and Donald and Jeannette Fowler.