St. Paul, Minn. – The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) has chosen a paper co-written by Macalester Math Prof. Chad Topaz and Prof. Andrew Bernoff of Harvey Mudd College for one of three outstanding paper prizes in 2013. Their paper, A Primer of Swarm Equilibria, SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems Vol. 10, Issue 1 (2011), pp. 212-250will also reappear as a “SIGEST” article in SIAM Review, the society’s flagship journal. 

The purpose of SIGEST is to make the over 10,000 readers of SIAM Review aware of exceptional papers published in SIAM’s specialized journals. SIGEST articles are nominated by the editorial boards of these specialized journals. Topaz’s article was selected “for the importance of its contributions and topic, its clear writing style, and its accessibility.”

Topaz said he is humbled by the award.  “I feel very gratified that my work with Bernoff, which took us nearly five years to complete, is valued by the community.”  The awards ceremony will be in San Diego on July 9. 

SIAM awards three prizes each year, beginning in 1999, for outstanding papers published in SIAM journals. The Prize Committee seeks papers that exhibit originality—for example, papers that bring a fresh look at an existing field or that open up new areas of applied mathematics.

Applied mathematics, in partnership with computational science, is essential in solving many real-world problems. SIAM’s mission is to build cooperation between mathematics and the worlds of science and technology through publications, research, and community.

Macalester College, founded in 1874, is a national liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 2,035 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, multiculturalism, and civic engagement. Learn more at macalester.edu.

June 10 2013

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