It’s awards season at the University of Waterloo. Congratulations to four outstanding students from the Faculty of Mathematics, who were the recipients this week not only of their hard-earned degrees but also of additional honours.
Laura Pierson
Laura Pierson, a Combinatorics and Optimization master’s graduate, is the recipient of this year’s Governor General’s Gold Medal at the master’s level. The award recognizes graduate students who have made exceptional academic achievements. “I’m grateful to my supervisors for always being kind and caring and for giving me lots of interesting math to think about,” she says. “I’m also thankful to my family and partner for their love and support, and to everyone in my department for creating such a warm, welcoming and enriching environment.”
“It was wonderful to supervise Laura’s thesis,” says Oliver Pechenik, an assistant professor in Combinatorics and Optimization. “She is an exceptional mathematician and I am excited to see what she does next.”
Sepehr Hajebi
Sepehr Hajebi, a Combinatorics and Optimization PhD graduate, is a Governor General’s Gold Medal finalist, one of only four across the university. He also received the first place Mathematics Doctoral Prize. “I’m grateful for this recognition. My research often comprises long-term projects where my collaborators and I spend years exploring several interrelated problems – sometimes in pursuit of a broad, unifying theorem,” he says. “This means there’s always much left to uncover, and having my work appreciated is a strong motivation to carry this momentum forward.” Hajebi would particularly like to thank his supervisor and collaborator Dr. Sophie Spirkl, assistant professor of Combinatorics and Optimization, for her support and guidance.
“Sepehr is a fantastic researcher whose PhD work is of the highest quality; his thesis consists of several results that a few years ago we would not have thought possible,” says Spirkl. “I’m extremely proud of the work he did and excited for his bright future ahead.”
Yu Li
Yu Li, a mathematical physics undergraduate, is the recipient of a Governor General’s Academic Silver medal. The award goes to the undergraduate student who has the highest academic average in their respective Faculty. “I feel proud and delighted for my achievement to be recognized,” he says. “I would like to thank my parents, my friends, and especially my research supervisors during undergrad who guided me: Prof. Eduardo-Martin-Martinez and Prof. Niayesh Afshordi. I would also like to thank NSERC and IQC who provided funding for my undergrad research.”
“Yu Li is a brilliant and hard-working student with deep curiosity and perseverance,” says Martin Martinez, professor of Applied Mathematics. “The Governor General’s Silver Medal is a fitting recognition of his exceptional academic performance and his dedication to research.”
Zev Friedman
Zev Friedman, a pure mathematics undergraduate, is the recipient of the Alumni Gold Medal, which recognizes academic excellence and good citizenship. “It’s a huge honour to be recognized in this way,” he says. “Just like everyone else my undergraduate experience has had ups and downs, and I’m so happy to be ending it on such a high note!” Friedman is particularly grateful to his friend and family, the people in AccessAbility services, and his professors “who have had their doors open for me to talk to them whenever I needed help or accommodations.”
“Zev is an outstanding student,” says David McKinnon, chair of the Department of Pure Mathematics. “He’s also done mathematics outside the classroom, has served as part of the MathSoc Executive team, and has been all around a fantastic citizen of the Faculty. I’m really glad that the Alumni Gold Medal has been awarded to such a terrific member of our community.”