The CUR Mathematics and Computer Sciences Division has announced the recipients of its 2019 Faculty Mentor Award, which recognizes outstanding mentoring of undergraduate researchers:
Early career: Pamela E. Harris (Williams College)
A Mexican American, Harris is an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. She received her BS from Marquette University and her MS and PhD in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She was a Davies Fellow of the National Research Council with an dual appointment at the United States Military Academy and the Army Research Lab. Her research interests are in algebraic combinatorics, graph theory, and number theory. Since 2013, she has mentored six undergraduate researchers at West Point, 21 at Williams College, and 8 at SUNY Geneseo. She also co-mentored five students from Youngstown State University and one student from Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. This work has resulted in 14 publications coauthored with students. Harris works to develop learning communities that reinforce students’ self-identity as scientists, in particular for women, underrepresented students, and those who have not had many prior positive mathematical experiences.