Allie Blomquist a mathematics major at UW-Madison, was named last year to the Verizon/CoSIDA first team Academic All-American, repeating her selection from last year. She was the first ever Badger woman golfer to be selected a first team Academic All-American. Allie, who has had a 3.912 cumulative grade point average, was one of just 15 Division I university athletes named to the first team at-large nationally. She completed her eligibility as the most accomplished woman golfer in UW history.
Allie was also named Wisconsin's 2001 Female Medal of Honor winner. The annual award offered by the Big Ten Conference honors a senior male and female athlete from each institution who has displayed academic and athletic excellence. She was also the 2001 Remington Scholar signifying the highest grade point average of any woman athlete. If that isn't enough, Allie was also selected last year as Wisconsin's candidate for NCAA Woman of the Year, an award that recognizes the athletic, academic and community service contributions of athletes. She was a member of the UW Athletic Board for two years, and participated in the Read Across America program at a local middle school. Allie graduated in 2001.
At the annual student awards ceremony on April 30, 2001 several awards were presented to our best undergraduate students:
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At the ceremony, Dan Koellen who graduated in 1979 in the Applied
Mathematics, Engineering, and Physics (AMEP) program talked on the role of
mathematicians in industry. Dan related that a person working in industry
has to focus on the problems and the challenges that the employer is
facing, even though one's interest may be elsewhere. Dan said that the
most important skill a mathematician brings to industry is her or his
ability to problem solve and think creatively.
Dan has just made a donation to the Mathematics Department to establish an AMEP Support Fund and an AMEP Leadership Prize Fund. We will have more on this in next year's newsletter.