AWM Service Award 2025

In 2012, AWM established its Service Award to recognize individuals for helping to promote and support women in mathematics through exceptional voluntary service to the Association for Women in Mathematics, a nonprofit organization that depends largely on the work of its volunteer members. These awards will be presented during the AWM Reception at the JMM in Seattle on January 10, 2025, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

The 2025 Service Award recipients are: Kuei-Nuan Lin, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Penn State Greater Allegheny, who is being recognized for her leadership of the AWM Mentor Network program, for her service on the Education and Outreach Portfolio Committee and on the AWM-NSF Travel Grants Selection Committee, and for her work as an Associate Editor for the 2022 AWM Symposium Proceedings volume;  and Mei Yin, Professor of Mathematics, University of Denver, who is recognized for founding and leading the AWM Student Chapter at the University of Denver for the past nine years, for supporting the AWM Women in Algebraic Combinatorics (WiAC) Research Network.

Citation for Kuei-Nuan Lin

The AWM Mentor Network Program was established in 2001 and matches around 150 volunteer mentors each year with girls and women who are interested in mathematics or are pursuing careers in mathematics. The network links mentors with a variety of groups: faculty at all ranks, post docs, graduate students, undergraduates, high school and middle school students, teachers, and research scientists. Matching is based on common interests in careers in academics or industry, math education, balance of career and personal life, or general mathematical interests. 

Lin has been a member of the Mentoring Network Committee since 2021 and has served as chair since 2023. When she took over as chair, she immediately hired a student assistant and organized the work in an efficient and professional manner. Communications between mentors and mentees have significantly improved under Kuei-Nuan Lin’s leadership. Lin is always thinking about ways to improve the program and routinely solicits mentors.

As a member of the Education and Outreach Portfolio, Lin listens to others and often makes exceptionally insightful suggestions to help resolve issues the other members are having with their programs. She happily takes on additional responsibilities such as reviewing the K-12 resources on our webpage, serving as a mentor for graduate students as part of the Women in Commutative Algebra (WICA) workshop at JMM 2023, and speaking to a high school club from Tsinglan International School in Dongguan, China.

A regular contributor to the AWM Research Symposium, Lin volunteered to be an Associate Editor of 2022 AWM Research Symposium Proceeding, guiding less experienced colleagues in the work of editing such a volume and has stepped up to advise editors of future volumes. Lin currently serves on the AWM Travel Grant Selection Committee. 

Kuei-Nuan Lin is a consistent, reliable, and thoughtful volunteer, mentor, and community member, who always says “yes, I can do that,” and then follows through with wisdom, kindness, and professionalism.

Response from Kuei-Nuan Lin

I am deeply honored to receive the AWM Service Award. AWM has had a tremendous positive impact on my professional journey through its extensive network of mentors, travel grants, research symposiums, and valuable research networks and proceedings. Personally, AWM has enriched my life with meaningful friendships, educational resources for K-12 students, essay competitions, and initiatives like EvenQuads, which have been instrumental in raising my children.  It is a privilege to give back to this extraordinary community, and I am excited about the opportunity to collaborate with all the dedicated volunteers at AWM. A special thank you to Darla Kremer and the committee members for this wonderful opportunity to serve.

Citation for Mei Yin

 Over the years, Mei Yin has contributed extensively to the regional and national AWM network. While a postdoc at Brown University, Mei co-organized an Inspiring Women in STEM panel discussion that drew attendance from neighboring universities in the Northeast. Mei served as a judge for the AWM-MfA Student Essay Contest in 2014, 2016, and 2019 and as a judge in the AWM Poster Presentations at the JMM in San Antonio in 2015. Mei has been a mentor in AWM’s Mentor Network since 2017 and has kept in contact with some of her mentees well after the official mentor period ended, giving them continued support. Mei was a member of the AWM’s Social Media Committee from February 2021 to January 2024.

In January 2016, as a tenure-track assistant professor, Mei founded the University of Denver (DU) Student Chapter of the AWM and has served as the faculty advisor for the chapter since then. The chapter has been quite active since day one. Every academic quarter the chapter sponsors a mentoring lunch and a mentoring tea at which Mei and the student officers select a topic for discussion such as “How to embrace opportunities and challenges for the next stage of your academic journey,” “How to best support students needing accommodations,” or “How to write successful papers and grant proposals.” The chapter also hosts signature events throughout the year. Some of these events are social, such as sushi making and pumpkin carving, while others are educational, such as the distinguished speaker series and undergrad women award ceremonies. In 2021, the DU AWM Student chapter was featured on the AWM 50th Anniversary Website (https://awm-math.org/50th-anniversary/).

Mei has supported the research development of many women and underrepresented students locally and beyond, through leading independent studies, organizing workshops and conferences, and writing joint papers. Mei is an active member of the WiAC research Network, and was an invited participant in the January 2024 Workshop held at Banff International Research Station. The DU-MERISTEM program, supported by an NSF ADVANCE grant, is a coalition of DU faculty and staff working to address underrepresentation of women and other marginalized groups among STEM faculty. Mei is a Steering Committee Member for the program and serves as a mentor in the New Faculty in STEM Mentoring Program.

Response from Mei Yin

It is truly an honor and privilege to be a recipient of the AWM service award. The AWM has been graciously providing us with encouragement, support, and a sense of community for over 50 years. I would like to thank the many students who have been actively involved in our AWM Student Chapter at the University of Denver. I also wish to acknowledge the women colleagues who have led me, mentored me, and worked with me over the years, with special thanks to Mary Clark, Corinne Lengsfeld, Susan Petersen, Anna Sher, Natasha Dobrinen, and Susan Bolton. I look forward to continuing my efforts of supporting the AWM mission of promoting equitable opportunity and gender-inclusivity in the mathematical sciences, both locally and beyond.