Mathematician Jennifer Taback Recognized with Prestigious Honor

Taback, who is Bowdoin's Isaac Henry Wing Professor of Mathematics, said that simply being nominated for this recognition by her fellow mathematicians was gratifying. "To be named a fellow of the AMS, an organization whose mission I strongly support and where I have been privileged to serve in elected governance for many years, is truly a great honor to me." Taback is currently the chair of the board of trustees of the AMS.

AMS President Ravi Vakil paid tribute to the latest round of fellows. Their research and service, he stressed, help ensure the everyday health of the mathematical sciences. "AMS Fellows are selected from a substantial pool of accomplished candidates. Their collected achievements highlight the many ways individuals devote themselves to our beautiful and essential subject. I am proud to work alongside them to support and advance our discipline," he added, in a statement.

Taback, who has been on the Bowdoin faculty since 2002, focuses much of her research on geometric group theory, a field of mathematics that studies the interplay between the algebraic and geometric properties of symmetries, and, she says, has broad applications to other areas of mathematics.

Along with her colleagues in the math department, Taback runs the Midcoast Math Circle at Bowdoin College. Now in its tenth year, this is a free Sunday afternoon math enrichment program for local junior high school students, exploring themes such as graph theory, cryptography, probability, and knot theory.

Another aspect of Taback's community work is her advocacy for young women wanting to pursue a career in mathematics. Under her supervision, Bowdoin students established a Women in Math Club with ties to the Association of Women in Mathematics. She continues, along with colleagues from her department, to serve as faculty mentor for this student group.