Caroline Klivans, an undergraduate mathematics major at Cornell University, has been awarded the ninth annual Alice T. Schafer Mathematics Prize by the Association for Women in Mathematics.

The single winner of the $1000 prize is chosen from nominees submitted by members of the mathematics community, based on performance in mathematics courses and competitions, interest in the field and ability to do independent research work.

"I couldn't think of anybody who was more likely to get this prize," said Professor Louis Billera, the senior's faculty advisor. "She's had a tremendous impact on the Undergraduate Math Club and more or less recreated it. She's taking lots of not-so-easy math courses and in addition had a fabulous research experience last summer."

Klivans has been president of the Math Club and organized a well-attended weekly series of lectures by faculty and graduate students designed to introduce undergraduate students to areas of mathematics that they would not ordinarily encounter in their course work.

Last summer she participated in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science at Rutgers University, where she did research in computational geometry. Her current fields of interest are discrete geometry and algebraic combinatorics.

"I am extremely honored to receive the Schafer prize," Klivans said. "I am hopeful that these kinds of encouragements will bring more young women into the field. I also feel truly honored to have such support and belief from the people I have worked with at Rutgers and the Cornell math department. I am grateful to be surrounded by passionate and encouraging advisors."

Klivans will graduate in January 1999 and is hoping to attend the Budapest Semester in Mathematics program in the spring, then enter graduate school.

The Association for Women in Mathematics is a non-profit organization founded in 1971 to encourage women in the mathematical sciences. Currently it has over 4,000 members worldwide. The Alice T. Schafer Prize was established in 1990 and is named for a former president and founding member. The prize will be awarded at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Antonio, Texas, in January.