2003 Teaching and Service Awards
6 August 2003
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I'm very pleased to announce this year's winners of the Mathematics Department Teaching and Service Awards. These awards recognize outstanding contributions over an extended period of time to the teaching of mathematics in the broadest sense and to the general welfare of the department.
This year's recipients are Henry Glover and Dijen Ray-Chaudhuri, whose citations follow below.
Congratulations Dijen and Henry!
Best wishes,
Peter
Citation for Henry H. Glover
Almost immediately after joining the department in 1968, Henry turned his hand to teaching undergraduate Honors courses and teaching topology in graduate courses and seminars. The latter efforts, especially, had a lasting positive effect on a number of Ohio State alumni, who wrote, more than a decade later, "Most vivid in my memory are the hours of long conversation in his office about different problems suggested in the book." Wrote another, "I know of no one who is more interested in helping students or generous with his time (or more generous in any way) than Henry Glover." His interests in students and the art of topology have resulted in graduation of 10 PhD's (3 jointly with Phil Huneke, 1 jointly with Guido Mislin) and 2 Master's students over a period of thirty years.
Henry has contributed unstintingly to departmental governance through cumulative service on essentially all important departmental committees. His service is quiet and thoughtful with an emphasis on professional respect and due process. His advice, at least to this chair, is not offered lightly, but it is always welcome, constructive and followed with profit.
The service that stands in boldest relief is Henry's work, over a five year period, on the Mathematics Tower (MW), Eighteenth Avenue Annex (EA), and Science and Engineering Library (SEL) project. I can assure you that space issues are so notoriously difficult that even the briefest involvement can lead to shaken nerves and a rattled brain! That Henry could persist and be so effective over such a long period of time is a marvel. Certainly the best features of our working space in MW and EA were due, in large part, to Henry's unflagging representation of our interests.
Citation for Dijen K. Ray-Chaudhuri
1 and 5 are the logarithms of Dijen's contributions to service and teaching, for 2^1 counts his chairmanships and 2^5 counts his PhD students.
Dijen was chair in the late seventies and early eighties. Thanks in part to his leadership, the department made a number of excellent hires and went through a remarkable period of growth in accomplishment and visibility. His second chairmanship in the early nineties occured, unfortunately, during a time of difficult financial circumstances for the department, the college and the university.
Throughout his tenure at Ohio State, Dijen has been extremely active in teaching, from the Ross Program for mathematically talented youngsters to graduate courses and seminars in combinatorics. His record of training PhD students is truly remarkable and, as their careers have developed, they've come to occupy prominent positions in academia and industry. Counted among his former students are some of today's leaders in combinatorics, including an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians and two winners of the Polya Prize. Their work contributes significantly to current research in combinatorics and, correspondingly, to the reputation of our graduate program.