Skip to Main Content

Committee to Select the Winner of the Whiteman Prize

General Description

Principal Activities

The prize was established in 1998 using funds donated by Mrs. Sally Whiteman, in memory of her husband, the late Albert Leon Whiteman. Mrs. Whiteman requested that the prize be established for notable exposition and exceptional scholarship in the history of mathematics. Ideas expressed and new understandings embodied in the exposition awarded the Whiteman Prize will be expected to reflect exceptional mathematical scholarship. The prize is awarded every three years at the Joint Annual Mathematics Meeting. Award is in the amount of $5,000.

Comment
The Council is responsible for awarding the prize which it would do by approving the report of this committee. However, it has delegated this responsibility to its Executive Committee (EC). The committee will recommend, for approval by the EC, the individual selected to receive the award. This selection is communicated to the Secretary who then notifies the winner.

The recommendation should include the names of the individual, his/her institution, citations of the potential awardee, and anything else the committee feels will be useful for the EC for its approval

Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
(as adopted by the April 2019 Council)

The American Mathematical Society is committed to promoting and facilitating equity, diversity and inclusion throughout the mathematical sciences. For its own long-term prosperity as well as that of the public at large, our discipline must connect with and appropriately incorporate all sectors of society. We reaffirm the pledge in the AMS Mission Statement to "advance the status of the profession of mathematics, encouraging and facilitating full participation of all individuals," and urge all members to conduct their professional activities with this goal in mind.

Miscellaneous Information

The Whiteman Prize is to be presented at the Prize Ceremony at the Annual Joint Mathematics Meetings. The description of the prize, along with a full citation, and biography of the winner is published in the Notices. A response from the winner may also be published. The response at the ceremony should be brief (approximately 2 minutes).

Note to the Chair

Committee chairs should be informed, at the beginning of each fiscal period, of the budget of their committees and cautioned to remain within the budget. Such items as travel reimbursement, accommodations, and meals for guests of any kind fall within these budgets.

For the purpose of archiving the committee activities, the Secretary maintains a central file system for archiving committee records. Committee Chairs are asked to submit committee records on yearly basis. Chairs can submit material at their discretion, and some materials that they may wish to provide are meeting minutes, agenda, and emails. Confidential material should be noted, so that it can be handled in a confidential manner.

Authorization

Past Members

A list of current and past members is available at:
http://www.ams.org/about-us/governance/committees/whiteman-past.html

Past Winners

http://www.ams.org/whiteman-winners

AMS Prize Webpage

http://www.ams.org/whiteman-prize