2026 Math Student Prizes

DeForest Prize

The DeForest prizes for proficiency in pure and applied mathematics were awarded to Diana Yang and Meiling Laurence. 

Winners: Meiling Laurence and Diana Yang

Meiling will be pursuing a PhD in mathematics at the University of Michigan. This summer, she looks forward to learning how to cook, playing the clarinet, and spending time with family.

Some advice from Meiling:

“Don’t underestimate how much you can learn from other people. It may be tempting to try to slog through your homework assignments all on your own, especially if you feel intimidated by your peers, as I have at times, but the people around you are so smart (and not that scary). It’s way more fun to discuss math problems with other people, and you’ll learn a lot from each other, too.”

See below for notes from Diana, who also won the Lewis summer research award!

George Beckwith Prize

The George Beckwith prize for proficiency in astronomy or mathematics and was awarded to Frank Wong.

Winner: Chun Yeung “Frank” Wong

Frank is pursuing a combined BS/MS in Mathematics. He is also pursuing a double major in Computer Science. This summer, he will be interning in New York City and is also looking forward to exploring the authentic Cantonese restaurants in Chinatown in his free time there. 

Some advice from Frank:

“A general bit of advice that I’ve really found to be helpful is to not leave things to the last minute. This is admittedly advice that’s much easier to state than follow, but even a little bit goes a long way. If one does assignments a few days earlier instead of rushing it the day it’s due, slowing down actually means that you’ll better understand and appreciate the concepts the assignment is on. This means you’ll be better prepared for the exams because you’ve actually thought about the material in depth for longer, making it more likely that you’ll have gained an intuitive understanding of the concepts involved, and hence reducing the need to cram for exams at the last minute. Even small steps in not procrastinating can have big knock-on effects on your ability to grasp concepts and overall well-being, and thinking about a concept for longer is one of the best ways to gain understanding and get better at it.”

Anthony D. Stanley Memorial Prize

The Anthony D. Stanley memorial prize, given out to a junior for excellence in pure and applied mathematics, is awarded to Ruben Carpenter.

Winner: Ruben Carpenter

Ruben is a junior from Barcelona, Spain. This summer, he looks forward to doing research at DE Shaw, visiting the Duluth REU, and continuing his research in additive combinatorics. He is also excited to go on hiking and bouldering trips in the northeast and spend plenty of time solving cryptic crosswords with friends, eating ice cream, and visiting his family back home.

Some advice from Ruben:

“In my experience, math is best learned by talking about it with other people. I’ve found new ways of motivating definitions and proofs by trying to explain them to friends on a walk. Similarly, some of the coolest ideas I know I picked up from peers who understood concepts differently than I did. So share what you’re learning, and ask questions about the ideas that confuse you. Being able to explain something is, I think, one of the clearest signs you’ve understood it. If you want to put that to the test, become a ULA for a course you’ve loved.”

John Alan Lewis Summer Research Fellowship Prize

The John Alan Lewis Summer Research Fellowship is awarded to a winning proposal by an undergraduate student majoring in mathematics who wishes to pursue their studies over the summer. This year’s fellowship is awarded to Diana Yang.

Winner: Diana Yang

Diana is going to do a reading project on Lie Groups and Lie Algebras with Professor Ivan Loseu and Vladyslav Zvreyk this summer. This marks her fourth consecutive June spent in New Haven. To bring some novelty in her life Diana will also be attempting to learn how to bike. If it goes well she will graduate to car. Next year she will hopefully be at Cambridge for their Part III program.

Some advice from Diana:

“I have three quick words of advice. 1) Prerequisites are posted for a reason. One can complete the math major with plenty of classes to spare, even starting from the Calculus Sequence. 2) Try not to overload on math classes for one semester–I personally recommend taking a class with the French Department.3) If you aren’t able to get a math research position, try some applying for computational bio/psych positions.”

Diana also won the 2026 DeForest Prize!