Donations
The Mathematics Department continues to be the recipient of generous donations.
If you would like to make a donation to the Department, please contact the Department Head. Donations to augment existing awards would be gratefully received.
The Mathematics Outreach Endowment Fund was established by significant donations in 2004 and 2005, from Prof. George Bluman and his wife Cynthia Bluman, to help support and enhance outreach activities of the department, many of them initiated by Prof. Bluman. The fund currently totals about \$150,000 with a number of donations each year from alumni. For some of our outreach activities, the university matches annual income from this Fund. Funds are used to support expenses associated with the UBC Math Circle for metro Vancouver high school students, the marking of math contests and the annual activity day for the top BC high school students and teachers. In the future, as this Fund increases, it is intended to expand these activities to include support for UBC students working with aboriginal students and for honouring outstanding math teachers in BC schools.
A generous donation of \$12,500 from Gordon Mulligan to establish the Adrian Francis MULLIGAN Memorial Scholarship in Mathematics and provide funds for the first 5 years. (Fall 2019)
A generous further generous donation of \$25,000 from Anona Thorne and Takao Tanabe to establish an entrance scholarship for graduate students in Mathematics and provide funds for the first 10 years. (Spring 2018)
A generous donation of \$25,000 from Anona Thorne and Takao Tanabe to establish a scholarship for students in Mathematics and provide funds for the first 10 years. (Spring 2016)
An initial donation of \$1,000,000 from the estate of the late Dr. Stanley M. Grant in May 2016 (followed by a further \$600,000 in 2017) to establish an endowment to provide scholarships for students in the Department of Mathematics.
Donations by the initiative of Anton Kuipers, together with Dr. Darrell Duffie and the support of the Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics and the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences have established the UBC Mathematics and Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences Faculty Award. The first award was given in 2016 (to Prof. Rachel Ollivier).
An anonymous gift in 2011 from an alumnus totalling \$75,000 over 5 years to support entrance scholarships for secondary school students with strong Mathematics preparation. The criteria the department will select the recipients may be partly based on significant participation in the UBC Math Circle and contest results as well. The awards will be given in such a way as to aid in recruitment of top students but not necessarily expecting the students to study Mathematics.
A gift of \$100,000 from the James and Donna-Mae Moore Foundation in 2010 to support a \$10,000 per year James A. Moore major entrance scholarship (good for four years) as well as a \$15,000 per year James A. Moore Memorial scholarship (good for two years) for a top student in Math Honours combined with Chemistry, Physics or Biology and which was awarded twice. James Moore passed away in 2003 and his wife Donna-Mae Moore directed this donation to UBC. James Moore was an Honours Mathematics and Chemistry graduate from UBC in 1932 and returned for a MA in 1939. He helped set up the College system in BC and was the chair of Mathematics and Sciences at Langara College until his retirement in 1974.
A gift totalling \$2,000,000 from David Cheriton in 2010 to the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative of which \$1,000,000 was earmarked for work in Mathematics. David Cheriton who is a Computer Science professor at Stanford University graduated with BSc in Mathematics from UBC in 1973. He is widely credited with helping establish the Internet search giant Google. Our 2010 newsletter has an interview with David Cheriton.
A gift of \$23,616 in 2009 from the estate of M. Gweneth Humphreys has been used to outfit our new graduate student centre with furniture. She graduated with an Honours degree in Mathemtics from UBC in 1932 and was winner of the Governor Generals Gold Medal. She received her Ph.D. from University of Chicago at age 23. She had a distinguished career, the bulk of which was at Randolf-Macon Woman's College (now called Randolf College) in Virginia.
A gift of \$100,000 (plus residuals of about \$50,000) in 2008 from the estate of Joy Gertrude Palmer Helders to endow the Reginald Palliser-Wilson Scholarships. The identity of Reginald Palliser-Wilson was not given. Joy Helders passed away in 2008. Her husband John Helders passed away in 2001. He taught Mathematics at Chilliwack AFB. She graduated from UBC in 1935 with a BA. Her obituary makes the following interesting statement: Joy wrote a poem in 1927 and submitted it to Harper's Magazine that was published under the pseudonym of "Daphne Palliser".
A gift of \$100,000 in 2005 to endow the James Collison Memorial Scholarship from the Madison Group. James Collison had an interest in varsity athletics and also flying and this is reflected in part of the selection criteria for the award.
Awards totalling $3,750 have been made available through an endowment established by Madison Group in memory of Sam Y. Joe (1949-2021) for outstanding second-, third- and fourth-year undergraduate students and graduate students studying mathematics. Preference will be given to students who demonstrate an interest in environment and/or ecology. Sam (B.Com. 1973) had a successful business career as one of the four founding shareholders for Madison Group. He loved fishing, prawning and crabbing, and upon retirement he could be found indulging in these passions. Sam also enjoyed spending time on Keats Island with family and friends. The awards are made on the recommendation of the Department of Mathematics and in the case of a graduate student, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
A gift of \$19,000 in 2002 from the estate of Ivan Niven has been used to endow the Niven Memorial Lecture Series. This lecture series typically consists of one lecture targeting Undergraduates and one more advanced lecture. Ivan Niven was an internationally respected Mathematician who was born in Vancouver in 1915. He graduated with a BSc in Mathematics from UBC in 1934. An article from the UBC Totem refers to a Mathematics lecture in the Math Club he gave as an undergraduate. The bulk of his distinguished career was at the University of Oregon (1947-1982). He was president of the Mathematics Association of America 1982-83 and in 1989 was given MAA's highest honour, the Award of Distinguished Service.