Achievements
The Mathematics Department is committed to excellence in research, innovation and student success. Our faculty and students have received prestigious awards, contributed to groundbreaking research and actively engaged in hands-on learning experiences. This page highlights the remarkable achievements, awards, and contributions of our community, celebrating the dedication and impact of our students, faculty, and alumni.
SCUDEM Competition
Congratulations to three of our mathematics students, Andrew Sandberg, Max Wild, and Marcos Martinez, for earning a Meritorious designation in the 2025 SCUDEM* competition for their poster "AI Model Collapse: When AI is No Longer Useful." In this 3.5-week international competition, students apply differential equations to real-world problems while building teamwork and technical skills. This year's team addressed Problem B: An AI Ouroboros, which required students to analyze the result of AI models using previously generated AI content as input to train the new models. Their team applied an exponential growth model and analyzed data distributions using the Komolgorov-Smirnov test. Judges praised their use of Desmos (currently known as Amplify), strong team dynamic, and innovative problem-solving, showcasing their impressive mathematical creativity on an international stage.
Awards
- Erick Hofacker was awarded the 2025 Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Wisconsin Section Distinguished Teaching Award. This award recognizes that mathematicians at the colleges and universities in Wisconsin place high importance on teaching.
- Alexis (Krier) Wolf, '15, was awarded the 2023 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in Minnesota. Alexis is the second program graduate to receive this honor. Kevin Reese, '09, received the 2017 award in Wisconsin.
- Brooke Krejci was awarded the 2025 Paul B. and Robert Dykstra Faculty Excellence Award in Research, Creative and Scholarly activity. Brooke is the third department member to win this award since its inception in 2011. Previous department winners were Alex Tupan (2022) and Ioana Ghenciu (2020).
Erick Hofacker
Alexis (Krier) Wolf
Brooke Krejci
WMC Annual Conference
- Tanner Antilla, Michael Bauer and Nicholas Mohrhauser (pictured L-R) attended the WMC Annual Conference in Green Lake. Michael and Nicholas presented at the conference. Michael’s topic was using double number lines and tape diagrams to teach concepts in ratios and proportions to middle school students, while Nicholas’ topic was engaging high school students in Mathematical Modeling and his experience in the undergraduate modeling contest.
Scholarships
- Stephanie Kucko, Rice Lake High School: Stephanie was awarded the Arne Engebretsen Memorial Scholarship for High School Students at the WMC banquet. She will be attending UWRF beginning fall 2025.
Graduation
Congratulations to the class of 2025
- Mathematics education majors: Alex Robarge, Delany Terry and Owen Newton.
- Mathematics liberal arts majors: Madelyn Fischer, Morgan Lee, Timothy Oeun, Wei Li Tee and Maranda Vane.
- MSE – mathematics secondary education graduate students: Emily Amundson, Nate Cunningham, Jason Karrels, Heather Kaese, Jessica Ciolkosz, Alec Literski and Becca Seichter.
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