National Science FoundationMathematical Sciences Institutes

Blackwell-Tapia Conference and Award Ceremony

This biennial conference and prize honors two seminal figures who inspired a generation of African American, Latino/Latina, and Native American students to pursue careers in mathematics—David H. Blackwell, the first African-American member of the National Academy of Science, and Richard A. Tapia, winner of the National Medal of Science in 2010.  The conference

• recognizes and showcases mathematical excellence by minority researchers; 
• recognizes and disseminates successful efforts to address underrepresentation;
• informs students and mathematicians about career opportunities in mathematics; and 
• provides networking opportunities from mathematical researchers at all stages of  higher education and career trajectory.

The Blackwell-Tapia prize recognizes a mathematician who has served as a role model for mathematical scientists and students from underrepresented minority groups or has contributed in other significant ways to addressing the problem of underrepresentation of minorities in mathematics.

The 2018 recipient of the Blackwell-Tapia Prize is Dr. Ronald E. Mickens, the Distinguished Fuller E. Callaway Professor in the Department of Physics at Clark Atlanta University.

Participant Experiences

• “The conference strengthened my relationship with colleagues at other universities.”
• “The main thing that I got out of the Blackwell-Tapia Conference is confidence. Having a group composed mainly of minorities organizing and discussing topics in science and mathematics really gave me the ‘I can do it also’ feeling some necessary to keep going in research.”
• “I am currently in my penultimate year of graduate school and feel the Blackwell-Tapia conference has greatly inspired me throughout my graduate career. I hope to continue to remain involved after graduate school.”
• “I met graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty that I have been informally advising and mentoring. This has been a very rewarding experience. In addition, I initiated a new collaboration with a junior faculty member, which I hope will lead to a publication in the near future.”

 

Conference Photos