Mariel Vazquez (UC Davis) will be awarded the 2016 Blackwell-Tapia Prize, which is given every other year in honor of David H. Blackwell and Richard A. Tapia, two mathematical scientists recognized for their research and inspiration to generations of African American, Latino/Latina, and Native American students of the mathematical sciences.

According to the press release, Vazquez is best known for contributions at the interface of mathematics, polymer physics, and molecular biology. She specializes in the application of topological methods and computational tools to study DNA. Additionally, she is recognized for her passion for and dedication to working with underrepresented groups in the mathematical and statistical sciences. We are proud that Vazquez is part of the IPAM family—she was a speaker in the 2014 Blackwell-Tapia Conference and the 2015 Latinos in Mathematical Sciences Conferences, both sponsored by IPAM.

The prize will be presented at the Ninth Blackwell-Tapia Conference on Oct. 28-29, 2016, at the University of Knoxville, Tennessee. The conference is organized this year by the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) and the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI).