Erica Voolich and Jay Lander congratulate Elliot Rippe, Connie Chan, Jenni Matthews, Briana Lino and Emily Kate O’Brien on winning Somerville Math Fund renewable scholarships for outstanding work in math & science.

By Rebecca Danvers

The Somerville Mathematics Fund recently announced the winners of their renewable mathematics scholarships for 2015. The Math Fund was founded to celebrate and encourage math achievement and these students deserve to be celebrated for their work in math and science while in high school.

Connie Chan will attend Bryn Mawr College, Briana Lino will attend Wellesley College, Jenni Matthews will attend Tufts University, Emily Kate O’Brien will attend Bryn Mawr College, and Elliot Rippe will attend College of the Holy Cross. Their scholarships of $1000 are renewable for up to a total of four years as long as they maintain a B average and take mathematics or courses that use mathematics.

Erica Voolich congratulates Connie Chan on winning the Dr. Alice T Schafer Scholarship from the Somerville Math fund.

Two of the scholarships are given in memory of two outstanding women. Connie Chan won the Alice T Schafer scholarship and Elliot Rippe won the Lt. Catherine M Landers scholarship.

Connie Chan won the Alice T Schafer Scholarship. She is planning to study biomedical engineering at Bryn Mawr. Dr. Schafer (1915 – 1909) was orphaned as an infant and raised by two aunts. When she went to college at the University of Richmond of Virginia, women students weren’t allowed in the library and she was discouraged from majoring in mathematics. She won prizes, earned a PhD, taught at colleges (including Wellesley) and among the things she is known for is helping start the Association for Women in Mathematics (1971). Less known about Dr. Schafer was her helping to start the Somerville Mathematics Fund in 2000 — attending all of the planning meetings and contributing to their work as long as she was able. She is remembered for her passion and work to insure mathematical opportunities for women. Since Dr. Schafer was committed to the education and supporting women in mathematics, Connie study of biomedical engineering is a wonderful way to honor Dr. Schafer’s memory.

Elliot Rippe won the Lt. Catherine M Landers Scholarship. He is planning on majoring in engineering and applied mathematics at Holy Cross. When Lt. Landers (1920 – 2012) wanted to go to nursing school (graduating in 1942), her grandmother opened a cedar chest were she had been saving dollar bills to help pay for her granddaughter’s education. Lt Landers won a Bronze Star for her service during WW2, where she ran a field hospital outside Paris; she was about to be shipped to the far East when WW2 ended and so she boarded a transport ship for the USA instead. Jay Landers and Jasper Lawson donated a scholarship in her memory, honoring her commitment to education. Elliot’s interested in applied math and engineering is a wonderful way to honor Lt. Landers’ commitment to education.

Jay Landers congratulates Elliot Rippe on winning the Lt. Catherine M Landers Scholarship from the Somerville Math Fund.

The Somerville Mathematics Fund, affiliated with the national scholarship organization Dollars for Scholars, was chartered in 2000 to celebrate and encourage achievement in mathematics in the city of Somerville, Massachusetts. It May 2011, it was recognized as the outstanding Dollars for Scholars Chapter in New England. Since it’s founding, it has awarded $240,000 in mathematics scholarships to outstanding Somerville students. Next fall, The Somerville Mathematics Fund will be seeking applications from teachers who teach in the city of Somerville who would like funding for classroom mathematics activities. In October, the Math Fund will also be seeking high school students to compete in the annual Scrapheap Showdown. For more information, to volunteer, or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Erica Voolich (617-666-0666 or mathfund@gmail.com) or go to www.somervillemathematicsfund.org.

 — Photos by Arthur Ingalls, Geskus Photography