The White House announced that Rice University Computational and Applied Mathematics doctoral graduate, Cristina Villalobos, is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. Previous Rice University professors that have received the award include Dr. Richard Tapia, Dr. Karen Lozano, and Dr. Rick Barrera.

Dr. Cristina Villalobos is a Professor in the School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences and Founding Director of the Center of Excellence in STEM Education, which focuses on strengthening STEM academic programs and providing resources for the academic and professional development of students and faculty. Her research area is in optimization, optimal control, and modelling. She received a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Texas-Austin and the Ph.D. in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Rice University. As an undergraduate, Cristina served as a student intern at RUSMP.

Congratulations Cristina!

You can read more here.