Silas Vriend - 2024 Winning Essay
I've been fascinated by geometry ever since I began practising origami as a child. Through my undergraduate studies in mathematical physics at the University of Waterloo (88.3/100), I became aware of the utility, ubiquity, and beauty of mathematics and geometry in physics. After two Undergraduate Student Research Awards in physics and a publication on Gaussian quantum mechanics, I took a leap of faith to land firmly on the side of mathematics in graduate school.
My Master's research (4.0/4.0) led to two publications which opened up a new class of problems in geometric measure theory. I received eight competitive awards for these studies, including federal and provincial scholarships, as well as awards for excellence in scientific communication at the poster sessions of national and institutional conferences.
I'm now a first-year PhD student at McMaster University researching combinatorial algebraic geometry, and my long-term goal is to become a mathematician, educator, and mathematical community builder. Towards this latter goal, I've revitalized the McMaster Math & Statistics Graduate Society, organizing social events for my peers to share in the fun of mathematics together. Mathematics is a wonderful tool for scientific progress as well as a never-ending source of ideas which excite the imagination, and I strive to share that joy with others through my research and teaching. In 2023, this led me to come full circle and give an outreach talk on the mathematics of origami, my lifelong artistic hobby. This award would help support me as I continue my mathematical odyssey.