Three students win the Harriet Montague Awards

The Harriet F. Montague Award was established to commemorate the career of Dr. Dr.  Montague, who was one of the early graduates the UB mathematics program, and who returned to chair the department for many years. It is given each year to one or more mathematics majors who have demonstrated intellectual and creative promise in mathematics. In 2022, the UB Mathematics Department recognizes three winners: Sarah Brown, Sahojar Khan, and, Mahdi Rahman.

Sarah Brown.

Sarah Brown is presented with the 2022 Montague Award by her Senior Honors Thesis mentor, Prof. Bill Menasco.

Sahojar Khan.

Sahojar Khan is presented with the 2022 Montague Award by Dr. John Ringland, Department Chair.

Mahdi Rahman.

Mahdi Rahman is presented with the 2022 Montague Award by Dr. John Ringland, Department Chair.

About the donor

Harriet F. Montague, a professor of mathematics at the University of Buffalo for 44 years who was nationally recognized as an educator and was active in community organizations and the Presbyterian Church, died Wednesday (March 19, 1997) in her Town of Tonawanda home after a long illness. She was 91.

Ms. Montague was a Buffalo native. She attended Lafayette High School and earned her bachelor's degree in 1927 at UB. She received her master's degree from UB in 1929 and her doctorate in mathematics from Cornell University in 1935.

Ms. Montague had served as director of the National Science Foundation Institutes for Teachers and was widely known as an educator and was active in many professional organizations. She had served as president of the UB chapter of the American Association of University Professors and was a member of the Mathematical Association of America.

Selected publication: The method of infinite descent and the method of mathematical induction

Abstract: The purpose of this paper may be found in the following quotation. Whenever an argument can be made to lead to a descending infinitude of natural numbers the hypothesis upon which the argument rests becomes untenable. This method of proof is called the method of infinite descent;.... It would be interesting and valuable to compare this method with the method of mathematical induction.