Final year maths student, Ryan McGowan has been awarded the Hamilton Prize from the Royal Irish Academy (RIA).
The annual undergraduate prize is given to the top mathematics student in each university across Ireland. The ceremony took place on Wednesday at the Royal Irish Academy.
McGowan was nominated for the award by the School of Mathematics. Each year the mathematics departments of the involved universities are asked to nominate the best student in their penultimate year of undergraduate mathematical studies for the prize.
The winners received a cash prize of €500 and a certificate of achievement. They were also invited to attend an exclusive masterclass with 2022 Hamilton Lecture speaker, Professor Avi Wigderson of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.
Speaking at the ceremony President of the RIA Dr Mary Canning said: “The Hamilton Prize recognises these outstanding young mathematicians chosen in their penultimate year of studies in universities all around the island of Ireland.”
“We celebrate Hamilton Day because Ireland has a rich history of scientific excellence, but through this prize we also look to the future.In honouring their academic excellence we hope to support and encourage the next generation of great Irish scientists,” she added.
The award is named after Trinity alum William Rowan Hamilton, who discovered quaternion algebra on 16 October 1843. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on 16 October 2022 to celebrate Hamilton Day.
The RIA is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It was established in 1785 under a royal charter.
The award was sponsored by Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC).
