The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is pleased to recognize Prof. Rebecca E. Garcia, PhD, with its 2023 Inclusivity Award.

Inclusivity Award

In 2019, MAA launched the Inclusivity Award in recognition of the importance of its core value of Inclusivity in building a healthy, vibrant mathematical community where all are welcome and encouraged to flourish.

About This Year’s Recipient 

Rebecca E. Garcia is Professor of Mathematics at Sam Houston State University, Co-Director of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Undergraduate Program (MSRI-UP), and Project Director for the MAA National Research Experience for Undergraduates (NREUP). She is a native Chamorro, born and raised in Guam. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA, earned her master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and her doctoral degree from New Mexico State University under the direction of Irena Swanson. Her research interests are at the intersection of computational and commutative algebra and combinatorics, with contributions in computational algebraic combinatorics, theory of sandpile groups, and dimension theory of partially ordered sets.

Her record of service is a reflection of her love for her community and a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. She is dedicated to growing the community of indigenous mathematicians beginning with co-directing and founding of the five-year mentoring and research program Pacific Undergraduate Research Experience in Mathematics (PURE Math). Currently, Dr. Garcia is part of the collaborative effort IndigenousMathematicians.org, a website and community dedicated to spotlighting the journey and mathematical contributions of Indigenous mathematicians including Native Americans, Native Alaskans, Native Hawai`ians, and Native Pacific Islanders.

“I am deeply humbled and grateful to receive the MAA Inclusivity Award,” Garcia says. “This recognition is also a testament to the work of all those who share my passion for creating a more just, diverse, equitable, and inclusive math community. My heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who made this recognition possible: my dearest students, colleagues and friends, the MAA, and my beloved family. Their support, encouragement, and guidance have been invaluable, and I could not have achieved this without them.”