Chloe Marple ’26 is one of three recipients of the 2026 Alice T. Schafer Prize for Excellence in Mathematics by an Undergraduate Woman.
Awarded annually by the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), the national prize honors not just the women selected but also the mentors, departments and research programs that support, nurture and guide them through their undergraduate years.
Marple, a mathematics major from San Francisco, joins alumnae Zoë Batterman ’24 and Elena Kim ’21 as Schafer Prize winners. The award includes a $1,000 reward and an honorary certificate to be presented during January’s Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, D.C.
“I’m really grateful to all the professors here who’ve encouraged me to present my research and continue in math,” Marple says. “It’s great to have professors who are so accessible and so excited to do research with students.”
“That’s been really valuable and useful in preparing me for a future in math.”
Nominees are evaluated on their performance in advanced mathematics courses, their growth in the field, their propensity to seek out resources at and outside their institution, and their ability to carry out independent or collaborative work.
Konrad Aguilar, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics, nominated Marple for the award, saying she “knocked all the criteria out of the park.”
“She’s not only a super bright, sharp and dedicated student,” Aguilar adds. “She also cares about the math community.”
Marple was named a Goldwater Scholar in March for displaying exceptional promise of becoming a research leader.
As an undergraduate, she’s worked closely with Aguilar, Stephan R. Garcia, W.M. Keck Distinguished Service Professor and professor of mathematics, and Claremont McKenna College Professor of Mathematics Helen Wong.
She’s completed National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs at Williams College in Massachusetts and the Fields Institute in Canada. Her research in the areas of low-dimensional topology and operator algebras has resulted in several coauthored papers with Aguilar, Garcia, Wong and fellow students.
“Low-dimensional topology often involves a lot of visualizing surfaces and 3D spaces in your head,” she says. “I like having that intuitive component and then formalize it into math. It’s interesting to have that interplay between visual intuition and the rigorous math behind it.”
When Marple isn’t balancing math’s precision and creativity in Estella, she’s honing her Russian in Mason. While she’s not a math liaison this year, Aguilar says a handful of the events Marple helped create last year as a liaison remain on the department’s 2025-26 calendar.
“She’s done the heavy lifting at a high research level and has had a lasting impact on the community here,” Aguilar says.
Marple is simultaneously working on her senior thesis and applying for graduate school.
Her plan is to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics and become a university professor.
“She’s more than well on her way,” Aguilar says.