UCD maths ace Elaine Pidgeon wins RIA Hamilton Prize

Posted 19 October, 2023

_{Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec, who sponsors the RIA prize and Hamilton Day activities, winner UCD student Elaine Pidgeon, and Professor Wendelin Werner, Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge}

A UCD student has been named among the recipients of this year’s prestigious Hamilton Prize - the top award for undergraduate mathematical students in Ireland.

Elaine Pidgeon, who is undertaking a BSc in Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, was among nine final year students who recognised by the (opens in a new window)Royal Irish Academy for their mathematical excellence.

The 2023 award ceremony took place at the RIA on 16 October 2023 - a date that marks the anniversary of famed Irish scientist William Rowan Hamilton’s discovery of quaternion algebra on 16 October 1843. 

“Each year since 2002 the Royal Irish Academy has commemorated Hamilton’s ‘Eureka moment’ and his contribution to mathematics by celebrating Hamilton Day,” said (opens in a new window)UCD Professor Pat Guiry, RIA President.

“We do this because Ireland has a rich history of scientific excellence that should be celebrated and recognised. Although we look to the past to commemorate Hamilton’s achievements, this event is also an opportunity to look to the future and to recognise the next generation of great Irish mathematicians. We will award nine of them today with the RIA Hamilton Prize in Mathematics."

The 2023 Hamilton Prize winners are:

• Ryan Brady, Queen’s University Belfast.
• Matthew Byrne, Maynooth University.
• Edward Clarke, Trinity College Dublin.
• Thomas Patrick Connolly, University College Cork.
• TJ Griffin, Dublin City University.
• Dmytro Lyubka, University of Galway.
• Peter Meehan, University of Limerick.
• Elaine Pidgeon, University College Dublin.
• Dara Vince, Technological University Dublin. 

_{Peter Meehan, TJ Griffin, Professor Wendelin Werner, Hamilton Day Speaker, Professor Pat Guiry, President Royal Irish Academy, Danny McCoy, CEO Ibec, Elaine Pidgeon, Edward Clarke; Back row, Ryan Brady, Thomas Connolly, Dmytro Lyubka, Dara Vince, and Matthew Byrne}

The winning students each received a cash prize of €500, a certificate of achievement and attended an exclusive masterclass with the 2023 Hamilton Lecture speaker, Professor Wendelin Werner, Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics in the University of Cambridge.

By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations

To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie