Chris Schroeder and Stefan Viola

Chris Schroeder and Stefan Viola win 2026 Excellence Awards

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Chris Schroeder and Stefan Viola received 2026 Graduate Student Excellence Awards at a ceremony in the Mandela Room.

Schroeder was recognized with two awards: Excellence in Research and Excellence in Teaching. After earning a PhD in physics, he is now pursuing a second PhD in mathematics, producing three papers that bridge mathematics and physics. He also translated a classic 833-page German mathematical text into English.

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Viola received the Excellence in Teaching award. One student wrote: “There were multiple times when you explained something in lecture and it changed my math world forever.”

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