The way Angela Cheer sees it, her students deserve a share in her new award. After all, they share in many endeavors, especially the joy of scientific discovery.

Cheer, a mathematics professor, received the 2004 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research at a June 4 award ceremony held in the Community Center at the Colleges at La Rue.

Colleagues and students roundly describe Cheer as the ideal mentor, one who strikes the delicate balance between giving students the freedom to learn on their own and enough of the guidance that is so important in developing intellectual interests.

Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef said, "Angela especially singles herself out with the high regard she shows for all who work in her laboratory. Undergraduates like everyone else are her respected colleagues. They will never forget that."

Carole Hom, academic coordinator for the Center for Population Biology, wrote in her nomination that, "Cheer trains her students in research at the forefront of computational and mathematical biology. She seeks out talented students and nurtures them so that they exceed what they thought possible."

Hom explained that Cheer's mentoring extends far beyond the "day-to-day guidance of research" in that she takes an interest in her students' lives. She gives her students the latitude to become "independent, mature researchers," and knows when to give undergraduates the chance to figure something out themselves rather than simply providing the answers or information they need, she added.

Michael Bice, a mathematics professor at California State University, Stanislaus, studied under Cheer in 1996-97. "As one of her undergraduate researchers," he said in his nomination, "I found Cheer to be both demanding and supportive. She pushed me to work hard and understand as much of the theory behind the project as possible."

Scotland Leman, a doctoral candidate in statistics at Duke University, describes Cheer's numerical analysis class as a turning point in his education. He took it his junior year, and Cheer offered him a research job in her lab.

"I knew from this that I wanted to pursue academics and one day produce cutting-edge research of my own," wrote Leman. "Her personal attention was crucial in me becoming a successful graduate student."

Nessie Tania, now a graduate student in mathematics at the University of Utah, says Cheer taught her how to work independently. "She had let me taste the thrilling grip of trying to solve a problem, the frustration of getting through stumbling blocks, and, most importantly, the joy of discovery waiting at the end."

Cheer described the young people she's worked with as "mature, hardworking, talented and self-motivated students who brought fresh ideas into the group."

To ensure they don't become too frustrated at first, Cheer says she usually gives them a well-defined project to work on and access to all of the computer tools that they will need. She also introduces them to graduate students and post-docs in her lab, and tells them to "come and see me whenever needed."

She noted that all of the students she has mentored are either women, underrepresented minorities or have overcome hardships.

"Most of them have shown a lot of tenacity to come this far in the university. Many are the first in their families to get a college degree," she said. "I appreciate what they have done by the time they reached me and I try to tailor my approach to reflect this."

Cheer says she was "a bit embarrassed" when she learned of the award.

"The truth is this award does not belong to me," she said. "Whatever the students attributed to me they actually earned themselves with a little help from what one of my colleagues has termed 'the web of mentoring.'" That web consists of graduate students, post-docs and a valuable academic coordinator, Carole Hom, Cheer said, noting, "I wish that there was some award for them."

Cheer received a doctorate in applied mathematics from UC Berkeley in 1981 and began as an assistant professor at UC Davis in 1984. A full professor now, she has served as the acting director for UC Davis' Institute of Theoretical Dynamics, chair of the Graduate Group in Applied Mathematics, vice chair of the mathematics department, and a member of the Mathematical Science Research Institute in Berkeley, among other activities.

In 1996, Cheer was chosen for the prestigious National Science Foundation Career Advancement Award, which recognizes faculty who assist women in science and engineering careers.

Also honored at the reception was Andreas Ehrensberger, a biochemistry and molecular biology major. He received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research/Dean Keith Simonton Prize, which goes annually to a senior.