Panamanian student Luis Modes, a beneficiary of the scholarship program of the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt), was recently awarded the prestigious Hartley Rogers Jr. Prize at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. This recognition was granted to him thanks to his research on the isomorphism between Hall algebra and shuffled algebra.
The Hartley Rogers Jr. Award is part of MIT’s Summer Program in Undergraduate Research (SPUR), and Modes conducted the award-winning research with his team: his colleague Benjamin Li and his mentor Haoshuo Fu.
Modes, 22, is in his final year of studying pure mathematics at MIT and has an extensive track record in mathematics competitions; he was a gold medalist at the Panamanian Mathematical Olympiad and represented Panama in multiple international mathematics olympiads, including competitions in El Salvador, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Romania. His greatest success came at the prestigious International Mathematical Olympiad, where he won two medals (both bronze) of the five medals Panama has won in its history at this elite competition.
“I can tell Panamanian students: Don’t be afraid! If you want to study abroad and are considering a Senacyt scholarship, apply, try it,” says Modes.
After completing his current course of study, Modes hopes to continue his preparation at the doctoral level, with the goal of delving deeper into the field of advanced mathematics. His goal is to apply to MIT or other universities to complete a doctoral program.
