Congratulations to Alessandra Pantano! She has been awarded the 2018-19 UCI Distinguished Mid-Career Faculty Award for Service. She has many activities which demonstrate her outstanding contribution to the department, to mathematics education, and to the community.

Over the years, Professor Pantano has implemented a number of initiatives with the purpose of fostering students' interest in mathematics, supporting students in their careers, and creating a sense of community. Examples include: a Mathematics Book Club, a Math Lunch Seminar Series for Undergraduates, a series of Career Workshops to expose students to the many careers available to mathematics majors and to build a network with UCI alumni, a series of 'Working seminars', to train students for the GRE Subject Test in Mathematics, panel with UCI graduate students and professors, to inform math majors about life in graduate school, and interactive workshops at the math club.

In 2014, Professor Pantano created the UCI Math CEO (Community Educational Outreach) program with Professor Li-Sheng Tseng. Since then, the program has fostered interest in mathematics and in attending college by offering free enrichment activities in mathematics for middle school students in underserved communities. In 2017, Professor Pantano co-organized the UCI Diversity in Mathematics Festival toto celebrate and promote diversity in mathematics, both in and out of academia.

In short, Professor Pantano has shown great initiative and enthusiasm in mathematics education, community outreach, promoting diversity, and addressing the needs of the underrepresented students. The award is a well-deserved recognition of her efforts and achievements.