In her twenty-five year teaching career, Professor Olympia Nicodemi has proven to be a dedicated and demanding teacher, an outstanding mentor to students, and a tireless contributor to departmental activities including curriculum development, student advisement, and governance. Since joining the faculty at SUNY Geneseo in 1981, she has inspired numerous students in their development as mathematicians and provided a role model for the large number of female students at Geneseo. Dr. Nicodemi has not only broadened the mathematical knowledge of her students but has also touched their very being by instilling in them an attitude of confidence that they can do mathematics. All of the above statements are strongly supported by colleague and student letters.
Dr. Nicodemi developed the Discrete Mathematics course at the undergraduate level and the Applied Combinatorics and Classical Algebra courses for the masters program. Furthermore, she has written texts for both the Discrete Mathematics and Classical Algebra courses. Professor Nicodemi has taught interdisciplinary courses and directed undergraduate research projects and honors thesis in Cryptography, Knot Theory, The Golden Mean and the Music of Debussy, Galois Theory ala Galois, and Modeling Heart Arrhythmia.
Professor Nicodemi's teaching has been recognized statewide and nationally by the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching (1994-95) and the 2000 Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Award (in recognition of an outstanding Italian American woman in Education who has made significant contributions to their profession and community). It is a pleasure and a privilege to honor this versatile and distinguished teacher.