Salma Wanna received a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1976. Her dissertation was entitled "A Spectral Sequence for Group Presentations." The award was established in her memory by her family after her untimely death in 1980. This award is given for exceptional performance in mathematics to a continuing junior, not necessarily a math major. The prize committee consults with mathematics instructors and bases its decisions on instructor comments as well as outstanding success in course work.