The paper, entitled ‘‘Enumerative Algebraic Geometry of Conics,” was published in American Mathematical Monthly, a periodical published by the MAA, and was based on the further exploration of the paper Bashelor originally wrote for his Trident Scholar project when he was a Midshipman.

The Trident Scholar program provides exceptionally capable Midshipmen in high academic standing the opportunity to engage in independent study and research during their senior year at the Academy. Bashelor was a student of Ksir and Traves while at the Academy.

‘‘Our goal for this article was to present the results in a way that would draw in a broad audience and introduce them to some of the strange, but beautiful ideas in algebraic geometry,” the team wrote in their remarks for the MathFest awards booklet. ‘‘This took, for us, a huge amount of time and effort, but was also a tremendous amount of fun.”

The award was established in 1986, when an anonymous donor gave the MAA funds sufficient to support a prize honoring insp-iring and dedicated teachers. The prize was named after Merten M. Hasse, a former teacher of the donor who exemplified these qualities of a fine instructor. The prize is designed to encourage younger mathematicians to take up the challenge of exposition and communication.

‘‘To win such an award is very prestigious both for them and the department,” said Howard Penn, a professor in the Academy Mathematics Department and departmental representative to the MAA.

The award was presented at the MathFest 2009 Awards Session held this summer in Portland, Oregon.