WL high school student mentored by Purdue prof takes third in national science-math competition

West Lafayette High School senior Arjun Ramani received third-place honors in Regeneron Science Talent Search: the "nation's oldest and most prestigious high school science and mathematics competition." Ramani received $150,000 for blending the mathematical field of graph theory with a new computer program to answer questions about complex systems represented by a network of data.

Ramani received this honor  Tuesday (March 14) in Washington, D.C.  

Ramani was mentored by David Gleich, a Purdue assistant professor of computer science. They have been working together for more than a year after Ramani contacted the professor to learn more about computer science techniques.

Additional information about Ramani is highlighted in the STS news release:

"Typically, these questions require statistical comparisons to hundreds or thousands of random graphs, a process that can take a relatively long time. He developed an algorithm that greatly accelerated the process by reducing the time required to generate these graphs. Arjun is an award-winning debater and accomplished tennis player and coach, and also volunteers at a local science museum."