Purdue News
Purdue News
|
|
February 25, 2002 Purdue to host state MATHCOUNTS competitionWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The state finals of MATHCOUNTS, a national math competition program for middle school and junior high school students, will be Saturday, March 9, at Purdue University. Approximately 130 "mathletes" from throughout Indiana will participate in the competition, during which they will answer a series of math questions either as individuals or as team members representing their schools. The competition, sponsored by the Indiana Society of Professional Engineers, begins at 9:30 a.m. in Stewart Center, Room 302. The top 30 students who successfully complete their individual written answers will advance to the Countdown Round, which will take place at 1:30 p.m. in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. The Countdown Round, followed by an awards presentation, is free and open to the public. The Countdown Round features groups of six students shouting out answers to math questions flashed on a screen. Vincent P. Drnevich, sponsoring program chairman of MATHCOUNTS and a Purdue civil engineering professor, says the contest is entertaining to watch. "The competition is so fast that a computer-controlled light system has to be used to determine who has the first answer," Drnevich says. Drnevich says that the "mathletes" have been preparing since September for this nationally recognized program. "MATHCOUNTS is one of the country's largest and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students," Drnevich says. "President George W. Bush and former presidents Clinton, Reagan and Bush have all recognized MATHCOUNTS in Oval Office ceremonies. The program also has received two White House citations as an outstanding private sector initiative." In addition to receiving trophies, the top 10 individual finishers in the state competition will receive four-year tuition scholarships to Purdue's Schools of Engineering or School of Science. The top male and female finishers also will receive scholarships to Rose Hulman University. Winners of the state competition will advance to the national MATHCOUNTS competition to be held June 13-16 in Chicago. Indiana schools have typically performed well in the national contest. "Indiana is a traditional powerhouse in this competition," Drnevich says. Schools participating in the state competition are: West Lafayette Jr. HS and Klondike MS, West Lafayette; East Tipp, Lafayette; Wilbur Wright MS, Munster; Kahler MS, Dyer; Sycamore, Park Tudor and Guion Creek MS, Indianapolis; Clay Junior HS and Carmel Jr. HS, Carmel; Fishers Jr. HS, Fishers; Delta MS and Burris Lab School-Ball State, Muncie; Seymour MS, Seymour; Central MS, Columbus; Canterbury, Fort Wayne; Northfield Jr. HS, Wabash; Scottsburg Academy, Scottsburg; Heritage MS, Middlebury; Schmucker MS and John Young MS, Mishawaka; Castle Jr. HS, Newburgh; Helfrich Park MS, Evansville; and Shenandoah MS, Middletown. Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu Sources: Vincent Drnevich, (765) 494-5029, drnevich@purdue.edu. Jody Tishmack, chapter coordinator, (765) 496-3718, jktishma@purdue.edu Earl Allison, state MATHCOUNTS program co-chairman, eallisonpe@yahoo.com, Denis Radecki, state MATHCOUNTS program co-chairman, radeckieng@aol.com, David Catlin, state competition judge, catlin@math.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Photographers and videographers are welcome to take pictures of the Countdown Round and awards presentation. Contact Jody Tishmack, chapter coordinator, at (765) 496-3718, jktishma@purdue.edu or Vincent Drnevich at (765) 494-5029 to make arrangements.
|
