January 27, 2009

Math whizzes compute to compete in MATHCOUNTS

MATHCOUNTS is a national nonprofit competition that promotes achievement in mathematics. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon in Stewart Center, Room 302. The final round will begin at 1 p.m. in the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall and will conclude with an awards ceremony at approximately 2 p.m. The afternoon events are free and open to the public.

The Purdue event is one of more than 500 regional competitions sponsored nationwide. After several months of coaching, participating schools select students to compete as part of a four-member team. Students also compete as individuals to reach the state finals and become a member of the Indiana team for the national competition. For the past decade, the top 10 individual competitors also have been offered full scholarships to Purdue.

"We are very excited to host 12 schools this year,” said Vincent Drnevich, professor of civil engineering and regional competition co-director.  “It is great to see so many schools and students getting involved in an academic event that emphasizes math concepts, problem solving skills, and teamwork."

Participating schools include:

* Battle Ground Middle School, Battleground

*  Central Middle School, Columbus.

* East Tipp Middle School, Lafayette.

*  Klondike Middle School, West Lafayette.

*  Lebanon Middle School, Lebanon.

* Saint James Lutheran School, Lafayette.

*  Southwestern Middle School, Lafayette.

*  Tecumseh Middle School, Lafayette.

*  Tuttle Middle School, Crawfordsville.

*  West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School, West Lafayette.

*  Zionsville Middle School, Zionsville.

*  Zionsville West Middle School, Zionsville

“MATHCOUNTS is a great opportunity to see students engaged in a challenging mathematics competition,” said Jerry Woodward, mathematics K-12 outreach coordinator and regional competition co-director.  “The most exciting parts of the competition include the team round, in which students must work together to solve challenging problems, and the countdown round, in which participants compete head-to-head. In this fast-moving event, the 'mathletes' typically answer the question before it can be read aloud.”

Winners at the regional level proceed to the state competition, which will take place March 14 at Purdue. For the past decade, the top 10 individual competitors at the state finals have been offered full scholarships to Purdue. The top four state "mathletes" and coach of the winning team will earn the right to represent Indiana at the national level. Indiana finished second nationally in 2007 and fifth in 2008.

Purdue's College of Engineering and College of Science, the I-STEM Resource Network and the A.A. Potter Chapter of the Indiana Society Professional Engineers sponsor and organize this event. For more information about MATHCOUNTS, contact Drnevich at (765) 494-5029, drnevich@purdue.edu , or Woodward at (765) 494-9578, jwoodwar@purdue.edu.

Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Sources: Vincent Drnevich, (765) 494-5029, drnevich@purdue.edu

Jerry Woodward, (765) 494-9578, jwoodwar@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: The media are invited to cover the team and countdown rounds. To make arrangements, contact Marydell Forbes, Purdue News Service, at (7650 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

To the News Service home page