Success adds up for mathematics students in international competition
Thursday, April 10, 2014
MANHATTAN — Seven Kansas State University students have placed highly in an international mathematics competition.
The Mathematical Association of America has released results from the 74th annual Putnam Mathematical Competition, the most prestigious mathematics contest for undergraduates at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
The Kansas State University team finished in the top 25 percent among the 537 colleges and universities and 4,113 students participating in the competition. The university team also had one member who placed in the top 15 percent of the competition: Zijian Li, senior in mathematics, Guangzhou, China.
Along with Li, team members and their individual placements include:
Melissa Coats, junior in computer engineering and mathematics, Allen, top 42 percent; Nicholas Donohoue, junior in mathematics, Manhattan, top 46 percent; Caden Laptad, sophomore in mathematics, Olathe, top 32 percent; and Vance Gaffar, senior in mathematics, Overland Park, top 24 percent.
From out of country: Yichao Zhang, junior in chemical engineering, Qingdao, China, top 46 percent; and Fernando Roman, senior in mathematics, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, top 49 percent.
Coaches for the university's Putnam competition team include department of mathematics faculty members David Auckly, Ivan Blank, Ricardo Castano-Bernard, Todd Cochrane, Roman Fedorov, Zongzhu Lin, Diego Maldonado, Tom Muenzenberger, Gabriel Nagy, Virginia Naibo, Christopher Pinner, Pietro Poggi-Corradini, Craig Spencer, Victor Turchin, Dan Volok and Ilia Zharkov.
