ASU hosts math competition for local high school students

Augusta State University’s Department of Math and Computer Science is gearing up for the 30th annual Math Contest on Friday, March 12. High school students from Richmond and Columbia counties, as well as students from schools within a 50-mile radius of ASU, will compete in this year’s event. A total of 18 schools have signed up, and according to Dr. Sankara Sethuraman, coordinator of the contest and associate professor of mathematics at ASU, each school can send 10 students as representatives.

The contest, which will begin at 8 a.m., will be in Galloway Hall and Butler Lecture Hall. Dr. Sethuraman says the students will be divided up into two teams, as there will be 180 students on campus. Students will have 1 1/2 hours to complete a 30-question written test. During the team competitions, each team will be given 12 questions to answer. A quick-answer session will follow, and students will have to answer 16 questions, each question in 1 1/2 minutes.

“At 3 p.m., everything ends and we announce a winner,” says Dr. Sethuraman. “The winner will receive a traveling trophy that they will be able to keep for one year. After we present the trophy, we will hand out plaques and medals.”

The Math Contest Committee, which consists of ASU mathematics professors, is in charge of creating the questions for the contest. As the coordinator of the event, Dr. Sethuraman is in charge of talking to the coaches and teachers from the 18 high schools.

Dr. Sethuraman says that some students competing are already taking advanced calculus courses at ASU, and many of the coaches of the high schools are alumni of the university. He says that the contest committee would like to keep in touch with the coaches and see how they perform in their curriculum.

“The math department values this competition very highly because for us, it’s like a community outreach project,” says Dr. Sethuraman. “The students will get to know the ASU campus, faculty, and the math department. And we hope they select ASU for their college studies.”

Other News: Peach Belt | MPA Conference | Visiting Execs | Women's History | Math Competition | Phi Kappa Phi | Sandhills | Alumni | Campus Notables | Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Spotlight | Offices | Calendar | Birthdays | Quiz | Table of Contents