U of M hosts unique high school math competition

Winning student will win $2,000 cash

Top Minnesota high school student mathematicians will show off their skills and compete for $2,000 in a unique competition hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Mathematics and its Applications. The competition, entitled "Who Wants to be a Mathematician," begins at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 23 at the University’s West Bank Hubert H. Humphrey Center’s Cowles Auditorium, 301 19th Ave. S, Minneapolis. The winner will be named at about 11:45 a.m.

"Who Wants to be a Mathematician" is a game of skill and excitement patterned after the popular TV show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Contestants answer difficult multiple-choice mathematics questions.

This is the first competition of its kind in Minnesota. The American Mathematical Society has run similar competitions for more than six years in locations from Boston to Honolulu. The goal of the competition is to demonstrate that math can be fun and to encourage young people to pursue careers in mathematics.

The eight contestants for the Minnesota competition were selected based on their scores on a qualifying test sent to area high schools.

Contestants for the game are:

Rohit Agrawal (Wayzata)
Nathan Bertram (Becker)
Alex Fish (Bloomington Jefferson)
Kyle Husebye (Stillwater)
Paul Kravik (Minnehaha Academy)
Perihan MacDonald (St. Paul Central)
Calli Thompson (Stillwater)
Justin Wheeler (Hill-Murray)

Game sponsors are Texas Instruments, Maplesoft, John Wiley & Sons and the American Mathematical Society.

For more information about the competition or to watch videos of previous competitions, visit the American Mathematical Society’s game Web site.