Three students from Elizabethtown College’s Mathematical Sciences Department participated in the recent 82nd William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, the most notable college-level mathematics contest in North America.
Aidan Hanley ‘23, Trisha Vazquez ’23, and Tainan Nunes ’25 each tallied positive scores, an impressive feat considering that 544 out of the 2,975 students from across North America who volunteered to take the rigorous test scored a zero. Competing against the top schools in the country, Etown ranked in the top 250 out of 407 institutions.
“The competition emphasizes ingenuity rather than knowledge, so first-years are not at much of a disadvantage compared to seniors, although more than half of the problems would give a hard time to a professional mathematician,” Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Actuarial Science Program Director, Bogdan Doytchinov said.
The six-hour test is conducted by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and is broken up into two parts – a morning session and an afternoon session. There are 12 questions on the exam, each worth 10 points and amounting to a total of 120 possible points.
The valuable experience that Trisha Vazquez ’23 is gaining in the classroom is not only helping her compete in contests like the Putnam but in reaching her career goals as well.
“My Etown education has prepared me for my career as an actuary by helping me develop my math and problem-solving skills, as well as learning how to code and communicate ideas with others,” Vazquez said. “My coursework at Etown has been helpful in preparing me to pass my actuarial exams and by giving me the tools that I need to succeed.”