U.S. IMO Team Celebrates Pi Day at the White House
Pi Day is celebrated around the world, and the White House is no different. This year Chief Data Scientist and resident mathematician DJ Patil is inviting the winning U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) team, including its coach, Carnegie Mellon University's Po-Shen Loh, to the White House to honor their achievement.
“This Pi Day we want to recognize the mathematical capabilities of our nation’s young people, who will be the next leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The U.S. IMO team represents the phenomenal depth of mathematical talent we have in the United States and we want more to follow in their footsteps,” Patil said.
Six American high schoolers competed at the 2015 IMO for the first-place trophy against peers from more than 100 countries in the “hardest exam in the history of the IMO,” said Loh, mathematical sciences professor at Carnegie Mellon and a member of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
Loh and team members Allen Liu, David Stoner, Ryan Alweiss, Yang Liu, Shyam Narayanan and Michael Kural will meet with Patil today (March 14).
The road to the IMO is a long one. It begins at the MAA American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) program, which provides young math enthusiasts opportunities to build their skills through challenging mathematics competitions. More than 340,000 students participate in these school-based competitions annually, culminating at the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO).
Students who score well on the USAMO are then invited to a three-week problem-solving immersion program at the MAA’s Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program, hosted at Carnegie Mellon, where IMO hopefuls train.
“We have been running the national Olympiad training program with a focus on the long-term development of our country’s talent,” Loh said.
The Obama administration’s recognition of this talent will continue as a new U.S. IMO team competes in the 2016 competition in Hong Kong later this summer.
Related Link:
Good as Gold: Math Professor’s Olympiad Team Takes Home Top Medals
Media Contact:
Alexandra Branscombe / 202-319-8482 / abranscombe@maa.org