Area students earn awards for KU Math Awareness competitions

LAWRENCE -- More than 100 students from fifth through 12th grades competed in the annual math contests at the University of Kansas as part of the Math Awareness Month activities.

The competitions, held April 13 on the KU campus, featured students from more than 30 Lawrence and area schools. Students were divided into three categories: fifth- and sixth-graders, junior high students (seventh- to ninth-graders) and high school (10th- to 12th-graders) students. The exams consisted of five questions that took 40 minutes to complete.

The top three places in each category received cash prizes of $50, $75 and $100, respectively, which were awarded at the mathematics department's honors banquet on April 23.

"We were really impressed with the quality of the kids' math backgrounds," said Jack Porter, chair of the math department and coordinator of the math competitions. "The students were well versed in the fundamentals and were able to use those basic concepts well."

The competition was one of the many activities created by KU's math department as part of the national Mathematics Awareness Month. The national theme for this year's celebration is Mathematics and the Genome. Bozenna Pasik- Duncan, professor of mathematics, coordinated the KU activities.

2002 KU math competition winners are listed below.

For more information on the winners, as well as a detailed listing of KU's Math Awareness Month activities, visit the math department Web site, www.math.ku.edu/mathawareness/winners02.html.

Fifth and sixth grade

First place (tie): Daniel Bird, Quail Run Elementary, Lawrence
First place (tie): Marcus Lucas, Hillcrest Elementary, Lawrence
Third Place: Maziar Adloo, Harmony Elementary School, Overland Park

Honorable mentions:
Stephanie Claar, Harmony Middle School, Overland Park
Yoshika (Susan) Crider, Schwegler Elementary, Lawrence
Andy Krantz, Harmony Middle School, Overland Park
Sue Phan, Hillcrest Elementary, Lawrence

Junior high (seventh, eighth and ninth grade)

First place: William Carlson, Shawnee Mission South High, Overland Park
Second place: Kyle Chauvin, West Junior High, Lawrence
Third place: Alan Sneegas, West Junior High, Lawrence

Honorable mentions:
Deepyaman Datta, Southwest Junior High, Lawrence
Glen Reeves, Indian Hills Middle School, Mission

Senior high (10th, 11th and 12th grade)

First place: Nathaniel Twarog, Lawrence Free State High, Lawrence
Second place: Lin Yi, Lawrence High, Lawrence
Third place: Nathan Markham, Lawrence Free State High, Lawrence

Honorable mention:
Hamsa Subramaniam, Lawrence High, Lawrence