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Winners of United States of America Mathematical Olympiad Announced

On April 29 and 30, 250 high school students sat for a two-day, six-question, nine-hour mathematics examination: the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO).

Students qualify for the USAMO by posting high scores on the American Mathematics Competition 12 and the American Invitational Mathematics Exam. The USAMO helps determine who will represent the United States at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), to be held this year in Cape Town, South Africa July 3-13.

The results are in from this year’s USAMO, and the top 12 scorers are listed alphabetically:

  • Joshua Brakensiek (home school, Arizona College Prep-Erie, Chandler, Arizona) 
  • Evan Chen (Irvington High School, Fremont, California)
  • Ravi Jagadeesan (Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire)
  • Allen Liu (Penfield Senior High School, Penfield, New York)
  • Nipun Pitimanaaree (Pomfret School, Pomfret, Connecticut)
  • Mark Sellke (William Henry Harrison High School, West Lafayette, Indiana)
  • Zhuoqun Song (Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire)
  • David Stoner (South Aiken High School, Aiken, South Carolina)
  • Kevin Sun (Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire)
  • James Tao (Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy, Aurora, Illinois)
  • Alexander Whatley (North Houston Academy Of Science & Mathematics, Spring, Texas)
  • Scott Wu (Baton Rouge Magnet High School, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) 

Jagadeesan, Sellke, and Stoner were among the top 12 USAMO scorers in 2013, and Sellke and Tao were members of the U.S. team that competed in the 2013 IMO in Santa Marta, Colombia.

The top 12 USAMO scorers will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 2.

Additional results, including USAMO honorable mentions and the top scorers in the United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad are available.

About USAMO
The USAMO is the pinnacle event in the sequence of increasingly challenging mathematical contests administered by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) program. It serves to indicate the talent of those who may become tomorrow’s leaders in the mathematical sciences. More than 195,000 worldwide took the first contest (AMC 10 and/or AMC 12). More than 7,432 were invited to compete in the second contest, the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), and just 250 of these participants made it to the highly selective and prestigious USAMO.

About AMC
The mission of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions is to increase interest in mathematics and to develop problem solving through a fun competition. Teachers and schools benefit from the chance to challenge students with interesting mathematical questions that are aligned with curriculum standards at all levels of difficulty. In addition, students gain the opportunity to learn and achieve through competition with students in their school and around the world.

Thanks to Our Sponsors
The MAA would like to thank the organizations that sponsor the USAMO program, including: Simons Foundation, Akamai Foundation, The D.E. Shaw Group, MathWorks (in support of Curriculum Inspirations), Math for America, Art of Problem Solving, Inc., Jane Street Capital, Academy of Applied Science, American Mathematical Society, American Statistical Association, Casualty Actuarial Society, Google, Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, Idea Math, LLC, Mu Alpha Theta, and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Thanks are also due to Robert Balles for his support of the 2014 Balles Prize awards.

News Date: 
Friday, May 16, 2014
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