March 16, 2009
Mathematics Field Day Competition is Thursday
CARBONDALE -- Young mathematicians from around the area will head to Southern Illinois University Carbondale this week to participate in the annual Mathematics Field Day Competition.
About 600 students from 50 schools in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee will attend this year’s event, set for 10 a.m. Thursday, March 19, at Shryock Auditorium. The event traditionally is held at the SIUC Arena and has included about 1,000 students, but had to be moved due to construction at the arena.
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to cover the Mathematics Field Day Competition. Photos and video may be taken during the initial portion of the testing period starting at 10 a.m. Reporters may conduct interviews following the testing, which finishes at noon. Organizers will present awards starting at 2:15 p.m. For more information, contact George Parker, associate professor of mathematics, at 618/453-6569 or gparker@math.siu.edu; or Kathy Pericak-Spector, professor of mathematics, a 618/453-6573 or kpericak@math.siu.edu.
The test, designed and administered by members of the Department of Mathematics at SIUC, allows students to test their math skills against their peers while competing for an SIUC academic scholarship. The College of Science is again offering its partial tuition waiver award to the highest-scoring junior at this year’s event. The award is worth up to $4,000 for tuition during a four-year period.
Organizers also will award trophies and ribbons to top teams in three divisions based on enrollment, and individual certificates to top performers in each academic division.
Math teachers also will benefit from a program for them, set for 10:30 a.m. in room 112 at Altgeld Hall. Bob Pacyga, a curriculum specialist with Pearson Mathematics, is the speaker.