In the News

37th  Soifer Mathematical Olympiad News Release, October 11, 2021

36th  Soifer Mathematical Olympiad News Release, May 3, 2019 

(press release of May 5, 2017)

Greenwood Village Senior Avi Swartz Wins First Prize in the 34th Colorado Mathematical Olympiad

On April 28, 2017, Colorado greeted the 34thAnnual Colorado Mathematical Olympiad (CMO) to a wintry weather. 212 Olympians came from all over Colorado: Fort Collins, Greeley, Boulder, Highland Ranch, Monument, Greenwood Village, Parker, Poudre, Aurora, Gilcrest, Broomfield, Monument, Englewood, Denver, Niwot, Windsor, Lone Tree, Lafayette, and Colorado Springs. We also had guest contestants from the Alabama School of Mathematics and Sciences, Mobile, Alabama and Spanish Fort, Alabama.

The Olympians were offered five problems and given four hours to solve them and present complete essay-type solutions.

First prize was awarded by the panel of judges to Avi Swartz, a senir from Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village. He will receive an Olympiad Gold Medal, a $1000 scholarship to attend any accredited American university of his choice, a $2000 UCCS Chancellor’s Scholarship (to be awarded if attending UCCS as a new freshman), a Springer book The Mathematical Coloring Book: Mathematics of Coloring and the Colorful Life of Its Creators by Alexander Soifer, a Casio graphing calculator, and the Wolfram Research software Mathematica download. Avi was the First Prize winner in 2015 and a Second Prize winner in 2016.

Second prize was awarded to Hongyi Chen, a junior from Fairview High School, Boulder. He will receive an Olympiad silver medal, a Springer book The Mathematical Coloring Book: Mathematics of Coloring and the Colorful Life of Its Creators by Alexander Soifer, a Casio graphing calculator, and the Wolfram Research software Mathematica download. Hongyi was the First Prize winner in 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately, being unable to attend the award ceremony, the $750 scholarship to attend any accredited American university and the $2000 UCCS Chancellor’s Scholarship (to be awarded if attending UCCS) was forfeited.

Third prize was awarded to Austen Mazenko, a freshman from Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, and Hannah Zhang, a junior from Fairview High School, Boulder. Each of them will receive an Olympiad bronze medal, a $2000 UCCS Chancellor’s Scholarship (to be awarded if attending UCCS as a new freshman); a Springer-Birkhäuser 2015 book The Scholar and the State: In Search of Van der Waerden by Alexander Soifer, a Casio graphing calculator, and the Wolfram Research software Mathematica download. Both Austen and Hannah were the Third Prize winners last year as well.

First Honorable Mentions were awarded to the following 24 Olympians:

• Anthony Wang, 7th grade, STEM School and Academy, Douglas County
• Rahul Thomas, 8th grade, Campus Middle School, Cherry Creek School District
• Eleanor Greyson, 7th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek Schools
• Amy Wang, senior, Pine Creek High School, Academy School District 20
• Caleb Noel, junior, Logos Online School, Homeschool
• Gregory Li, 8th grade, Spanish Fort Middle School, Baldwin County, Alabama
• Luke Zhang, junior, Rocky Canyon High School, Douglas
• Andrea Lin, junior, Fairview High School, BVSD
• Aileen Ma, junior, Niwot High School, St. Vrain Valley School District
• Luke Brobin, 8th grade, The Vanguard School, Cheyenne Mountain School District
• David Jordan, freshman, Homeschool, Poudre
• Sonia Chu, sophomore, Rock Canyon High School, Douglas County
• Andrew Jeseritz, senior, Discovery Canyon Campus, D-20
• Titus Sharman, sophomore, Coronado High School, Colorado Springs School District 11
• Carson Swoveland, freshman, Palmer Ridge High School, Lewis Palmer District 38
• Ian Brobin, senior, Cheyenne Mountain High School, District 12
• Lavan Vivekanandasarma, 8th grade, Campus Middle School, Cherry Creek School District
• Nathan Jensen, 7th grade, Challenger Middle School, Academy School District 20
• Daniel Rui, freshman, Peak to Peak Charter School, BVSD
• Matt Chen, sophmore, Rock Canyon High School, Douglas County
• Bryan Becar, junior, Doherty, 11
• Vladimir Zhdanov, senior, Discovery Canyon Campus, D-20
• Grace Zhang, 8th grade, Challenge School, Cherry Creek
• Akber Shaikh, 8th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek

They will each receive a copy of the book Mathematics as Problem Solving by Alexander Soifer; a copy of the book How Does One Cut a Triangle? by Alexander Soifer; a copy of the book Colorado Mathematical Olympiad: The First Ten Years and Further Explorations by Alexander Soifer; and Wolfram Research Paper sculptures, T-shirts, and software Mathematica download.

Second Honorable Mentions were awarded to the following 64 Olympians:

• Jack Younger, 7th grade, Colorado Academy, N/A
• Simon Lin, freshman, Liberty High School, Academy School District 20
• Amber Liu, sophmore, Rock Canyon High School, Douglas County School District
• Atharva Vispute, 8th grade, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Academy District 20
• Siddarth Ijju, freshman, Cherry Creek High School, Cherry Creek School District
• Caleb Chung, 6th grade, Challenger Middle School, Academy 20
• Edward Lim, freshman, Fort Collins High School, Poudre
• Khang Tuy, junior, Pius X High School, Lancaster
• Caleb Cooper, sophomore, Vista Peak, Aurora Public Schools
• Gregory Thompson, 7th grade, Windsor Charter Academy, Weld RE-4
• Allie Stamper, senior, Alabama School of Math and Science, Alabama
• Roshan Kern, 8th grade, West Middle, Cherry Creek
• William Gear, 8th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek
• Erik Forster, 7th grade, Challenger Middle School, Academy 20
• Kyle Ma, freshman, Pine Creek High School, Academy District 20
• Quinn Ruddy, sophomore, Doherty, District 11
• Austin Crawford, 8th grade, Holmes Middle School, District 11
• Samuel Lee, freshman, Rampart High School, Academy School District 20
• Sanya Bhartiya, 8th grade, West Middle School, cherry creek
• Lauren Shrack, 8th grade, Challenger Middle School, Academy District 20
• Cynthia Lin, sophmore, Fairview High School, Boulder Valley
• Ari Wang, 6th grade, MRMS, Asd20
• Andrew Wang, 7th grade, STEM School and Academy, Douglas County
• Samuel Serra, senior, Highlands Ranch High School, Douglas County
• Ryan liao, 8th grade, Ken Caryl middle school, Jefferson County
• Chloe Nguyen, 8th grade, Challenger Middle School, ASD20
• Nicole Hill, 8th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek
• Eliza Hill, 8th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek
• Joy Ma, freshman, Fairview high school, Boulder valley school district
• Zion Choi, 7th grade, Challenge School, Cherry Creek
• Ian McLellan, 7th grade, West, cherry creek
• Ryan Evans, senior, Liberty High School, Academy School District 20
• Mya Cordova, junior, Valley High School, Weld Re-1
• Connor Pearcy, 8th grade, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Academy School District 20
• Joseph Schultz, 7th grade, Fox Ridge Middle, CCSD
• Varun Cheela, 7th grade, Fox Ridge Middle School, Cherry Creek
• Max Xu, 6th grade, Rocky Heights Middle School, Douglas County
• Elijah Sawyer, junior, Atlas Preparatory School, Harrison 2
• Andrew Merz, 8th grade, Holmes Middle School, District 11
• David Wu, freshman, Rampart High School, Academy School District 20
• Nathan Amos, sophomore, Alabama School of Math and Science, Alabama
• Alan Wang, 6th grade, STEM School and Academy, Douglas County
• Jack Haley, 8th grade, Aurora Quest, Aurora Public Schools
• Jack Brett, sophmore, Palmer High School, D11
• Abbas Shaikh, 7th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek
• Chad Wireman, senior, Discovery Canyon Campus, D-20
• Jeremiah Blackwood, sophmore, Vista Peak Prepatory, Aurora Public Schools
• Quinton Williams, 7th grade, Challenger Middle School, Academy District 20
• Karen Corral Orona, junior, Atlas Preparatory School, Harrison 2
• Liam Adler-Pollock, 8th grade, McAuliffe International Middle School, Denver Public Schools
• Alyssa Watkins, 6th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek School District
• Albert Li, 6th grade, Challenger Middle School, Academy District 20
• Alex Mitchell, 7th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek School District
• Devon McClure, 7th grade, Holmes Middle School, Colorado Springs School District 11
• Jack Davies, 8th grade, Windsor Charter Academy, Weld RE-4
• Kevin Yang, freshman, Fairview HS, BVSD
• Noah Caskey, 6th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek School District
• Prabhnoor Paul, 8th grade, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Academy District 20
• Alexander Sasse, 8th grade, Winograd K-8, Greeley Evans District 6
• Dina Rosenstrauch, senior, Pine Creek High School, Academy School District 20
• Maggie Walters, senior, Pine Creek High School, District 20
• Cassidy Dunnells, sophmore, Doherty High School, D11
• Anna Fischer, 8th grade, West Middle School, Cherry Creek School Disctrict
• Luke Schwab, junior, Highlands Ranch High School, Douglas County

They will each receive a copy of the book Mathematics as Problem Solving by Alexander Soifer; a copy of the book How Does One Cut a Triangle? by Alexander Soifer; and a Wolfram Research software Mathematica download.

Those who wish to understand the spirit of the Olympiad are invited to solve some of the 2016 Olympiad’s five problems. Here is a problem for your enjoyment:

The Four-Color Game

Two players in turn color one unit edge of a 20172017 square grid in one of four available colors. The first player wins if a circuit is created with no adjacent edges of the same color; otherwise, the second player wins. Find a strategy for one of the players, guaranteeing a win regardless of the moves the other player makes.

A circuit is a continuous line along distinct edges of the grid that starts and ends at the same point.

On Friday May 5, 2017, starting at 2:00 PM in Berger Hall, we will conduct the Award Presentation Ceremony, with the participation of Venkat Reddy, Interim Chancellor, Thomas Christensen, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Elect, both University of Colorado Colorado Springs; Greg Hoffman, Director of Human Resources, Intermap Technologies, Inc.; David Sawtelle, K-12 Mathematics Facilitator, Colorado Springs School District 11; and Ruthi Manning-Freeman, Assistant Director for Learning Services, Talented and Gifted Programs, Academy District 20. Alexander Soifer will present Solutions of the Olympiad Problems (2 PM), and present his lectures Etudes on Mathematical Tiling and Coloring, and Charge to the Olympians: Three Points of View Define the Plane of Vision.

This year’s prize fund of the Olympiad and means for its delivery have been generously donated by Colorado Springs School District 11; Air Academy School District 20; Springer Publisher; Mu Alpha Theta, Mathematics Honor Society; Robert and June Ewell; Chancellor, UCCS; Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, UCCS; UCCS Food and Dining Services; UCCS Bookstore; UCCS Parking and Transportation; Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper; Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers; and Alexander Soifer.

Results announced for 32nd Colorado Mathematical Olympiad at UCCS COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the first time in the thirty-two year history of the Colorado Mathematical Olympiad at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, a middle school girl earned first prize in the competition.

Sara Gao, grade 8, from Campus Middle School in Englewood was one of four first prize winners of the April 24 competition that brought 328 middle and high school students from throughout Colorado and from an Alabama school to UCCS. She became the first female to earn first prize. Award winners were announced at a May 1 ceremony.

Other first prize winners were: ·

• Hongyi Chen, grade 9, Altona Middle School, Longmont 
• Rodion Kosmin, grade 12, Castle View High School, Castle Rock. Kosmin is visiting from Ukraine. 
• Avi Swartz, grade 10, Cherry Creek High School, Englewood

First prize winners will receive a gold medal, a $500 scholarship to attend any accredited U.S. university, a UCCS Chancellor’s Scholarship, “The Scholar and the State: In Search of Van der Waerden” by Alexander Soifer, a Casio graphing calculator, and a Wolfram Research software Mathematica.

“Middle school girls and boys have never before achieved so much,” Alexander Soifer, professor, Interdepartmental Studies and CMO director, said. “They competed as equals among the senior high students. This is unprecedented and shows their potential in the years ahead.”

Students from Colorado cities of Aurora, Boulder, Broomfield, Castle Rock, Centennial, Colorado Springs, Denver, Englewood, Greeley, Greenwood Village, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, Longmont, Monument, Parachute, Superior, and Rangely participated. The competition also drew contestants from Alabama School of Mathematics and Sciences, Mobile, Ala.

The students were offered five problems and four hours to solve them and present complete essay-type solutions.

Second prize winners were:

• Anjalie Kini, grade 8, Challenge School, Greenwood Village
• Andrea Lin, grade 9, Fairview High School, Boulder
• William Shand, grade 11, Discovery Canyon Campus, Colorado Springs

Second prize winners will receive a silver medal, a $1,000 UCCS Chancellor’s Scholarship, “The Colorado Mathematical Olympiad: From the Mountains of Colorado to the Peaks of Mathematics” by Alexander Soifer, a Casio graphing calculator, and a Wolfram Research software Mathematica. '

The third prize winner was:

• Amy Wang, grade 10, Pine Creek High School, Colorado Springs

She will receive a bronze medal, a $1,000 UCCS Chancellor’s Scholarship; a book from Springer Academic Publishing, a Casio graphing calculator, and a Wolfram Research software Mathematica.

Art award:

• Abbie Hill, grade 8, Aurora Quest K-8, Aurora

She received a puzzle invented by Erno Rubik, the book “A New Kind of Science,” by Stephen Wolfram, a Casio graphing calculator and Wolfram Research software Mathematica.

First honorable mention:

•  Mathew King, grade 11, Alabama School of Math and Science, Mobile, Ala.
• Noah Poirson, grade 12, Alabama School of Math and Science, Mobile, Ala.  
• Austen Mazenko, grade 7, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village
• Jeremy Schiff, grade 11, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village
• Isani Singh, grade 9, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village
• Andrew Jeseritz, Discovery Canyon High School, Colorado Springs
• Vladimir Zhdanov, Discovery Canyon High School, Colorado Springs
• Anurag Golla, grade 10, Fairview High School, Boulder
• Hanna Zhang, grade 9, Fairview High School, Boulder
• Calvert Bystroff, grade 8, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Colorado Springs
• Kyle Ma, grade 7, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Colorado Springs
• Keshav Nambiar, grade 8, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Colorado Springs
• Varun Roy, grade 8, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Colorado Springs
• Aurora Ortman, grade 9, Palmer High School, Colorado Springs
• Orien Sun, grade 9, Palmer High School, Colorado Springs
• Cynthia Lin, Summit Charter Middle School, Superior
• George Liu, grade 10, The Classical Academy, Colorado Springs
•  Dylan Morris, grade 12, Liberty High School, Colorado Springs
• Aaron Lou, grade 10, Highlands Ranch High School, Highlands Ranch
• Claudia Chen, grade 8, Challenger School, Colorado Springs
• Owen Newton, Academy Online High School and Eagleview Middle School, Colorado Springs

Honorable mention students will receive the book “A New Kind of Science,” by Stephen Wolfram, a Casio graphing calculator and Wolfram Research software Mathematica.

For details of the competition and to see questions, please visit http://www.uccs.edu/~olympiad

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs, is one of the fastest growing universities in Colorado. The University offers 37 bachelor’s degrees, 20 master’s and five doctoral degrees. UCCS enrolls about 11,000 students on campus annually and another 2,000 in online programs. For more information, visitwww.uccs.edu.

http://pressreleases.uccs.edu/?p=2349

Past Olympiad News Releases:

• 2014 Colorado Olympiad Press Coverage
• UCCS Names Winners of Colorado Math Olympiad 2008
• UCCS Names Winners of Colorado Math Olympiad 2007
• UCCS Names Winners of Colorado Math Olympiad 5/2/06
• Professor Gets Lyrical About Math Essay Contest 4/21/06

Prof gets lyrical about math essay contest

UCCS Olympiad gives students 4-hour test

By BRIAN NEWSOME THE GAZETTE

Alex Soifer describes math in the same words some people would use to describe Romantic literature: beautiful, elegant, exciting and surprising.

The 57-year-old math professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs fondly recalls his undergraduate days when students and faculty would spend hours after class working on math problems. That, he says, was when the real learning began.

It’s this love of number-riddled proofs that drove Soifer to start the UCCS Mathematical Olympiad in 1984 for middle and high school students. Despite the math scholar’s lengthy list of academic accomplishments — Soi- fer has been a visiting professor at Princeton University and has published four books — the problem-solving showdown remains the “most important thing in my life,” he said.

This year’s competition will be held Friday. About 900 students will spend four hours sweating through five complex problems for a chance to win prizes, scholarships and intellectual bragging rights. It’s the largest essay-style math contest in the country, Soifer said, and he is the chief author of the questions. Students earn more points for the creativity shown in their work than getting a correct answer.

In a disheveled office brimming with books and papers, the professor spouted stories about past Olympiad winners. There was Mark Heim of Loveland, who went to study math and computers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this year. Gideon Yaffe of the Colorado Springs School took first place in 1988. He went to Harvard, where he studied math and drama, and now teaches philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley.

Then there was Matthew Kahle, the C- student from Air Academy who was denied admission to UCCS. He’s finishing work for a doctorate at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The Olympiad will begin at 9 a.m. Friday at UCCS. About 100 to 150 awards will be presented April 28, also at UCCS. This year’s special guest will be Hideshi Fukaya, the lead inventor of the world’s first graphing calculator. He will present winners with one of the CASIO calculators that he designed, according to a UCCS news release.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0198 or bnewsome@gazette.com

MARK REIS, THE GAZETTE

UCCS professor Alex Soifer began the UCCS Mathematical Olympiad in 1984 and has coordinated it annually since then. The essaystyle math contest is the largest of its kind in the nation.