Orange Alert

Undergraduates Represent Syracuse University in 2022 Putnam Competition

Posted on: Jan. 10, 2023

Five students from the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Mathematics represented Syracuse University in the Putnam Mathematical Competition on December 3, 2022. The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is the most prestigious mathematical contest for college students in the United States and Canada. In 2022 there were 3,415 contestants from 456 institutions. The following Syracuse students were among the contestants.

  • Yuming Jiang '25 is a double mathematics and physics major, member of Pi Mu Epsilon and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.
  • Anthony Mazzacane '24 is a double mathematics and computer science major, member of Pi Mu Epsilon and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.
  • Michael Perry '23 is a double mathematics and computer science major.
  • Connor Ritchie '24 is a double mathematics and music composition major, member of Pi Mu Epsilon and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.
  • Rongtian Ye '26 is a mathematics major.

As the top scorer from Syracuse, Yuming Jiang received the 2023 Erdős Prize for Excellence in Mathematical Problem-Solving.

The Putnam contest consists of 12 challenging mathematical problems covering a range of topics, from geometry and calculus to number theory and abstract algebra. The participants have 6 hours to work on the given problems. Success in the contest depends not only on prior mathematical knowledge but also on creative thinking and the proof-writing skill. Syracuse participants practiced for this contest weekly throughout the Fall 2022 semester.

The Putnam Competition Director Daniel Ullman wrote: “No matter how well a student performs in the competition, the experience of engaging intensely with challenging problems develops the student's mathematical power and creativity.”