Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service.
More than 60 exceptional mathletes from seven Southern California high schools matched wits in the 37th annual Westmont College Mathematics Field Day at the Montecito campus. The event included a variety of activities, including group problem-solving, individual math presentations, called Chalk Talks, hands-on construction of 3-D models, and the popular and sometimes stressful College Bowl with Jeopardy-like buzzers.
Dos Pueblos High School won the overall battle of the minds scoring victories in the 9th and 10th grade College Bowl finals and in the 9th and 10th grade written, team problem-solving competition. Aaron Xie from Dos Pueblos also advanced to the Chalk Talk finals.
Oaks Christian defeated San Marcos in the 11th and 12th grade College Bowl finals, while Cate School took home top honors in the 11th and 12th grade written, team problem-solving category.
Anum Firoz of Western Center Academy in Hemet won the Chalk Talk competition and Philip Choi from Cate School earned runner-up honors. They all successfully described this year’s Chalk Talk topic, almost prime numbers, which are integers with only a few prime factors.
Other questions ranged from quick calculations, such as finding the least common factor of 5,000 and 2,026, to longer word problems and even calculus integrals. In a refreshing nod to traditional thinking and mental skills, students abstain from any form of technology, using only paper, pencil, their brains and sometimes each other to solve problems that include tricky word problems.
The day concluded with a celebratory awards banquet and an inspiring talk by guest speaker Judith Canner, professor of statistics at Cal State Monterey Bay, who explored the role of mathematics and statistics in today’s world. Despite the competitive nature of the event, participants displayed notable camaraderie and sportsmanship.
The mathematics field day began in 1987 as the brainchild of longtime Westmont mathematics professor Russell Howell, who saw an opportunity for Westmont to combine community outreach with mathematical fun.
Since starting with just four high schools, the contest has consistently fielded 10 or more schools each year. This year’s participants included Cate School, Thacher School, Western Center Academy as well as Dos Pueblos, Oaks Christian, Santa Barbara and San Marcos High Schools.
“The annual field day has become a college tradition, and we’re pleased to share Westmont every year with the local math community,” says mathematics professor Anna Aboud, who has happily continued the annual event. “The enthusiasm and talents of our local high school students and the dedication of their instructors inspire us. I’m delighted to carry on Russ Howell’s legacy.”
Consistent with Westmont’s mission to cultivate thoughtful scholars and engage in community outreach, the event has also proven to be an effective recruitment tool, introducing hundreds of local students to the college. Many of this year’s participants took sunset and mountain photos as they talked about the beauty of the campus.
You must be logged in to post a comment.