Math contest recruits for future

Find the units digit of the following expression: 2007^2007^2007.

Finalists had two minutes to solve this problem in the decisive tiebreaker round of the 2007 Tech High School Math Competition, which was held this past Saturday in the Instructional Center (for the mathematically-minded, the answer to the tiebreaker is seven).

More than 270 talented high school and eighth grade students from seven states competed in a series of math tests for trophies, bragging rights and, most notably, a total of $10,000 in scholarships to Tech.

This year's event was hosted by Pi Mu Epsilon, Club Math and the School of Mathematics, and was meant in part as a recruitment tool to attract high-quality students to Tech and its math department.

Besides the stipulation that the awarded scholarships can only be used if the recipients matriculate at Tech, the event organizers also offered campus tours and admissions information for students who were not yet convinced that Tech is the right school for them.

First held in the fifties, the competition has changed significantly. Back then, the top prize was a brand new television set; last week, it was a $2,500 individual scholarship.

What has stayed constant over the years, however, has been the caliber of the contestants.

Harrison Brown, a junior at Centennial High School, won the top individual prize for the varsity competition, but only after grueling practice and preparation for the long day of testing.

Brown had to arrive at eight in the morning, take two hour-and-a-half long exams before being posted as a semifinalist and endure another rigorous, two-hour, proof-based exam afterwards to be declared the winner.

"[However, it] was well worth the experience and the scholarship," Brown said.

Not surprisingly, Brown's high school also won the first place team award, besting the efforts of top contenders Rockdale Magnet and Athens Academy.

Professors and students from the School of Mathematics volunteered for the event, helping to grade the proof-based exams.

In addition, Club Math's Brian Benson, a second-year Applied Math major, put on a special presentation about collegiate-level math for the contestants while they anxiously awaited competition results.

Benson discovered his passion for mathematics while finishing his first bachelor's degree at Kennesaw State University. He drew from personal experience as he stressed the importance of considering a math degree to the competition's high schoolers.

"The idea is to get [these kids] to think about a major in math because so many of them gloss over it and don't realize its opportunities," Benson said.

Throughout the presentation, students were shown examples of graph theory, topics of current research and the broad range of career paths a math major has to choose from.

"A lot of students who excel in math see engineering as the only practical outlet of their ability," Benson said.

He encouraged the students to explore the many opportunities that a degree in mathematics provides, such as pathways to graduate studies in law, finance and other sciences as well as engineering.

Has Tech's recruitment efforts toward these students paid off?

In some cases, that seems so. Jonathon Joe, a senior at Mount de Sales Academy, will be attending Tech next fall.

"The undergraduate discrete mathematics ranking of seventh in the nation made my decision especially easy since I plan on that being one of my dual majors," Joe said.

Participants spoke of other things that attracted them to Tech.

"I like the atmosphere, the people and its academics," said Emilio Saladar, a Centennial High School junior, as he balanced a trophy in one hand and a notebook full of math work in the other.

Saladar was impressed by the event and now plans on joining Club Math.

Other students said they are looking for a college that has a large diversity of organizations and clubs that can meet all of their individual interests.

At Tech, which offers more than 350 organizations, that should not be a problem. And with events like the Tech High School Math Competition attracting talented students to campus every year, finding enough people for those diverse organizations should not be a problem either, especially those related to math.