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May 13, 1999

Pitt scores add up in math competition

Pitt scores add up in math competition

Pitt sophomore Dragos Ghioca outscored 2,569 mathematics undergraduates from nearly 420 colleges and universities to rank 10th in the annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematics Competition.

Pitt ranked first among all public colleges and universities in the United States and 13th overall in the Putnam team competition.

Ghioca is a student in the Department of Mathematics and holds a Chancellor's Scholarship from the University Honors College (UHC). Other Pitt math majors in the competition were junior Jonathan Holland and freshmen Liviu Ignat and Chad Newell. Ignat, als o a Chancellor's Scholar in UHC, ranked 34th. Holland, a published Brackenridge Fellow with UHC, and Newell ranked 502 and 827, respectively.

Pitt is the only Pennsylvania institution and the only public university in the United States among the top 26 schools competing. The University's 13th place finish in the team competition with Ghioca, Ignat and Holland is two positions above its rank last year.

"There is no more revered turf in undergraduate competitions than the Putnam," says Alec Stewart, dean of the Honors College. "Dragos Ghioca, Liviu Ignat, Jonathan Holland and Chad Newell are first class. The leadership of mathematics professor and Putnam committee chair Greg Constantine on behalf of undergraduate attainment has once again brought us great pride."

Ghioca missed by two points (of 120) the highest rank of "Putnam Fellow." In last year's competition Ghioca tied for 30th place overall, and Pitt undergraduate Ovidiu Savin, now a Pitt graduate student in mathematics, achieved a Putnam Fellow ranking.

"The continuing success of our Putnam teams has brought a new level of excitement to our undergraduate mathematics program," says John Chadam, chair of the mathematics department. "The extraordinary achievements of Ghioca, Ignat, Holland, Newell and Savin have rubbed off on their peers and have attracted many bright high school students to our excellent Honors Program."

The Putnam competition began in 1938 and includes schools from the United States and Canada.


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