May 15, 2024
Shawnee State University’s Department of Mathematical Sciences and Office of Admission hosted a SUMS Math Competition on May 2 for high school students in Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Over 100 students attended this year’s event, competing individually and as teams in a math-skill competition. At the conclusion of the event, the Office of Admissions announced that all participants in this year’s competition will receive a $1,000 academic scholarship to use towards their tuition as a first-time freshman at Shawnee State.
“President Braun was truly inspired by the energy and dedication displayed by all the participants in the competition,” said SSU Chief Enrollment Officer Jim Farmer. “In appreciation, he has decided to establish a new scholarship opportunity, called the SUMS+ Scholarship, where any student who took part in this year’s event is eligible for a $1,000 academic scholarship to Shawnee State.”
In addition to the overall scholarship funding, the competition awarded scholarship prizes to Shawnee State for the Top 3 individual finishers and Top 2 teams. For the individual participants, Srihan Malkaram from George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia placed first receiving a $2,000 scholarship, followed by Xinrui Han (Athens High School) in second receiving a $1,000 scholarship, and Aviva Wood (Athens High School) in third receiving a $500 scholarship. For the team portion, George Washington High School’s team made up of Shrihan Malkaram, Mrithula Premchanth, Anthony Sprouse, and Mohamad Sabag claimed first place with each member receiving a $200 scholarship, while Eastern Local High School’s team of Xane Runyun, Carson Salisbury, Jubal Blevins, and Dawson Cody finished in second, each member receiving a $100 scholarship. For these students, the $1,000 additional SUMS+ Scholarship will be added to the sum of their competition award.
The Mathematical Sciences Department also awarded additional prizes for students competing in bonus math problems. Elijah Montgomery (Eastern Local Schools) finished first, Corey Williams (Clay High School) finished second, Garrett Cody (Eastern Local Schools) finished third, and Kenton Michael (Oak Hill High School) finished fourth. Both Montgomery and Williams received a Galaxy Tab A7 Lite Tablet as their prize, while Cody received a TI-83 PLUS graphing calculator, and Michael received a copy of the textbook History of Mathematics.
“I would like to thank the students and the staff of every school who attended,” said SSU Chair of Mathematical Sciences, Dr. Phil Blau. “It was a pleasure to have everyone on campus and we cannot wait to welcome students and schools back for next year’s competition.”
“We are thrilled with the turnout for our first Math Competition on campus,” said Ralph Shelton, coordinator of the SUMS Math Competition. “Many students had – and provided us with – a fun quality mathematics day at Shawnee State. Planning is already underway for next year’s event with an enhanced schedule. We look forward to hosting mathematical talent from the tri-state in the years to come.”
SSU’s Mathematical Sciences Department offers degrees that provide a broad intellectual foundation in undergraduate mathematics, fostering reasoning and problem-solving skills, and gives the opportunity for students to combine their interest in mathematics with preparation for a variety of career options. The department also provides a wide array of undergraduate mathematics courses to support degree programs across campus.
For students in attendance, to receive the $1,000 SUMS+ Scholarship to SSU, they will need to self-identify with the Office of Admission to have the scholarship applied to their tuition fees when enrolling as a first-time freshman at Shawnee State.