At its annual conference last month, the New York State Mathematics Association of Two Year Colleges (NYSMATYC) recognized the Math League Competition winners.
This year, the top individual score was earned by Alexander Central School District and Genesee Community College student Nicholas D. Allen!
Allen has been an Accelerated College Enrollment (ACE) program student since middle school. The ACE program at GCC has granted him access to college level courses and credit while still attending high school.
With his hard work and dedication, Allen will graduate from GCC with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Computer Information Systems and an Associate in Science degree in Liberal Arts & Science with a concentration in Physics, several weeks before earning his high school diploma.
The NYSMATYC competition consists of two timed exams consisting of 20 mathematical questions each – once in the Fall and once in the Spring. The top five scores from each college are combined to form the college’s team score for each competition. Then, the Fall and Spring exam scores for both individuals and teams are combined to crown the academic year’s champion college and individual.
Prizes for the competition often include mathematical software generously donated by the Math League sponsors and mathematical and scientific journals and magazines.
This year, more than 500 of the best math students from 27 different SUNY and CUNY two year colleges took the exams. The collective team of Genesee Community College students took a remarkable sixth place in the competition, for the second consecutive year.
Allan’s outstanding score this year continues the tradition of excellence seen in GCC’s math students, including the 2018 competition where three GCC students received $1,200 in scholarships for their scores.
These successes are the result of GCC’s unique combination of quality faculty members, a supportive and effective Math Department and its high-tech resources and equipment. When bright and talented students are subjected to the student-focused environment GCC has created, they consistently earn merit-based scholarships and awards at the NYSMATYC competitions.
“When competing against much larger institutions, GCC’s smaller class sizes and therefore more accessible faculty members are a significant advantage to our students,” Christopher Kemp, associate professor, director of GCC’s Mathematics and Engineering Science Division and NYSMATYC president said.
“An advantage that results in unparalleled levels of commitment to our students, and in-turn, impressive student development and achievement."
NYSMATYC formed the Mathematics League for NYS Two-Year Colleges in 1980 to provide a challenge and foster interest in mathematics. The league has also generated a nearly 40-year long friendly competition between two-year colleges across the state.
Genesee Community College offers an associate degree in Mathematics, and the ACE program gives students the opportunity to earn significant college credits while still in high school. For more information on the ACE program, contact GCC at (585) 345-6801, or via email at ACE@genesee.edu.
Additional information about the NYSMATYC is available at http://www.nysmatyc.org/.
Top photo from left: Professor Christopher Kemp, Nicholas D. Allen, and Professor Philip Pickering.
