The William Lowell Putnam
Mathematical Competition is an annual contest for college students
administered by the Mathematical Association of America.
Established in 1938, many of the winners of the Putnam competition
have become distinguished mathematicians. A number of them have
received the Fields Medal and several have won the Nobel Prize in
Physics.
Billed as "the world's
hardest math contest," it is a great experience for all who sit for
it. The exam is given annually the first Saturday of December at
colleges throughout the United States and Canada, including Union
University. Students at Union who wish to participate should
contact Dr. Bryan Dawson by the middle of the fall semester.
The winner of the team portion of the 2006 competition was Princeton University. Union's team finished a respectable 111th.
More information can be
obtained at http://www.maa.org/awards/putnam.html.
