Bulldogs take top honors in regional math competition

By Kaitlyn Yeatman

STARKVILLE, Miss.— A team of Mississippi State University students took first place in the group competition at the Louisiana/Mississippi (LA/MS) sectional meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) in February.

The MAA aims to promote the understanding and influence of mathematics. Each year, universities, colleges and junior colleges from Mississippi and Louisiana compete in the LA/MS Section, which features three competitions: Individual Competition, Integration Bee and Poster Competition, and Student Team Competition. MSU has participated in these meetings since 2017 and consistently places among the top three in the Integration Bee and Student Team competitions. The event also offers students the opportunity to attend lectures from leaders in the field.

MSU Department Head of Mathematics and Statistics Mohsen Razzaghi emphasized the significance of these competitions in enhancing MSU’s reputation in mathematics and STEM fields. 

“The fact that MSU traditionally does very well in these competitions provides evidence that MSU is a leading program in the states of Mississippi and Louisiana. Competing and performing well also allows us to promote our graduate program and recruit students from other universities to attend MSU,” said Razzaghi. “The fact that the students that participate in the competitions are obtaining degrees in a variety of programs says that we are not only building strong mathematics students, but that the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at MSU is also focused on and succeeding at supporting all STEM fields.”

The students on MSU’s winning team include:

•    Connor Doby, junior mathematics major from Waynesboro

•    Ryan Goodwin, senior computer science and mathematics major from Lucedale

•    Kevin Ho, senior computer science and mathematics major from Clinton

•    Jonathan Kiesal, junior mathematics major from Byhalia

Additional MSU students who participated in this year’s competitions include:

•    Anoop Mishra, junior computer science and mathematics major from Nepal

•    Samata Luintel, junior data science and supply chain logistics major from Nepal

•    Peyton Fox, freshman biomedical engineering major from Gulfport

•    Pragyesh Poudel, junior mathematics and computer science major from Nepal

For more details about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences or the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, visit www.cas.msstate.edu or www.math.msstate.edu. 

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.