CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Akamai
Foundation today announced that it will award three high school
math students with scholarships for their placement in the recent
U.S.A. Mathematical Olympiad. An awards ceremony for the
forty-fourth USAMO winners will be held on June 2nd in Washington D.C.
The Akamai Foundation, established in 2000 and funded solely
through donations from Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM) employees and
individuals outside the company, promotes the pursuit of excellence
in mathematics in grades K-12 to encourage America's next
generation of technology innovators.
The Akamai Foundation will present Akamai Scholarships to the
top three winners of this year's competition, the most prestigious
math competition in the country for high school students.
David Stoner of South Aiken High
School in Aiken, South Carolina
and Allen Liu of Penfield Senior
High School in Penfield, New York,
tied for first place. They will each receive an Akamai
Scholarship award of $16,500.
Zhuo Qun ("Alex") Song of the
Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, took second
place. He will receive an Akamai Scholarship award of
$12,000. These top three
scorers are among the country's most talented
mathematicians.
The USAMO provides a means of identifying and encouraging the
most creative secondary mathematics students in the country with a
six-question, nine-hour essay/proof examination conducted over two
days. It serves to indicate the talent of those who may
become leaders in the mathematical sciences of the next
generation. The USAMO is part of a worldwide system of
national mathematics competitions, a movement in which both
educators and research mathematicians are engaged in recognizing
and celebrating the imagination and resourcefulness of our
youth.
In addition to providing scholarships to USAMO winners, the
Akamai Foundation helped the MAA fund and send a team of four
female mathematicians of school age to the European Girls'
Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) held in Minsk, Belarus from April 14-20, 2015. The U.S. team took
second place (behind Ukraine),
earning three gold medals and one silver.
"Innovation through math and math education have always been,
and continue to be, at the heart of Akamai's mission," said Dr.
Tom Leighton, CEO and co-founder,
Akamai. "We congratulate this year's winners, as well as all
of the participants in the USAMO and the European Girls'
Mathematical Olympiad. The Akamai Foundation is committed to
helping promote mathematics education and to encouraging and
inspiring the next generation of technology innovators and
leaders."
"Students who qualify for the USAMO represent the highest level
of mathematical achievement, and we are pleased to honor the 12
top-scoring students," said Michael
Pearson, Executive Director of MAA. "MAA's American
Mathematics Competitions program is the premier talent development
and cultivation program in the U.S., and is an important part of
MAA's effort to advance mathematics to benefit our nation's future.
We are most appreciative of the Akamai Foundation's continued
support of this important program."
About the MAA
The Mathematical Association of America
is the largest professional society of college and university
mathematics teachers in the world. Members of the MAA include
two- and four-year college, university, and graduate school
faculty, high school teachers, government and corporate workers,
research mathematicians, as well as graduate and undergraduate
students.
About the Akamai Foundation
The Akamai Foundation was
established in 2000 and is funded solely by Akamai executives, its
employees and individuals outside the company. The Akamai
Foundation is dedicated to excellence in mathematics, with the aim
of promoting math's importance and encouraging America's next
generation of technology innovators.
Contacts:
|
Jeff Young
Media Relations
617-444-3913
jyoung@akamai.com
|
--or--
|
Noelle Faris
The Akamai Foundation 617-444-4676 nfaris@akamai.com
|
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SOURCE Akamai Foundation