by Carly Orewiler
The UT Dallas Putnam Club secured its rank as No. 32 among 456 university teams after competing in the 83rd annual Putnam Competition.
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, administered by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), is a top-tier mathematics contest for undergraduate students in the U.S. and Canada. It began in 1938 as a match between college math departments, and it is now considered to be one of the most challenging mathematics competitions in the world.
3,415 students participated in the December 2022 competition. UTD’s top team included Evan Bailey, Suraj Mathashery and Weston Miller. Bailey’s individual ranking was No. 178, and both Mathashery and Miller were ranked in the top 500.
The Putnam Competition consists of 12 problems that must be solved in just six hours. This means participants have an average of 30 minutes to solve each problem, which requires high-level efficiency and quick thinking.
But the time constraint is far from the only challenge.
The problems are designed to be extremely difficult and unconventional. Very few participants can correctly solve even one problem. In the most recent competition, the average score was about 8.2 out of 120, while the median score was 1.
Dr. Nathan Williams, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, is a Putnam Club coach and leader. He received an NSM Outstanding Teaching Award in 2020.
“Even for a professional research mathematician, these problems can be very challenging,” Williams said. “It’s not like you just reach some point in your career and are suddenly able to solve them. Not even close.”
The Putnam is a proof-based competition, meaning there are multiple correct methods to solve the problems. This requires a significant amount of creative thinking and novelty in their approach. Students are tested on a wide range of topics, including algebra, number theory, geometry and combinatorics.
“People don’t realize how expressive math can be,” Williams said. “It’s a little bit like in an English class, and someone turns in an essay. Is the essay correct?”
Teaching associate and MIT alum Matthew Babbitt also coaches the Putnam Club. He has substantial problem writing experience and earned an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Putnam Competition.
“I teach my students how to utilize deductive reasoning,” Babbitt said. “Some mathematicians approach a problem by knowing that there is a solution. They get inside the problem writer’s mind and reverse engineer an answer.”
Every week, both Williams and Babbitt devote numerous hours to practicing with students. They put up problems on the board and work through them as a team. By collaborating, students can learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses to develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
“The UTD Putnam Club is a very recreational environment,” Babbit said. “We focus on enjoying the problem-solving process, driving curiosity and having fun. Sometimes we don’t even solve the problems, but we still learn by trying.”
UT Dallas has participated in the Putnam Competition nearly every year since 2006, and in 2016, the team achieved an all-time-best of 18th place. Dr. Vladimir Dragovic, head of the Mathematical Sciences department, says the club will help students in their future careers.
“Mathematics education is not just about numbers and equations,” Dragovic said. “It’s about critical thinking and logical reasoning. It teaches us to analyze and interpret data, make informed decisions and navigate the world with confidence and clarity.”
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