For the fifth occasion in the annals of the yearly William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, and for the fifth consecutive year, MIT dominated all five of the contest’s premier positions.
The five highest scorers annually are designated Putnam Fellows. Senior Brian Liu and juniors Papon Lapate and Luke Robitaille have now become three-time Putnam Fellows, sophomore Jiangqi Dai achieved his second accolade, and first-year Qiao Sun claimed his first. Each receives an award of $2,500. This marks the fifth time any institution has produced all five Putnam Fellows.
The MIT team also secured first place. The team comprised Lapate, Robitaille, and Sun (listed alphabetically); Lapate and Robitaille were also part of last year’s champion team. This is MIT’s ninth first-place finish in the past 11 competitions. Teams consist of the top three scorers from each institution. The institution with the winning team is awarded $25,000, and each team member receives $1,000.
First-year Jessica Wan was the highest-scoring female contestant, ranking in the top 25, which garnered her the $1,000 Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize. She becomes the eighth MIT student to attain this recognition since the award’s inception in 1992. This is also the sixth consecutive year an MIT woman has received the prize.
In total, 69 MIT students ranked within the top 100. Aside from the top five scorers, MIT secured nine of the next 11 positions (each receiving $1,000), and seven of the following nine placements (earning $250 awards). Out of the 75 individuals awarded honorable mentions, 48 were affiliated with MIT. A total of 3,988 students participated in the exam in December, including 222 from MIT.
This examination is recognized as the most esteemed university-level mathematics competition in the United States and Canada.
The Putnam is renowned for its challenges: Although a perfect score is 120, this year’s highest score was 90, and the median was a mere 2. While numerous MIT students performed admirably, the Department of Mathematics takes pride in all who participated, states Professor Michel Goemans, head of the Department of Mathematics.
“Each year, I am continually amazed by the remarkable number of students at MIT who engage in the Putnam competition,” Goemans remarks. “No other college or university in the world can boast hundreds of students who thrive on solving mathematical problems. It’s so invigorating!”
Professor Bjorn Poonen, who assisted MIT students in preparing for this year’s exam, adds, “The astonishing performance in the competition reflects MIT’s dynamic community of students who enjoy mathematics and engage in discussions with each other; students who excel through hard work in this setting well beyond competitions.”
While the annual Putnam Competition is conducted for thousands of undergraduate math students across the United States and Canada, in recent years about 70 of the top 100 performers have been from MIT. Since 2000, MIT has ranked among the top five teams 23 times.
MIT’s achievement in the Putnam exam is not surprising. The recent Putnam coaches at MIT are four-time Putnam Fellow Bjorn Poonen and three-time Putnam Fellow Yufei Zhao ’10, PhD ’15.
MIT is also a preferred institution for medalists competing in the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) for high school students. Indeed, over the past decade, MIT has enrolled nearly every American IMO medalist and more international IMO gold medalists than any other university in a single country, according to forthcoming research from the Global Talent Fund (GTF), which provides scholarships and training programs for math Olympiad participants and coaches.
Participation in the IMO is a strong predictor of future success. According to the International Mathematics Olympiad Foundation, roughly half of Fields Medal recipients are IMO alumni — though that’s not the sole factor.
“Recruiting the most gifted students is just the beginning. A premier university education — with outstanding professors, encouraging mentors, and an engaging community — is essential to unlocking their full potential,” asserts GTF President Ruchir Agarwal. “MIT’s ongoing success in the Putnam demonstrates how favorable conditions yield remarkable results. The synergistic interaction between MIT’s concentration of mathematical talent and the supportive environment of Building 2 should propel advancements in fundamental science for many years ahead.”
Many MIT math enthusiasts view competitions not only as a means to enhance their mathematical skills but also as a way to foster a strong community and inspire the next generation.
Chris Peterson SM ’13, director of communications and special projects at MIT Admissions and Student Financial Services, emphasizes that many MIT students with competitive math backgrounds volunteer to help manage programs for K-12 students, including HMMT and Math Prize for Girls, as well as mentor research initiatives through the Program for Research in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (PRIMES).
Many of the leading competitors are also graduates of the PRIMES high school outreach initiative. Two of this year’s Putnam Fellows, Liu and Robitaille, are alumni of PRIMES, as are four of the subsequent top 11, and six of the following nine winners, along with numerous students recognized with honorable mentions. Pavel Etingof, a mathematics professor who also serves as PRIMES’ chief research advisor, notes that among the 25 top winners, 12 (48 percent) are PRIMES alumni.
“We at PRIMES are incredibly proud of our alumni’s outstanding performance at the Putnam Competition,” states PRIMES director Slava Gerovitch PhD ’99. “PRIMES acts as a conduit of mathematical excellence from high school through undergraduate studies, and beyond.”
In a similar vein, a collaboration between the MIT Department of Mathematics and MISTI-Africa has facilitated sending MIT students with Olympiad experience overseas during the Independent Activities Period (IAP) to coach high school students aiming to compete for their national teams.
First-years at MIT also take the class 18.A34 (Mathematical Problem Solving), colloquially referred to as the Putnam Seminar, not only to refine their Putnam exam abilities but also to foster new friendships.
“Many individuals perceive math competitions mainly as a method to identify and celebrate talent, which they undoubtedly are,” Peterson mentions. “However, the community brought together by and through these competitions generates educational benefits that collectively transcend individual achievements.”
Math Community and Outreach Officer Michael King also highlights the camaraderie that develops around the test.
“My favorite moment during Putnam day is right after the problem-solving session, when students leap up, rush to their peers, and begin discussing animatedly,” remarks King, who also sat for the exam as an undergraduate. “They celebrate each other’s success, debate solutions, lament missed answers, and share amusing anecdotes. It’s consistently inspiring to collaborate with the best math students globally, but the most gratifying aspect is witnessing the friendships that evolve.”
A comprehensive list of the winners can be located on the Putnam website.