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 Four
Niskayuna students actively involved in
outstanding third place finish for Albany Area
Math Circle at state competition
The Albany Area Math Circle (AAMC) turned in a
phenomenal performance when they competed at the
statewide annual math meet held at Stuyvesant
High School in New York City on Saturday, April
21.
Four of the students on the AAMC 15-member team
are Niskayuna High School students: David Bieber,
Eugenia Gisin, Markus Salasoo, and Landy Zhang.
After finishing in first place in the B-division
for the past two consecutive years, the AAMC’s
team was required to compete in the extremely
competitive A-division this year against
powerhouse teams from New York City, Suffolk and
Nassau Counties in Long Island, and Westchester
County. AAMC placed third in the state’s A
division, an outstanding accomplishment,
especially given that this team is on the young
side—many of the strongest students are
currently in grades 7-9 and have many years of
mathematical growth ahead.
Congratulations also to Niskayuna High School
junior Landy Zhang for qualifying for the USA
Math Olympiad (USAMO) this year. Qualifying for
USAMO is an unique accomplishment that deserves
special recognition.
“Although several hundred thousand strong math
students across the country take the preliminary
exam, only a few hundred qualify for a USAMO
invitation each year,” said Mary O’Keeffe, Albany
Area Math Circle adviser. “It is a huge honor
for Landy to be invited to take the USAMO.”
According to O’Keeffe, the six essay-proof-style
problems on the 9-hour USAMO exam would
challenge most professional mathematicians. The
USAMO contest is designed to select the six
students who will represent the USA at the
International Math Olympiad to be held in Viet
Nam this year or train for future year's teams
(Spain in 2008, German in 2009.)
Zhang is Niskayuna High School's second USAMO
qualifier in the 34-year history of the contest.
(The first Nisky qualifier was Jeff Boghosian in
2002.) Niskayuna is the only suburban council
high school that has ever had any USAMO
qualifiers.
(April 2007)
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