Posted Saturday, June 3, 2006, The OG, news

Sophomore Alex Zhai's recent performance in the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad, in which he had the second-highest score among 431 competitors, earned him plenty of well-deserved praise.

Now it's earned him a $15,000 scholarship from the Akamai Foundation.

Zhai received the scholarship at a USAMO awards ceremony held May 22 in Washington, D.C. The Akamai Foundation, created by Akamai Technologies Inc. in 2000 to promote excellence in mathematics, awarded scholarships totaling $45,000 to the top three scorers in the 2006 USAMO.

Scoring 41 out of a possible 42 points on the two-day, six-problem exam, Zhai established himself as one of the top high school math students in the country. He will leave Sunday for a four-week program designed to prepare him and a select group of peers for competition against the best young mathematicians in the world.

The Mathematical Association of America's Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program will take place at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. About 60 invited students will participate. Zhai is attending for the second straight year.

“The MAA's summer program is akin to the grooming programs for elite athletes hoping to compete in the Olympics,” Akamai Foundation President Wendy Ravech said in a press release. “By training up and coming math students, the MAA can encourage the next generation of mathematicians.”

About one week into the itinerary, Zhai and approximately 11 other top USAMO scorers will take another two-day, six-problem exam.

The scores on that exam will be added to the USAMO scores from April 18 and 19. The top six students will then represent the United States in the International Mathematical Olympiad, which will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from July 10 to 18. If Zhai qualifies, this would be his first IMO.

Zhai was invited to participate in the USAMO based on his score in an earlier round of national testing called the American Invitational Mathematics Examination. He earned the highest AIME score in Illinois.

— Gargoyle staff