2021-2022 MATHCOUNTS ANNUAL REPORT
In 1904, scientist Robert Hutchings Goddard wrote of his early research:
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday
is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.
Dr. Goddard, widely known as the father of modern rocketry, made many dreams a reality, and his words continue to inspire our nation’s greatest science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) achievements.
MATHCOUNTS also began as a dream. Don Weinert, our founder, dreamed of a national program that made math fun and rigorous, competitive and collaborative, national in scale and local in implementation. With his efforts and the hard work, collaboration, and persistence of all of our founders, the hope of MATHCOUNTS became a reality.
The 240 students who competed in the 2022 National Competition reflected those values of hard work, collaboration, and persistence. Their tenacity and skill are an inspiration. And when these Mathletes had the opportunity to meet scientists from Raytheon Intelligence & Space and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center—named in Dr. Goddard’s memory—their curiosity and brilliance reminded us how far their dreams could someday take us all.
From the first idea of MATHCOUNTS in the 1980s to the strong and vibrant national organization it is today, the MATHCOUNTS community helps students who love math pursue their dreams, gives hope to students who may be apprehensive about math, and ensures the problem solvers of tomorrow can achieve the impossible.
This year, MATHCOUNTS was thrilled to host its first in-person National Competition since 2019. Students traveled to Washington, DC from all 50 states, plus US territories and schools that serve the US departments of State and Defense.
This year’s theme celebrated the field of space science. In addition to the competition, Dr. Kurtis Thome, a Terra Project Scientist with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and Julie Montoya, lead analyst at Raytheon Intelligence & Space hosted an interactive presentation about Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).
On May 8, 220 Mathletes took the Written Competition and an additional 3 Mathletes representing the US State Department took the competition virtually. The top scorers advanced to the Countdown Round on May 9.
On May 9, Julie Montoya of Raytheon Intelligence & Space moderated the Countdown Round with the 12 top-scoring students. After an exciting match-up, Allan Yuan of Alabama was declared the National Champion after answering his final question in 6 seconds!
MATHCOUNTS hosted a party for the first time this year in place of its traditional banquet on Monday night. It was a huge hit!
Allan Yuan became the 2022 Raytheon Technologies MATHCOUNTS National Champion by answering this problem in 6 seconds:
From a group of 9 students, three separate teams are to be formed—one consisting of 2 students, one consisting of 3 students, and one consisting of 4 students. If each student must be on exactly one team, how many distinct sets of three teams are possible?
INDIVIDUAL WINNERS
2022 National Champion: Allan Yuan (AL)
- Allan won the $20,000 Donald G. Weinert College Scholarship and a trip to US Space Camp.
- He appeared on Live! With Kelly & Ryan in June!
2022 Written Competition Champion: Jiahe Liu (OH)
Countdown Round Runner-Up: Calvin Wang (VA)
Written Competition Runner-Up: Sebastian Chase (SS)
Countdown Round Semifinalists:
- Varun Gadi (GA)
- Evan Fan (NJ)
Countdown Round Quarterfinalists:
- Jiahe Liu (OH)
- Rohan Garg (CA)
- Alexander Wang (NJ)
- Liam Reddy (UT)
Countdown Round Participants:
- Michael Wei (FL)
- Shruti Arun (CO)
- Liran Zhou (NY)
- Boya Zhang (NV)
TEAM WINNERS
First Place Team: New Jersey
- Evan Fan
- Rithik Gumpu
- Maitian Sha
- Alexander Wang
- Coach: Marybeth Gakos
Second Place Team: Washington
- Amy Cui
- Susie Lu
- Mingyue Yang
- Jeffrey Zhao
- Coach: Qing Ye
Third Place Team: Texas
- Kevin Chen
- Andrew Shen
- Roger Zhen
- Lerchen Zhong
- Coach: Robert Burridge
REPEAT NATIONAL COMPETITORS
3-Time National Competitors
Three-time national competitors qualified for the 2020 National Competition before its cancellation; then participated in the 2021 National Competition online; then attended the 2022 National Competition.
- Edward Li (IA)
- Aaron Lin (MO)
- Brandon Xu (SC)
2-Time National Competitors
Two-time national competitors participated in the 2021 National Competition online; then attended the 2022 National Competition.
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MATHCOUNTS launched the Community Coaching Scholarship to support underserved schools and expand opportunities for alumni. Alex Acosta and Rebecca Xue, the 2021 scholarship winners, spent the fall and winter coaching at underserved schools that participated in the Competition Series.
This year, 2 winning students received $3,000 scholarships and resources for the schools they will coach. They will coach at schools throughout the nation, collaborating with each other and the 12 finalists as a cohort of Community Coaches.
Sai Javvadi
Coach at Farnsley Middle School
Sai Javvadi (KY) is an eleventh grader who co-founded Louisville Mission Math, an organization that aims to bring more MATHCOUNTS programs to underserved schools in the Louisville area.
Sonia Lackey
Coach at The Village Charter School
Sonia Lackey (NJ) is a sophomore with extensive tutoring and volunteer experience, plus a passion for sharing math with underserved students.
Finalists
- Michelle Cai (CA)
- Arnav Dagar (CA)
- Jack Deye (MD)
- Ethan Heyward (PA)
- Isabella Hu (NY)
- Sai Konkimalla (AZ)
- Ally Kuang (AL)
- Amal Papali (FL)
- Zayd Patel (MD)
- Amaar Trisal (MD)
- Daniel Villafuerte (PR)
- Grant Zhang (MS)
For EWeek 2022, sponsored by BAE Systems, Inc., program participants and the public solved 5 engineering Problem Sets of the Day to earn recognition and entry into prize drawings.
95% of respondents on an EWeek survey agreed solving the problems introduced them or their students to new engineering topics or fields.
MATHCOUNTS received 8,472 entries solving the Problems of the Day, an 86% increase from 2021! The EWeek webpages collected 26,971 cumulative views.
As a member of the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC), MATHCOUNTS selected an expert teacher to serve as a DoD STEM Ambassador and advance STEM outreach. Tyler Erb, the 2021-22 ambassador, is a MATHCOUNTS coach and teacher in Charlotte, NC who is passionate about promoting equal access for all students to advanced math. A 2019 winner of the National Science Foundation’s PAEMST Award for Secondary Math Teaching, Tyler created numerous practice resources for coaches.
MATHCOUNTS also continued its partnership this year with Gen Esmende, the 2020-2021 DoD STEM Ambassador for UC San Diego CREATE. In June, Gen brought together several middle schools in the area for a “MATHCOUNTS End of Year Challenge,” where she introduced them to MATHCOUNTS activities. She and the MATHCOUNTS staff also gave a presentation called “Fostering a Positive Math Identity with MATHCOUNTS” at the Greater San Diego Mathematics Council Annual Conference in August.
Each year since 2014, MATHCOUNTS has given scholarships to outstanding alumni who best describe how their MATHCOUNTS experience made a powerful impact on their lives. This year, two high school seniors received $3,000 awards.
Layla Dawit
Layla Dawit (DC) was a member of the first all-girls team to represent Washington, DC at the National Competition. Inspired by the community she found at MATHCOUNTS, Layla co-founded Gxrls in STEM Magazine, a student-run publication connecting female and nonbinary high schoolers across five continents.
“As we open doors for others around the world, my MATHCOUNTS team is beginning to change what a mathematician looks like.”
Sejal Rathi
Sejal Rathi (CA) was a MATHCOUNTS state competitor in 2018 and is currently a MATHCOUNTS coach. She co-founded the Bay Area chapter of inteGIRLS to help encourage girls to pursue mathematics. Sejal also started Omega Learn, a nonprofit offering free classes and resources for students preparing for STEM competitions.
“Being part of MATHCOUNTS made me resilient and taught me the power of perseverance, which is a lesson I carry with me to this day.”
Finalists
- Neha Basu (AZ)
- Noah Chung (HI)
- Alexander Ivan (AL)
- Sonia Jin (MI)
- Niles Liu (MA)
- Ijay Narang (NC)
- James Shi (AL)
- Sanjay Soni (NV)
- Daniel Xia (NJ)
- Rowechen Zhong (TX)
Layla Dawit attended the 2022 Raytheon Technologies MATHCOUNTS National Competition to interview current participants about their experience! Layla appears starting at 2:14.
MATHCOUNTS adopted a hybrid approach for the 2021-22 MATHCOUNTS Competition Series. The official Chapter Competition was held on the Art of Problem Solving online platform and 62 unofficial Bonus Competitions, as well as most State Competitions, took place in person.
MATHCOUNTS also offered extra online events, including 2 online practice competitions, Math Jams hosted by Art of Problem Solving and livestreams hosted by alumni.
55,500 students participated in the Competition Series
24,700 students competed in the online Chapter Competition
62 local Bonus Competitions were held in person
95% of coaches agreed their students enjoyed math more after participating
The National Math Club is a free program, sponsored by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, in which students explore math in a non-competitive, social setting.
The most active clubs this year achieved prizes and recognition as Silver Level or Gold Level clubs. Each Silver & Gold Level club was entered into prize drawings. Richfield Middle School in Richfield, WI was selected at random as the Grand Prize winner and received $2,000 and a prize pack of MATHCOUNTS goodies!
46,937 students participated
544 clubs received Silver Level status by meeting regularly
149 clubs reached Gold Level status by completing a collaborative project
100% of Club Leaders surveyed said it was a positive experience for students
The Math Video Challenge is a free program, sponsored by the US Department of Defense STEM, in which students explore real-world math examples by making creative videos.
After working on their projects throughout the year, teams submitted videos online to earn recognition and advance in the contest. This year, 46 volunteer judges helped choose the top videos.
1,448 students participated
378 videos submitted
4 finalist teams traveled to Washington, DC to present their videos at the Math Video Challenge Finals
93% of teachers said their students were able to think more creatively to solve problems after participating
At the 2022 Raytheon Technologies MATHCOUNTS National Competition, the national competitors in the Competition Series voted "Pary Moppins" by Dragons as the top video.
Team members Haley Blair, Madelyn Benjaminson, Mason Corey and Luca Lentini each won a $1,000 scholarship for their amazing video.
SUPPORT FOR UNDERSERVED COMPETITION SCHOOLS
Every year, MATHCOUNTS covers half the registration for Competition Series schools that receive School-wide Title I funding or where 40% or more of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. This year, MATHCOUNTS provided close to $35,000 in these discounts. Contributions from individuals and organizations, including donors to our Giving Tuesday campaign, helped us provide this support.
In addition to discounts, our outreach staff supported new coaches and targeted Title I schools with weekly check-ins and guidance from a dedicated staff member.
"Thank you so much for providing such amazing resources to prepare for the competitions. Even though it was my first experience coaching, I felt like it went pretty well due to your resources...I used [them] every week."
-anonymous 2022 survey respondent
SUPPORT FOR UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS
Thanks to a grant from 3Mgives, this year MATHCOUNTS provided free Competition Series registration to 69 schools serving 1934 students where an average of 85% of students were Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native American/Indigenous. Coaches at these schools also received additional practice materials and guidance from outreach staff.
Results from this initiative were overwhelmingly positive, with 97% of coaches at these schools saying that MATHCOUNTS was a positive experience for their students. In addition, 97% of coaches said participating helped them improve or enhance their students' math skills, and 100% said they planned to register again next year.
"Students learned to work together to solve problems. They learned that everyone has something to offer in finding the solution."
-anonymous 2022 survey respondent
MATHCOUNTS MONTHLY
This year, MATHCOUNTS revamped the monthly email sent to all coaches, club leaders and video team advisors. In addition to giving program tips and resources, the MATHCOUNTS Monthly email provided research-based strategies for recruiting and supporting Mathletes who are skeptical of math or from groups underrepresented in STEM.
Topics covered in the 2021-2022 MATHCOUNTS Monthly included combatting math anxiety, encouraging a growth mindset, building a math identity, and more. They also featured interviews from 2 expert teachers who have served as DoD STEM Ambassadors for MATHCOUNTS. Click the links below to read what these longtime coaches said.
- Interview with Taren Long (MD) – January & February 2022
- Interview with Tyler Erb (NC) – March & April 2022
Through a collaboration with Brilliant, MATHCOUNTS was able to provide even more support for educators for free! Already, 375 coaches and club leaders serving about 2,300 students have used interactive lessons and tools from Brilliant for Educators to enrich their team meetings and math class instruction.
MATHCOUNTS continued its partnership with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) by providing resources for NSBE Jr. Chapters to host regional math competitions. In addition, we hosted an interactive online Team Round for students at the NSBE Annual Convention in March 2022.
MATHCOUNTS teamed up with AoPS Lumen to provide resources and opportunities for elementary school students in underserved communities. After practicing with their teachers, grades 4-5 students at Lumen schools participated in just-for-fun competitions in December 2021 and April 2022.
Raytheon Technologies
Title Sponsor of the MATHCOUNTS National Competition
U.S. Department of Defense STEM
Title Sponsor of the Math Video Challenge
Northrop Grumman Foundation
Lead Sponsor of the National Math Club
National Society of Professional Engineers
3Mgives
Texas Instruments Incorporated
Art of Problem Solving
BAE Systems, Inc.
Bentley Systems Incorporated
Carina Initiatives, Inc.
General Motors
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
CNA Insurance
The PwC Charitable
Foundation, Inc.
Anonymous (2)
Momentive, Inc.
National Society of Professional Engineers
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
CNA Insurance
Thank You!
Support from our sponsors makes MATHCOUNTS programs possible!
Don Weinert
On May 10, 2022, Donald G. Weinert, P.E., F.NSPE, known as the “founding father” of MATHCOUNTS, passed away at the age of 91. In 1981, when Don was the executive director of the National Society of Professional Engineers, he had a big idea: a large-scale program with live events in every state that would inspire students to love problem solving and excel in math. This idea—which would have seemed unachievable to many—became a reality because of Don’s fierce commitment to serving and inspiring students.
By September 1983, MATHCOUNTS was no longer an idea, but a nationwide program making a huge difference in math education.
Don was on the board of directors from 1984-2006, serving as chair of the board for 21 years. Since then, he has remained a Board Member Emeritus and the namesake of the $20,000 scholarship given to the MATHCOUNTS National Champion each May.
Over the past 40 years, millions of students have gained confidence in their problem-solving skills, discovered the importance of mathematics and formed lifelong friendships with their MATHCOUNTS peers. And it all started with Don’s idea. His care, drive, energy and leadership are irreplaceable, but it will be our honor to continue his legacy by forging a better future for all of us.
We will continue to pursue big ideas because Don taught us how.
