![Spencer Evans-Cole, Juliana Mini and Anthony Mazzacane](/media/images/Math_Blog_62724_-_Take_2.original.png)
Four students from the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Mathematics represented Syracuse University in the Putnam Mathematical Competition on December 2, 2023. The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is the most prestigious mathematical contest for college students in the United States and Canada. In 2023 there were 3,857 contestants from 471 institutions. The following Syracuse students were among the contestants.
● Spencer Evans-Cole '26 is a double mathematics and computer major and member of Pi Mu Epsilon.
● Anthony Mazzacane '24 is a double mathematics and computer science major, member of Pi Mu Epsilon and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.
● Juliana Mini '25 is a mathematics major and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.
● Yutong Tang '26 is a mathematics major.
As the top scorer from Syracuse, Anthony Mazzacane received the 2024 Erdős Prize for Excellence in Mathematical Problem-Solving.
The Putnam contest consists of 12 challenging mathematical problems covering a wide range of topics, from geometry and calculus to number theory and abstract algebra. The participants have 6 hours to work on the given problems. Success in the contest depends not only on prior mathematical knowledge but also on creative thinking and the proof-writing skill. Syracuse participants practiced for this contest regularly throughout the Fall 2023 semester.