For the past 4 years, UMD'd Putnam team has ranked in the top 15.

A team of undergraduates from the University of Maryland placed 14th out of 488 teams and earned an honorable mention nod in the 2019 William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, popularly called “the Putnam.” For the past four years, UMD’s Putnam team has ranked in the top 15. 

The Putnam is the preeminent mathematics competition for undergraduate college students in the U.S. and Canada. During the competition, participants work individually to solve 12 mathematical problems.

Although students attempt the Putnam problems as individuals, each school picks three students ahead of the competition to represent its team. This year, UMD’s team members were Erik Metz, a double major in mathematics and computer science who ranked 51st (up from 87th last year); Steppan Konoplev, a mathematics major; and Pratik Rathore, who is pursuing double degrees in mathematics and electrical engineering.

“I am really proud of our team,” said Roohollah Ebrahimian, a senior lecturer in the UMD Department of Mathematics who coordinates the UMD Putnam team. “Our top 15 rankings for the past 4 years are amazing achievements for the University of Maryland. I am looking forward to maintaining this success and even doing better next year.”