David Zikel '20
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Earlier this spring, the Math Department and the entire Carthage community celebrated alumnus David Zikel ’20 for his impressive showing on the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. This fall, he will receive an even higher honor: the publication of one of his solutions in the American Mathematical Monthly.

The Putnam exam is a national math competition for the best and brightest undergraduates. The test is notoriously difficult — earning any points is something to be proud of. This year, half of students taking the exam scored a two or below. Mr. Zikel scored 28 points, putting him in the top 8% nationally of students who take the test, an already quite selective pool. He’s one of six students in Wisconsin to rank in the top 500 participants.

Mr. Zikel earned a perfect score on two problems, a feat only 72 students accomplished for problem A5. Putnam Director Daniel Ullman said of the work selected for publication: “It’s a beautiful solution.”

SPONSORING DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, OR ORGANIZATION:

Mathematics

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Haley Yaple, hyaple@carthage.edu