Math Club
The LACC Mathematics Club was formed in 2000 to encourage students to continue in the study of mathematics and to excel in mathematics. As a result of their participation in the Math Club, many of the students changed their majors to mathematics and transferred to the prestigious University of California system (Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, Santa Barbara, …), and California State University system every year to continue their studies.
At their weekly meetings, the Math Club gets together to work out solutions to difficult math problems on a group basis. The Math Club students participate in the American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges (AMATYC) competition. The AMATYC Student Mathematics League was founded in 1970 and has grown to almost 200 colleges in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda involving over 12,000 students each year.
The first place winner in the individual competition receives the $3,000 Charles Miller Memorial Scholarship. LACC Math Club members who have placed first are Dmitri Nedelchev in 2002; Luana Raduca in 2003; Jeong Min Seong [who became a part-time Math Professor at Cal State LA] in 2004; Tedrick Leung [graduated from MIT] in 2007; Haykaz Stepanyan in 2010; and Brendan Bryzcki [now attending the University of Chicago] in 2017. That is six years that the Grand Prize was won by an LACC student!
The Math Club meets weekly throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. Please contact the math department office for schedule and more information.
Below is LACC’s placement among all two-year colleges in the AMATYC national mathematics competition from 2001 through 2019. [The number of colleges competing in the AMATYC each year has varied from 70 to 275.] Here are the years that LACC has placed in the top 6. In particular, LACC student Edward Jin was placed the second place nationwide in 2018 and 2019.
| Year / LACC’s placement | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 38 |
| 2002 | 9 |
| 2003 | 3 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 4 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2023 | 8 |
For more information, please visit http://www.laccfoundation.org/lacc-mathematics-club-wins-national-championship/
Meet the Math Club!
[Professor] Today our math club is competing in the first round of a national math competition, called the AMATYC, which is open to any student in any two-year college in the nation.
[Student] A lot of logic, algebra, geometry, counting problems I think they're called.
[Student] I've been doing this exam just to gain more experience in math because I know it's not just any kind of math. It's pure math.
[Student] It's just for me to expand my knowledge when it comes to mathematics. I like to see how problems are solved, not only like one way, but multiple ways. And so, I think it just broadens my tools for problem solving in general.
[Student] If you want to have something else on our resume for college, and also we get extra credit.
[Professor] We've had students from this test go to MIT, CalTech, Stanford, Yale, and University of Chicago.
[Student] I'm a little nervous.
[Student] It went okay, not too bad.
[Student] It was really fun. It makes me really want to get more involved about these type of questions because they really enhance the knowledge. Just getting a handful of these problems correct, it'll make my day.
[Students discussing math problems]
[Student] It was kind of difficult.
[Student] I went to more workshops last year so I feel like that was my mistake this semester, but we'll see how it goes.
[Student] It was more difficult than I thought it would be. It was pretty fun though. Yeah, I enjoyed doing it.
[Student] Yeah, of course I passed, I mean I passed like in my heart, you know?
[Students chattering and discussing math problems]
[Dean] Good morning, I'm Thelma Day. I'm the Dean of Academic Affairs and I'm very excited to be here today to support the students who are part of the math contest.
[Professor] Hello, I'm Kee Lam, the Vice Chair of the Math Department. I'm so excited to attend this event.
[Professor] I'm so happy we get the support from the management, leadership, and we're making this really successful.
[Student] I don't know why we like math, but we like math like that, so now we're just chilling.
[END]