Newton North HS junior Kavish Gandhi and his Lexington teammate, Noah Golowich, were the winning team in the Region Three Finals of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology this weekend at the University of Notre Dame. Their team earned the $6,000 regional team scholarship and is now one of six teams invited to the National Finals in Washington, DC, on December 7-10, to compete for scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.
For this competition, Gandi and Golowich presented their research on Ramsey theory, which Gandhi described in the NNHS Newtonite as “‘focused on finding patterns and order in sufficiently large systems’ with applications in theoretical computer science, communications networks, cellular networks, positional board games, and molecular structures.” They conducted their research through the MIT Program for Research in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science, mentored by mathematics Ph.D. candidate Laszlo Miklos Lovasz.
The Siemens Foundation notes that the Gandhi/Golowich research “involves partition regularity and provides novel solutions for equations that have previously been solved in a trivial way.” Region Three Finals judge and Notre Dame mathematics professor David Galvin said, “Noah and Kavish studied a fundamental problem in mathematics and provided new and creative insights. We were so impressed by the mathematical maturity of these young scholars that have already produced Ph.D-level research. Partition regularity was first introduced in 1933, and they are shedding light on a mathematical question that has not been completely solved after more than 80 years.”
Administered by The College Board and funded by the Siemens Foundation, the Siemens Competition is the nation’s premier science research competition for high school students, fostering individual growth and offering national recognition for students willing to challenge themselves through science research. A record 2,440 students registered for this year’s competition, submitting a total of 1,599 projects. The Gandhi/Golowich team was one of 100 Regional finalists presenting their work this weekend to panels of esteemed scientists at six leading research universities. Their team is now among 6 teams that will present in National Finals in Washington. The National Finalist Awards Presentation will broadcast online at 9:30AM EST on December 10.
Gandhi has participated in many mathematics competitions and in three North American Envirothon competitions, in the most recent of which his team won second place out of 5,000 competing teams. He aims to pursue a career in mathematics, software engineering, economics, or theoretical physics.