Research in Mathematics won top honors tonight for Ashok Cutkosky and the team of Raphael-Joel (RJ) Lim and Mark Zhang in the Region 3 Finals of the 2008 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, the nation's premier high school science competition.

The Siemens Competition, a signature program of the Siemens Foundation, is administered by the College Board. Tonight's winners will receive thousands of dollars in college scholarships and be invited to compete at the National Finals in New York City, where the winners of six regional competitions across the United States will vie for scholarships ranging from $10,000 to the top prize of $100,000.

"These students have competed with some of the greatest young minds in our country, and are now on an amazing journey to the finals of the most coveted high school science prize in the nation," said James Whaley, President of the Siemens Foundation, based in Iselin, New Jersey. "The fact that we've experienced a record-setting year, including a 10% increase in both team and individual project submissions and more than a 16% increase in the number of registrations, makes their achievement even more commendable. We congratulate them on their hard work, and look forward to welcoming them to the national event."

The students presented their research this weekend to a panel of judges from the University of Notre Dame, host of the Region 3 Finals.

Individual Winner

Ashok Cutkosky, a senior at David Henry Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri, won the individual category and a $3,000 college scholarship for his research that discovered new information about the intrinsic structure of hypergraphs; these results may have possible applications in problems like sharing of resources. His project is entitled Associated Primes of the Square of the Alexander Dual of Hypergraphs.

"Mr. Cutkosky's research dealt with graphs and hypergraphs, he took an algebraic approach to study the hypergraphs where he worked to restate geometric properties of multivariable polynomials," said Dr. Michael Gekhtman, Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Mathematics, at Notre Dame University. "The ingenuity and sophistication of Mr. Cutkosky's approach to formulate conjunctives and turn them into theories are at the graduate level."

Mr. Cutkosky is a senior and avid Math lover. He is the Math team captain and member of the Mu Alpha Theta Math honor society and has received numerous honors and accolades in the field of Mathematics. Of note, he placed 1st and 2nd at the Great Plains Math League state competition and received a Silver medal at the USA Mathematical Talent Search in 2007.

Mr. Cutkosky's Grandfather is a retired physicist and his parents are professors in Mathematics, which has encouraged his interest in Mathematics and other sciences. His mentor for this project is Dr. David Haslam, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine.

Team Winners

Raphael-Joel (RJ) Lim, a senior at The Indiana Academy for Science, Math, and Humanities, in Muncie, Indiana and Mark Zhang a senior at William P. Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas won the team category and will share a $6,000 scholarship for their mathematical research on the Tamari Lattice structure, their project is entitled Previously Unknown Parts of the Greene-Kleitman Partition for the Tamari Lattice.

"Mr. Lim and Mr. Zhang answered a question that was raised five years ago concerning the thickness of a fundamental mathematical structure, the Tamari Lattice," said Frank Connolly, Professor, Department of Mathematics, and Head of Seminar for Undergraduate Mathematical Research (SUMR), at Notre Dame University. "This team's project showed some real originality and depth. They had to learn some very technical material and deal with an abstract structure."

Mr. Lim serves as team leader and was directed to this research project by his mentor. He first became interested in Mathematics when he participated in a 5th grade math competition.

Mr. Zhang was a regional finalist in 2007 and competed at the UT Austin regional finals. He is a member of both the Mu Alpha Theta Math Club and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. He hopes to one day use his advanced Mathematical skills to make a career in video game programming.

The team met at the Texas Mathworks Honors Summer Math Camp which is focused around science research. The team's mentors include: Dr. Edward Early Assistant Professor at St. Edward's University and Dr. Max Warshauer Founder and Director of the Texas Mathworks Honors Summer Math Camp.

Regional Finalists

Regional Finalists each received a $1,000 scholarship. In addition, the Siemens Foundation awards $2,000 per project to the high school of every Regional Finalist. Regional Finalists in the individual category were:

-- Eric Shyu, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora, IL

-- Philip Streich, Home School, Platteville, WI

-- William Sun, Parkway Central High School, Chesterfield, MO

-- Richard Wang, University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL Regional Finalists in the team category were:

-- Kelsey Lawhorn and Anthony Yunker Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora, IL

-- Karthik Vantakala and Yaseen Jamal, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora, IL

-- David Yang and Yingxue Li, Carmel High School, Carmel, IN

-- Frank Zhang, Naperville Central High School, Naperville, IL and Melissa Yan, Phillips Academy Andover, Andover, MA

The Siemens Competition

The Siemens Competition was launched in 1998 to recognize America's best and brightest math and science students. In another record-setting year, 1,893 students registered to enter the Siemens Competition with a total of 1,205 projects submitted - this includes an increase of more than 10% in team and individual project submissions and an increase of more than 16 % in the number of registrations.

Entries are judged at the regional level by esteemed scientists at six leading research universities which host the regional competitions: California Institute of Technology? Carnegie Mellon University? Georgia Institute of Technology? Massachusetts Institute of Technology? University of Notre Dame? and The University of Texas at Austin.

Winners of the regional events are invited to compete at the National Finals at New York University in New York City, December 5 - December 8, 2008. Visit on December 8, 2008 at 9:30 am EST to view a live webcast of the National Finalist Award Presentation.

About the Siemens Foundation

The Siemens Foundation provides more than $7 million annually in support of educational initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math in the United States. Its signature programs, the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology and Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement, reward exceptional achievement in science, math and technology. The newest program, The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, encourages K-12 students to develop innovative green solutions for environmental issues. By supporting outstanding students today, and recognizing the teachers and schools that inspire their excellence, the Foundation helps nurture tomorrow's scientists and engineers. The Foundation's mission is based on the culture of innovation, research and educational support that is the hallmark of Siemens' U.S. companies and its parent company, Siemens AG. For more information, visit .

About The College Board

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,400 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT(R), the PSAT/NMSQT(R), and the Advanced Placement Program(R) (AP(R)). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns. For further information, visit .

CONTACT:

Valerie Francois

Siemens Foundation

732-590-5292