Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 17:56:50 -0500
From: Gary Hamrick <hamrick@math.utexas.edu>
Subject: Putnam Exam
To: fac-mail-archive@mail.ma.utexas.edu
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Dear Colleague,

Please announce to all your undergraduate classes at the level of 
calculus or above that we are looking for students interested in 
taking the Putnam Exam.
Many of you already know that the Putnam is a national mathematical 
contest open to all undergraduate students in the US and Canada.

Students who like working difficult problems should take the Putnam. 
There are monetary prizes for the top 25 contestants. Graduate 
schools in the sciences and engineering are impressed by students who 
do well. And it is fun.

We have a web page at http://www.ma.utexas.edu/contests/

The Exam is given on a Saturday early in December, but students who 
are interested need to sign up now, because we have to send in a list 
of contestants in early October.

Practice sessions will be held in RLM 6.116 at 4:00 every Wednesday 
starting September 19. Students can sign up at a practice session or 
by contacting me (Professor Gary Hamrick). My office is RLM 12.156, 
and my office hours are TTH 10:00-12:00.

Freshmen should not be reluctant to sign up. Most of the problems do 
not require very sophisticated mathematics, and freshmen are usually 
among our highest scorers.

Please do not forget to notify your classes about the Putnam. Some 
very good students have missed out on the Putnam in the past because 
their teachers neglected to make the announcement.

Thank You,
Gary Hamrick