Past Challenges

The first Clemson Calculus Challenge (CCC ) took place April 5, 2003 with 54 participants from 11 regional schools. Since then, the contest has grown considerably. The 167 participants from 21 high schools in 2008 more than tripled the number of contestants competing in the inaugural year.

The 2008 Clemson Calculus Challenge

The fifth Clemson Calculus Challenge (CCC ) was held on Friday, April 11, 2008, at the Almeda Jacks Ballroom in the Hendrix Student Center. Twenty-one high schools, 167 students, and 46 teams participated in this year's Challenge. Attendance for the 2008 CCC broke the previous record of 131 CCC participants set in 2006. The number of schools competing in the 2008 CCC was nearly double the average number of schools for the first four years and was a 27% increase over the 2006 contest.

Historically, the participating high schools were placed into one of two divisions based on high school enrollment. Awards in various categories and $500 scholarships to Clemson University are given in each division. The upsurge in this year's attendance allowed an increase in the number of divisions to three, again based on high school enrollment.

The high schools that competed in the 2008 CCC are listed in the following table.

High School	City	State	Participants
A. C. Flora HS	Columbia	SC	11
Benjamin Banneker HS	College Park	GA	6
Blythewood HS	Blythwood	SC	12
Broome HS	Spartanburg	SC	8
Chestatee HS	Gainesville	GA	4
Chester HS	Chester	SC	7
Dutch Fork HS	Irmo	SC	3
Goose Creek HS	Goose Creek	SC	12
Grayson HS	Loganville	GA	8
Irmo HS	Irmo	SC	2
Monsignor Donovan Catholic HS	Athens	GA	4
Mount de Sales Academy	Macon	GA	8
Ninety Six HS	Ninety Six	SC	6
North Clayton HS	College Park	GA	9
Oconee County HS	Watkinsville	GA	12
Palmetto HS	Williamston	SC	9
Renaissance HS	Charlotte	NC	4
R. L. Osborne HS	Marietta	GA	12
Spartanburg Day School	Spartanburg	SC	10
Spring Valley HS	Columbia	SC	12
White County HS	Cleveland	GA	12

The substantial increase in number of participating schools in the 2008 CCC was a result of two factors. First, sending roughly 30% more invitations yielded an increase of about 30% over the 2006 attendance. Secondly, and perhaps, most importantly, we were awarded a $15,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to expand the 2008 CCC to a more regional contest. The bulk of the grant money was spent funding travel for our participating schools. Without this funding, several of the 2008 participants indicated they would not have attended the CCC .

The NSF support allowed us to host a teacher get-together during the morning portion of the CCC . The teachers gathered in the Multipurpose Room at the Hendrix Center for refreshments, conversation, instructions concerning travel reimbursement, and a presentation by Dr. Neil Caulkin. Dr. Caulkin, an associate professor in the Mathematical Sciences Department, gave a short talk about the connection between origami and mathematics. To further illustrate this connection, he led the teachers through a folding exercise that resulted in an origami object that approximates a hyperbolic paraboloid. This presentation was repeated during the awards ceremony for the students.

Awards

Dean Esin Gulari (College of Engineering and Science) and Chair Robert Taylor (Mathematical Sciences) were on hand to assist with the conferring of awards. Each school was placed in one of three divisions based on the enrollment of the school. Trophies were awarded in each division for first, second, and third place finishes in three categories: individual test, team competition, and overall school performance. Five hundred dollar scholarships to Clemson University were also granted to the first and second place finishers in the morning exam in each division. Lastly, an award for the most creative team name was given in each division. The following awards were made.

Individual Awards

Division I

Place	Winner	School
First	Tori Akin*	Mount de Sales Academy
Second	Adam Purvis*	Mount de Sales Academy
Third	Nick Maeder	White County HS

Division II

Place	Winner	School
First	Ian Taylor*	A. C. Flora HS
Second	Victoria Buckingham*	A. C. Flora HS
Third	Joy Ouyang	Oconee County HS

Division III

Place	Winner	School
First	Ben Cousins*	Irmo HS
Second	Kevin McBrayer*	Goose Creek HS
Third	Bryson Howard	Dutch Fork HS

Team Awards

Division I

Place	Winner	School
First	No sin(help)	Mount de Sales Academy
Second	Mathletes	Spartanburg Day School
Third	Q-T-π’s	Palmetto HS

Division II

Place	Winner	School
First	I wish I was your integral so I could cover the area between your curves	A. C. Flora HS
Second	The Denominators	Oconee County HS
Third	I wish you were sin² and I was cos² so we could be one	A. C. Flora HS

Division III

Place	Winner	School
First	Irmo Domination	Irmo HS
Second	LOL	Spring Valley HS
Third	Aboriginal Newts	Grayson HS

School Awards

Division	Place	School
I	First	Mount de Sales Academy
I	Second	Spartanburg Day School
I	Third	White County HS
II	First	A. C. Flora HS
II	Second	Oconee County HS
II	Third	R. L. Osborne HS
III	First	Irmo HS
III	Second	Spring Valley HS
III	Third	Grayson HS

Most Creative Team Name


Limit Breakers Benjamin Banneker HS Division I	Four Men, One Answer R. L. Osborne HS Division II	Re-Monsignor Sums Monsignor Donovan Catholic HS Division III

College of Engineering Science Department of Mathematical Sciences