From: rusin
Subject: Putnam exam prep sessions begin
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2016 11:53:04 -0500 (CDT)

Faculty,

Please announce in your undergraduate classes:


     It's time to sign up for the Putnam competition!

     The Putnam is a nationwide mathematics competition open to all
     undergraduates. You can win a graduate fellowship to Harvard
     University! The questions are very fun -- but very challenging.
     Here is one from last year:

     "Find an odd prime factor of the the 2015-th term in the sequence
       1, 2, 7, 26, 97, ... where a_n = 4 a_{n-1} - a_{n-2}."

     We will have practice sessions for the Putnam exam every WEDNESDAY
     this semester, 5pm - 7pm in RLM 10.176, starting on October 5.
     Artisanal, hand-crafted, gourmet pizza will be served (unless a
     national pizza chain is cheaper).

     The contest itself will be December 5. Students are encouraged to
     register at the first meeting or by contacting Dave Rusin (RLM 9.140)


Last year UT fielded a great group of strong students -- we ranked 30th
nationwide! -- and we can do well again this year if you encourage your
best students to participate. Thank you for your help.

Dave Rusin