Austin student wins piece of $100K pie

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School junior Dan Liu won a piece of a $100,000 pie, along with two of his other team members who participated in a math, science and technology competition over the weekend.

Liu and his team members beat out five other teams to be named the $100,000 Grand Prize winners in the 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology for their graph theory research.

Liu, Sean Karson, a senior at Trinity Preparatory High School in Winter Park, Florida; and Kevin Chen, a junior at William P. Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas, won the team category.

The team will share a $100,000 scholarship for their mathematics research, entitled Relating Missing and Decycling Edges in Directed Graphs. The results of this project advance the infrastructure and knowledge of graph theory by shedding new light on a problem that has been open in the mathematics community since 1978, according to the Siemens Foundation.

The team's approach may open doors to a reduction of bottlenecks in complex networks, like the World Wide Web and transcontinental trade routes, thereby creating faster and more efficient processes.

“These students have just earned the highest recognition for original high school research projects in the United States," said Siemens Foundation Chairman Thomas McCausland. “We know this is just the beginning. Their dedication to excellence and passion for math and science will no doubt change the world.”

A panel of nationally renowned scientists and mathematicians judged the finals. The panel was headed by lead judge Dr. Thomas Jones, a prominent scientist, author, pilot and former NASA astronaut.

There were 20 national finalists competing in this year’s national finals, including six individuals and six teams. The finalists previously competed at one of six regional competitions held at leading research universities throughout the month of November.

The team’s mentor was Dr. Jian Shen, professor of mathematics at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

“We never expected high school students to achieve such success in examining this upper bound aspect of graph theory,” said Dr. Karen Collins, professor of mathematics and chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. “The team coupled enthusiasm and confidence with deep knowledge and substance, and their work has already been cited by other Mathematicians, showcasing its immediate impact for the mathematics community.”

Liu is the InvenTeams Club's vice president; Co-Director of his school’s Math Team; and is a member of the Liberal Arts and Science Academy’s National Honor Society chapter.

Liu is also a part of the LASA Camerata Orchestra and Science Olympiad Team, as well as the Circle C Select Swim Team.

Liu has previously participated in the 2009 Science Olympiad Regional Competition at the University of Texas at Austin and placed second in the Disease Detectives event. He also won first place in the arts-and-crafts division of the 2008 UT French Competition.

In his spare time, Liu said he loves to play badminton and enjoys poker and computer games.

Liu is the first AISD student to ever with the award.

The prestigious Siemens Competition is a signature program of the Siemens Foundation and is administered by the College Board. Innovative high school students are drawn from around the country.