President of the new student-led math club invites other number-minded members.
Obi-Wan Kenobi needs to select a team of Jedi and Younglings for a secret mission to the planet Xenu. He has eight Jedi and five Younglings to choose from. He must choose exactly four Jedi and four Younglings. How many team options does Obi-Wan have?
If you can figure out that mind-bender from a galaxy far, far away, you’d be right at home in the WashU Math Club, a new student-led organization with a verve for numbers. “We have 60 to 70 members, and we meet once a week,” said club president and co-founder Carlee Auld, a sophomore majoring in computer science and mathematics, a joint degree from the McKelvey School of Engineering and the College of Arts & Sciences. “Free pizza is a driving factor, but we also have a lot of fun discussions.”
On some weeks, students can hear professors describe math courses, helpful information for anyone trying to choose between, say, “Graph Theory” and “Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems.” Or the topic might be something a little more playful. Silas Johnson, the faculty advisor to the club and a senior lecturer in mathematics, recently discussed the theory behind Nim, a classic math puzzle game that can be played with toothpicks, matchsticks, or similar objects.
“The math club has turned into a really active, dynamic community over the last year and a half, thanks to the efforts of the student leadership,” Johnson said. “A student-run club is a great way for undergrads to get involved in mathematical life at WashU on their own terms. Carlee and several other students saw that potential and stepped in to make it happen.”
That Star Wars question (the answer is 350) was featured at the math club’s largest event so far, the first annual WashU Mathematical Excellence Competition. In a gathering reminiscent of the St. Louis Area Brain Bee, more than 60 students from 12 area high schools faced off in individual and team challenges covering a range of subjects, including geometry, algebra, and number theory. Between events, competitors had a chance to tour campus and meet with members of other university groups, including WashU Robotics and the Society of Physics Students. “It was a big success,” Auld said. “The competitors got a WashU experience. I hope many of them will look into coming here.”
It was exactly the type of experience that Auld wishes she could have had while attending high school in O’Fallon, Illinois. “I competed in math competitions mostly online, but there’s nothing like competing in person, meeting new people, and being on a college campus,” she said.
Auld’s own journey to WashU was not exactly straightforward. As a local student, she had visions of going to a university in another part of the country. A tour of WashU inspired her to stay close to home. “The students I spoke to seemed happy here, and that really drew me in,” she said. “I learned that WashU offers so much freedom to study what you want to study.”
Once Auld came to campus, she followed an unusual path. In addition to majoring in mathematics and computer science, Auld has a minor in English to satisfy her love of reading and writing. “Even if you’re working in a STEM field, clear communication is essential,” she said. She also selected an accelerated course schedule that will allow her to graduate in three years. After that, she plans to get a master’s degree in computer science and perhaps find work in artificial intelligence, software development, or another field in the constantly evolving tech space.
When she’s not in class or planning the math club’s next event, Auld often reads or blazes through Sudoku puzzles. But even her downtime includes some calculations. “One of the first things I ever coded was a program to solve Sudoku so I could settle an argument with my cousin,” she said. “Computer science and math can be very handy.”
