Bergen county native Marvin Mao named 2021 Raytheon Technologies MATHCOUNTS® national champion

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 11, 2021) — Marvin Mao, an eighth-grader from Englewood Cliffs, N.J. overcame 223 competitors, becoming the 2021 Raytheon Technologies MATHCOUNTS National Champion and earning a $10,000 scholarship.

Mao won the competition by achieving the highest score on a written test taken by top young mathematicians across the U.S. He solved challenging problems such as: “What is the probability that a randomly chosen letter of the English alphabet is in the word MATHEMATICS?” Due to the pandemic, the competition was held online – marking the first virtual National Competition in the MATHCOUNTS Foundation’s 38-year history. Students completed each round of competition simultaneously while monitored by online proctors.

Eighth-grader Bohan Yao of Redmond, Wash., won second place and a $5,000 scholarship. Rounding out the top ten finalists are the following students, who each received a $3,000 scholarship:

• Liam Reddy, a sixth-grader from Holladay, Utah
• Alexander Wang, a seventh-grader from Millburn, N.J.
• Andrew Carratu, an eighth-grader from Little Neck, N.Y.
• Allan Yuan, a seventh-grader from Hoover, Ala.
• Jiahe Liu, a seventh-grader from Arlington, Mass.
• Stephen Yang, an eighth-grader from Atlanta, Ga.
• Yunyi Ling, an eighth-grader from Potomac, Md.
• Kyle Zhang, an eighth-grader from Guilford, Conn.
• Lawson Wang, a seventh-grader from Saratoga, Calif.
• Nate Maydanchik, an eighth-grader from Oak Brook, Ill.

In the unofficial online team competition, New Jersey captured the title of First Place Team, winning a trip to U.S. Space Camp. Team members include Evan Fan, Andrew Lin, Marvin Mao and Alexander Wang.

This is the 12^th year that Raytheon Technologies has served as title sponsor of the MATHCOUNTS National Competition as part of its global commitment to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. To continue developing the next generation of STEM innovators and professionals, Raytheon Technologies has extended its sponsorship of this elite math competition through 2025.

“Congratulations to Marvin and all the competitors who embraced their love of math and participated in this year’s MATHCOUNTS National Competition,” said Tracey Gray, vice president, Communications and External Affairs for Raytheon Intelligence & Space, and MATHCOUNTS board member. “We’ve all been through an extraordinary year so it’s impressive to see these students embrace new ways of thinking and learning. Their dedication and perseverance show they are on the right path to create the innovations of the future.”

This year’s MATHCOUNTS National Competition theme celebrated its virtual nature by honoring the fields of computer science and cybersecurity. Participants took part in several code-themed social events throughout the weekend, including a Raytheon Technologies cryptology challenge.

“The national competitors overcame even more challenges this year than usual,” said Kristen Chandler, executive director of MATHCOUNTS. “Their tenacity during unprecedented circumstances proves they have the problem-solving skills to make a difference in the future. We are so proud of their accomplishments.”
 

For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Caitlyn Barron

[email protected]
 

About the MATHCOUNTS Foundation

MATHCOUNTS is a nonprofit organization that strives to engage middle school students of all ability and interest levels in fun, challenging math programs to expand their academic and professional opportunities. Middle school students exist at a critical juncture in which their love for mathematics must be nurtured, or their fear of mathematics must be overcome. For more than 30 years, MATHCOUNTS has provided free, high-quality resources to educators and enriching, extracurricular opportunities to students to lay a foundation for future success. Materials and information are available at www.mathcounts.org.

About Raytheon Technologies

Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.