Instructors
Richard Rusczyk is one of the co-authors of the Art of Problem Solving textbooks, and author of Art of Problem Solving's Introduction to Algebra and Introduction to Geometry textbooks (Intermediate Algebra due to be published in early 2008). He is also one of the co-creators of the
Mandelbrot Competition, and the Director of the
USA Mathematical Talent Search. He was a participant in National MATHCOUNTS, a participant in the Math Olympiad Summer Program 1987, 1988 and 1989, the only perfect scorer on the 1989 AIME, and a USA Mathematical Olympiad winner (1989). He graduated first in his major, top 5 in his class, with a BSE from Princeton University in 1993. Richard helped inaugurate ESPN's SportsFigures program, and worked as a bond trader for D.E. Shaw & Company for four years. AoPS marks Richard's return to his vocation - educating motivated students.
Ashley (Reiter) Ahlin has loved math as long as she can remember. In 1987, she was the first female to win a medal at National MATHCOUNTS, placing third. In high school, she was on the US Chemistry Olympiad team, attended RSI (Research Science Institute), and won first place in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. She later served on the MATHCOUNTS problem writing committee and spoke at the national awards banquet. She has taught at the high school and college levels, as a guest lecturer in
WOOT, and in summer programs for all age levels. She finished her Ph.D. in math at the University of Chicago in 2001, and now she gets to stay at home with her two sons.
Sean Markan joined AoPS in 2007. He participated in numerous math and science programs in high school, including the Math Olympiad Summer Program in 2001 and the US Physics Team in 2000 and 2002. He also won the Mandelbrot Competition in 2002. He graduated from MIT with a degree in Physics in 2006, and enjoys playing the piano and ultimate Frisbee in his free time.
Dave Patrick joined AoPS in 2004. He is the author of Art of Problem Solving's Introduction to Counting & Probability and Intermediate Counting & Probability textbooks. Dave earned the sole perfect score on the American High School Mathematics Examination (AHSME) in 1988 and was a USA Mathematical Olympiad winner that year. He attended the Research Science Institute (RSI) in 1987, and the Math Olympiad Summer Program in 1988, where he first met fellow student Richard Rusczyk. He also finished in the top 10 on the Putnam exam in 1991. Dave graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 1992 with a BS in Mathematics/Computer Science and an MS in Mathematics. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in mathematics from MIT in 1997. He was an acting Assistant Professor at the University of Washington from 1997 to 2001. Dave enjoys hockey, playing Go (he has a real wooden Go board), and poker.
Naoki Sato joined AoPS in 2005 after a successful career in investment banking. He won first place in the 1993 Canadian Mathematical Olympiad, and represented Canada at the 1992 and 1993 International Mathematical Olympiads, winning a bronze and silver medal, respectively. He has also served as deputy leader for the Canadian IMO team in 1997, 2002, and 2006. A native of Toronto, Canada, Naoki earned a Bachelor's in mathematics from the University of Toronto, and a Master's in mathematics from Yale University. His interests include cycling and wine tasting.
Valentin Vornicu joined AoPS in 2004. He founded the MathLinks site for Olympiad students in 2002. Valentin was a Gold Medal and Special Award winner at the Junior Balkan Math Olympiad in 1998 and a Silver Medal winner at the Balkan Math Olympiad in 2001. He also took 2nd Prize at the IMC in 2003 and 2004. He won first or second prize in the Romanian National Olympiad 1997-2002, and was a member of the Romanian International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) team in 2001 and 2002, winning a bronze medal in 2002. Valentin has coached numerous successful Olympiad students in Romania and abroad and authored the widely used Romanian text "The Math Olympiad, from Challenge to Experience". He is also one of the instructors of the Romanian IMO Team since 2003, and proposed a number of problems at the different math Olympiads. Valentin is a graduate of the University of Bucharest, Mathematics Department and has a Masters Degree from the same University in Algebra and Number Theory. Valentin enjoys watching the T.V. show 24, San Diego weather and basketball.
Joshua Zucker joined AoPS as a part-time instructor in 2007. He discovered his love for number theory at Dr. Arnold Ross's summer program at Ohio State University a bit over 20 years ago. Joshua has been a Math Olympiad Summer Program invitee, a member of the first US Physics Olympiad team, and a top-10 scorer on the Putnam. He holds a BS in physics and an MS in mathematics from Stanford, as well as an MS in astrophysics from UC Berkeley. He has taught at levels ranging from summer camps for gifted elementary school students through remedial arithmetic at community college. He currently teaches at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, CA, writes for MATHCOUNTS, and is the proud father of three children. In what spare time remains from those and other activities, he enjoys cooking, juggling, bicycling, and playing Go.
