The Prize Examination is given every year in the Spring semester, usually late March or early April.  Any ECC student is welcome to sign up and compete, regardless of level or major.  Although the problems are challenging, they do not require a knowledge of calculus or advanced courses to solve, just a strong mathematical mind.

A cash prize of $250 will be shared among the participants who have the best scores. This is usually two to three participants.  Students interested in participating need to register by sending an email to borosz@essex.edu.  Please include your full name in the body of the message, and the subject line should read, "ASMPE".

Origins of the Contest:

In 1903, Adolph Shloming was born in a small village to a poor family in Romania. His education took place in Bucharest where he studied languages in addition to mathematics. As a young man, Adolph spoke a half dozen languages including German, Russian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Yiddish and, of course Romanian. Along with his love of languages was his passion for chess and mathematics. His long hours of concentration over a chessboard prepared him to be analytical and patient. Figuring out the optimum move involved examining many possibilities and their consequences. These characteristics helped him solve a variety of mathematical problems; many of them recreational. To Adolph, problem solving was as enjoyable and challenging as an exciting game of chess!  Today, Adolph’s son, Robert Shloming, sponsors this prize exam in honor of his father.