Locust Valley High School sophomore William Bodian took home the gold medal at the Al Kalfus Long Island Math Fair at Hofstra University on April 28 for his presentation: “Exploring the Relationship Among the Roots of an Odd Polynomial.”
Bodian was invited to participate in the Mathematics Research and Technology Program at the Institute of Merit at SUNY Old Westbury, and attended the program every Saturday from September to April. The institute is designed for student members of the college’s Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students interested in pursuing research in mathematics in college and their future careers. Bodian conducted extensive research on his topic and had his presentation and paper selected for the Long Island Math Fair.
“It was very nerve-racking, but once I got in the room I knew my project inside and out since I’ve been working on it for the past two years,” Bodian said of the experience.
Bodian was inspired by Dr. Robert Gerber, a professor at SUNY Old Westbury, and his high school math teacher Ms. Evangeline Papas. He hopes to utilize his love of math in either physics or economics when he starts his career.