On Pi-Day, Integral Bee Makes New Tradition at Indiana University East

On Pi-Day, Integral Bee Makes New Tradition at Indiana University East

March 14, or 3/14, is a day that has special meaning among mathematicians.

The first three digits of the important numerical constant π (Read as Pi) are 3.14, indicating the fourteenth day of the third month. A more accurate, but still not precise approximation of π is 3.1415926535.

March 14 is also the birthday of one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists, Albert Einstein. For this reason, March 14 is known as π-Day in the mathematical community and is reason for celebration and fun activities.

Students and faculty of Indiana University East’s online mathematics program observed this year’s π-Day by starting a new tradition, the Integral Bee Competition. This is an annual event organized by mathematics enthusiasts nationwide. The rules of the game are easy, but the problems may be hard: In the Integral Bees, contestants compete each other to determine who is the fastest at solving math problems known as integrals, a concept studied in calculus.

What is special about Indiana University East’s Integral Bee is that contestants need not come to campus. Indiana University East’s event invited students from all over the country to participate remotely via Zoom.

The event was organized by Indiana University East’s Math Club and supported by the math department. Event organizers, professors Udita Katugampola and Hannah Klawa, selected challenging integral problems, timed contestants as they solved the problems and eventually determined the winner.

The organizers say the inaugural competition was an outstanding success and is poised to become a new tradition at Indiana University East.

“One of the goals is to attract students to math by engaging them in exciting activities like these,” said Katugampola, visiting associate professor of mathematics and the faculty advisor for the event.

“It is also very encouraging and rewarding to see how they compete against each other to find solutions to math problems with all tools in their disposal. We all witnessed their happy faces during the competition. The results are outstanding,” he also added.

This year, the winner and Grand Integrator was sophomore Ash Dean, from Charleston, West Virginia.

In second place was Derek Streidl, a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Samuel Allan Chapkovski, who is a senior from Ireland, followed in third place.

All three are students in the online Mathematics program at Indiana University East.

The winners receive $200, $150 and $100 as prizes, along with certificates.

“I really enjoyed the competition. I don’t have anywhere local that hosts math competitions like this for the college level, so it is nice to still be able to participate via Zoom,,“ said Dean.

“I have largely enjoyed the mathematics program Indiana University offers. It has allowed me to pursue mathematics at a higher level, which I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to do. I have also enjoyed the content and structure of my courses that still allows me to interact in discussions with my peers despite being online.”

Streidl was initially skeptical of the competition but decided to join on a whim.

“I logged onto Zoom thinking it would be fun to watch, but then decided it would be more fun to try a question. Once I actually started working the questions under the timer, it gave me such a rush of nervousness and excitement all at once.”

Streidl is also an officer of the mathematics club and appreciates the opportunity to further build community with other students.

“Opportunities for interaction with faculty and other students continually remind that I made the right choice in applying here back in 2023. It would be easy for an online program to do the bare minimum and move students through, but it is the engagement and passion of the math faculty at Indiana University East that make this place different and special. I researched every possible online undergrad math program I could find before applying here and after all my research, this was the only place I wanted to apply to. I am happy every day that I did that.”

Streidl expects to receive his B.S. in Mathematics in December 2025.

As the math club president, Streidl particularly praised the faculty organizers for the event.

“Hats really go off to Dr. Katugampola and Dr. Klawa for the effort they have poured into this club. Faculty makes all the difference, and it’s nice to know that we are being taught by accomplished mathematicians who care deeply about this community, and this is another reason Indiana University East has the best online mathematics undergrad program in the country.”

Chapkovski said, “I enjoyed it a lot, the social problem-solving aspect was very fun and I actually regret I won’t be able to see the next one (due to graduating).”

When asked about how the competition helped him with some of his goals in the math program, he expressed that his interest in analysis has been reinvigorated - having a truly deep understanding of the mechanics behind them means being able to exploit them in very advanced ways.

“When I first applied for B.S. at Indiana University East I was primarily interested in the degree, assuming that I would have to learn concepts on my own. In retrospect after having taken a large number of classes at Indiana University East, I can say I have actually learned a lot from the gifted instructors that I could not have learned on my own. Errors in my mathematical reasoning have been corrected and I have become much more accurate - things which are incredibly difficult to master without guidance.”

The dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics Markus Pomper confirmed the students’ reactions.

“The design of our online mathematics is unique in that we provide our students with the opportunity to interact with faculty and peers, and afford them the same benefits of friendships and mentoring as students in a campus-based program would have.”

The first Integral Bee was organized by MIT in 1981. Since then, the competition has become a yearly tradition at many universities including Carnegie Mellon, University of Florida, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Texas A&M.

Katugampola said that the Integral Bee tradition will continue to grow stronger at Indiana University East each year, because it helps students demonstrate their self-confidence, and math and problem-solving skills. The contest also increases students’ ability to work under pressure and practice time management skills, since they were given only two minutes to solve the most challenging problems.

“Students were presented with carefully selected and beautifully crafted integrals to solve in the quickest and most elegant ways, using methods learned in the classroom, and the outcomes were extraordinary,” said Katugampola.

“At the end, this enables our students to build the confidence they need to be successful in the endeavor of their journey of life.”

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