Undergraduate Mathematics Committee hosts second annual Integration Bee
The audience watches on as two contestants go head to head in the quarterfinal.
The UC Irvine Undergraduate Mathematics Committee (UMC) hosted its second annual Integration Bee on Saturday, March 1 in the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building. Modeled after the MIT Integration Bee, the event gives undergraduate students an opportunity to solve integration problems for a cash prize of up to $75.
Sixteen contestants, chosen from a group of over 30 participants based on their performance on qualifying exams, competed in a tournament-style competition. Professors Christopher Davis, Paul Carter and Luke Smith judged the competition as contestants advanced through each round until one was left standing.
This year, Davin Huynh, a fourth-year undergraduate math student, claimed first place, successfully defending his title after also winning UMC’s inaugural Integration Bee in 2024. Simin Kim, a second-year undergraduate math student, secured second place, while first-year undergraduate math student Xiangzhao Zhu finished third.
This article was written by Ph.D. student Jenny Tran from the UC Irvine Department of Mathematics. Tran is a 2024-2025 UC Irvine School of Physical Sciences Science Communication Fellow.