The Pennsylvania Land Surveyors’ Foundation sponsored the 2022 Trig-Star High School Mathematics Competition hosted by Penn State Wilkes-Barre on April 8, 2022. Trig-Star is an annual High School Mathematics Competition sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) and the local sponsor. The goal is to recognize and challenge the best students of mathematics from among school districts across the United States utilizing a competition with awards. The purpose of the Trig-Star program is:
To build an awareness of surveying and mapping as a profession among math high school students, career guidance counselors, and high school math teachers;
To acquaint high school students with the use and practical applications of mathematics in the surveying professions;
To promote real world applications of mathematics in high school;
To honor high school students who have demonstrated their superior skill among classmates at the local, state and national levels.
Nearly 80 students from eight local high schools participated in this awesome daylong event. We started the morning off with the one hour Trig-Star Mathematics Competition followed by discussions about the surveying profession by NSPS Treasurer Robert Miller and NSPS Director Michael Given. The discussion centered around the various types of surveying to enlighten the students about the different roles surveyors play in our everyday lives. Penn State Associate Professor of Surveying Engineering Dimitrios Bolkas along with three current students in the surveying engineering program provided survey equipment demonstrations. The students were very attentive and enjoyed viewing the point cloud from the 3D laser scan of the classroom. After lunch the students participated in campus tours followed by a presentation by Associate Professor Dimitrios Bolkas about the surveying engineering program at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
We ended the day with the Trig-Star Awards Ceremony. NSPS and the Pennsylvania Land Surveyors’ Foundation congratulates the following Trig-Star winners that will receive a plaque commemorating the event:
First Place – Gavin Nichols, 11th grade, Wilkes-Barre Area STEM Academy
Second place – Amir Samadian, 11th grade, Wilkes-Barre Area STEM Academy
Third place – Jaka Mao, 11th grade, Holy Redeemer High School
First Place winner Gavin Nichols also received the Penn State Wilkes-Barre trophy for the 2022 Trig-Star Mathematics Competition to display at Wilkes-Barre Area STEM Academy until next year’s competition.
NSPS and the Pennsylvania Land Surveyors’ Foundation wishes to thank Penn State Wilkes-Barre for hosting the event and also a special thanks to all of their staff that made the 2022 Trig-Star Mathematics Competition a great success.
Respectfully submitted by,
Michael Given, NSPS Director