NOVA Alumnus’ Math Paper Selected as Mid-Atlantic AMATYC Top Finalist

The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) recently selected Omar Alsalihi a recent graduate from the NOVA’s math department as a top finalist in the Mid-Atlantic Region for the AMATYC Student Research League Competition. Omar’s research paper scored so highly, that it has been identified as one of the top papers in the nation. Omar will be honored at this year’s 46th AMATYC Annual virtual conference. Omar and mentor Professor Matthew Westerhoff
represented Northern Virginia Community College (Manassas Campus) in the competition, which addressed the best options for providing energy for residential use.

The challenge problem solution addressed the following questions:

1. Utilizing mathematical modeling, what are the results of a Cost-Benefit Analysis of various proposals for reducing the current student loan debt? If you were running for office, what solution would you put forward?
2. Understanding the current situation should provide you with ideas for minimizing the debt in the future. What are some changes you would suggest for reducing loan debt for future students? If the changes you suggest are not your original ideas, you must acknowledge the person whose idea it is.

According to Alsalihi, the subject of the paper is something very relevant, the student debt crisis and soaring college tuition costs in America. The goal was to provide an overview of the problem and, using appropriate mathematical tools and the knowledge of various experts, to try to formulate some kind of solution. None of the math used in the
paper goes beyond what is taught in NOVA’s MTH 265 (Calc II). The mathematical focus of the paper was essentially only what is necessary to understand principles of interest as they are applied to federal student loans. In the absence of a radical overhaul of the higher education system in this country, Alsalihi found that the most effective thing the average student can do is to be proactive about paying interest that may accrue on unsubsidized loans, which can otherwise add thousands to the total amount of the loan if the student does not keep up with them while still attending school.

Alsalihi graduated Summa Cum Laude from NOVA in spring of 2020 with an Associate of Science in Science/Mathematics. He is currently attending the University of Virginia pursuing a degree in mathematics. He hopes to go to grad school, get a Ph.D., and become a research mathematician. To this end, he hopes to leverage the success of
this research project into a strong application for some mathematics REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs next summer.

Click here for more information on the AMATYC Challenge Problem.