Jagadeesan ’16, Finalist In Intel Science Talent Search

Senior Meena Jagadeesan was named a finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search, a prestigious national math and science research competition for high school seniors, on Jan. 20.Thousands of students from across the country submit applications to the competition every year. From these, only 300 students are named semifinalists, who upon their recognition, receive 1000 dollars in prize money for both himself/herself and the school. From the semifinalist pool, 40 finalists are chosen. The finalists receive an additional 7,500 dollars and are invited to an all-expenses-paid weeklong trip to Washington, D.C. The finalists will compete in D.C. for one million dollars of prize money.Jagadeesan’s interest in mathematics has been constant throughout her life, growing up with computer scientist parents and a brother who is now a mathematics major. Her first experience with research based mathematics was at a USA/Canada Math Camp during her summer before lower year, where she studied a polynomial associated to partially ordered sets in the special case of polytopes, a geometric object with flat sides. The next year, she conducted a laboratory research project that aimed to improve the efficiency of a DNA fragmentation method. The following year she performed a mathematical analysis of a microscope model’s accuracy in simulating cell motion in porous media.

“Meena took over and powered right through it to generate the correct solution with only a minute or so to go.”

The project Jagadeesan submitted to the Intel Science Talent Search was in the field of Algebraic Combinatorics. Algebraic Combinatorics is a field of math where counting techniques are used to study objects of algebraic interest. Her research was conducted through the MIT-PRIMES program, a research program for Boston-area high school students. As part of the program she attended weekly meetings with a graduate student mentor, Miriam Farber, at MIT during the second half of her upper year and the first half of senior year. For her project she investigated an object in Algebraic Combinatorics to reveal a novel relationship between classes of graphs. After submitting a twenty page report summarizing the applicant’s original research about math or science, recommendation letters, essays and grades, Jagadeesan achieved the prestigious honor of being named a finalist for the Intel STS.Jagadeesan was particularly interested in research based mathematics because it allows her to explore topics at a depth unparalleled by any other approach. “Research is about delving deep into a topic until you gain insight into the fundamental symmetries and connections that exist at its core,” she said.Jagadeesan persisted throughout the development of her project, despite challenges. She explained the difficulties that come with mathematics research. “The hardest part about research is finding a balance between delving deep into a single question and finding smaller results in a range of less difficult questions,” she said. She went on to explain that in her project, since she spent many months tackling just one main question, she solved other smaller questions on the side to remain enthusiastic. “This helped me stay positive when I felt like I wasn’t making progress on my main question,” she said.Jagadeesan’s dedication and inquisitive nature has been noted by her peers and mentors throughout her time at Exeter. Biology instructor Townley Chisolm said “I loved working with Meena in Biology 400 last year because she is enthusiastic about learning and genuinely dedicated to doing her best work every day.” Senior Alex Wei further noted her genuine passion for STEM work. “When thinking about math or science, Meena is curious and willing to explore new ideas. She gets tangibly excited when she stumbles across an elegant or unexpected result. She applies her curiosity during class, to teaching clubs and of course, to her research,” he said.Prior to being named a finalist for the Intel STS, Jagadeesan’s talent had been recognized through other awards and opportunities. She has earned two Semifinalist awards at the Siemens Competition, was given a paper acceptance to the Communications in Algebra math journal and is a four time medalist at the Math Prize for Girls Olympiad and a USAJMO qualifier. She was also invited to present at an American Physical Society conference and has participated in the Research Science Institute, the MIT-PRIMES program, the Garcia Summer Scholars Program and the USA/Canada MathCamp.Many in the Exeter community further recognize Jagadeesan’s unique talent. Senior Darius Shi lauded Jagadeesan’s gift for mathematics. He said, “She is one of the smartest mathematicians I have ever met during my years at Exeter. Her deep understanding of the fundamentals and her creative insights that draw connections between different mathematical structure in research distinguished her.”Instructor of science Mark Hiza, an influential figure in Jagadeesan’s career at Exeter, expressed how impressed he was with Jagadeesan’s abilities, echoing Darius’ thoughts. “Meena is a very gifted math and science student, but she’s very humble about this,” he said.Hiza was not the only instructor who admired Jagadeesan. Math instructor Jeffrey Ibbotson recalled a moment in class which reiterared the rarity of her ability and insight. “I can recall watching her creatively finesse a very hard problem that had stumped the entire multivariable calculus class. There were less than five minutes left in this group test and the situation was murky. Meena took over and powered right through it to generate the correct solution with only a minute or so to go.” Ibbotson said.A student who has received much praise from both her peers and her instructors, Jagadeesan has also utilized her knowledge and passion to contribute to the Exeter community in many ways, as a co-head of the ESSO Club Tutoring for Children, Peer Tutoring and Math Club.Throughout all her endeavours, whether within the community or outside, Jagadeesan’s genuine passion for STEM has remained her core motivator. Although she has found great success and earned many rewards due to her talent, a desire for thorough learning drives her to explore. “I love exploring topics, especially in math, at this depth, and enjoy the rewarding feeling of discovering something new to both me and the rest of the intellectual community,” she said.Contributions From Elizabeth Yang