The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is an annual competition for universities from Canada and the United States – widely considered to be the most prestigious mathematical competition in the world.
Undergraduate students may compete individually, but each institution's official team consists of three students. Since 1968, the University of Waterloo has participated and placed well in the Putnam competition. Several were awarded as being a Putnam Fellow (one of the top five ranked students in the competition), and many teams placed as one of the top fiveuniversities.
Below are all the Waterloo students that were a Putnam Fellow, awarded the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize, and who were part of a high-ranked university team.
Individual Putnam Fellows
| Name | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Daniel Spivak | 2015 |
| Ralph C. Furmaniak | 2003 |
| Sabin Cautis | 1999 |
| Derek I. E. Kisman | 1999 |
| Colin M. Springer | 1989 |
| David W. Ash | 1981-1983 |
| Grant M. Roberts | 1974 |
Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize
| Name | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Wai Ling Yee | 1999 |
Highest Ranked Teams
| Year Won | Rank | Team Members | Coach(es) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 4 | Kangning Chen Sam Eisenstat Daniel Spivak |
Stephen New |
| 2010 | 5 | Steven Karp Boyu Li Malcolm Sharpe |
Stephen New |
| 2005 | 5 | Olena Bormashenko Ralph Furmaniak Xiannan Li |
Stephen New Ian Vanderburgh |
| 2004 | 4 | Olena Bormashenko Ralph Furmaniak Michael Lipnowski |
Stephen New Ian Vanderburgh |
| 1999 | 1 | Sabin Cautis Donny Cheung Derek Kisman |
Christopher Small |
| 1998 | 5 | Sabin Cautis Derek Kisman Soroosh Yazdani |
Christopher Small |
| 1994 | 5 | Ian Goldberg Peter Milley Kevin Purbhoo |
Christopher Small Mary Thompson |
| 1992 | 3 | Dorian Birsan Daniel Brown Ian Goldberg |
Christopher Small Mary Thompson Peter Kenderov |
| 1991 | 2 | Daniel Brown Ian Goldberg Colin Springer |
Bruno Forte Christopher Small |
| 1990 | 3 | Dorian Birsan Daniel Brown Colin Springer |
Bruno Forte Christopher Small |
| 1989 | 3 | Grayden Hazenberg Stephen Smith Colin Springer |
Bruno Forte |
| 1988 | 4 | Frank D'Ippolito Colin Springer Minh Tue Vo |
Bruno Forte Christopher Small |
| 1985 | 5 | David Ash Yong Yao Du Kenneth Shirriff |
Ken Davidson |
| 1983 | 3 | David Ash W. Ross Brown Beverley Cope |
Ken Davidson |
| 1982 | 2 | David Ash W. Ross Brown Herbert Fichtner |
Ken Davidson Alan Adamson |
| 1979 | 5 | Michael Albert Bradd Hart Geoffrey Mess |
Bruno Forte John Lawrence |
| 1978 | 3 | Michael Albert Rajiv Gupta Geoffrey Mess |
Bruno Forte John Lawrence |
| 1974 | 1 | Richard Anstee Stephen Locke Edward Severn |
Rod Cooper Murray Klamkin |
| 1968 | 2 | Alan Adamson William Cunningham Lee James |
Roger Kingsley |