A math team coached by a Madison Memorial High School graduate is getting praise from President Barack Obama and many others following its David-vs.-Goliath victory over China this week in the International Mathematical Olympiad.
The team of six teenagers, led by coach Po-Shen Loh, 33, topped more than 100 countries during the 10-day competition in Thailand.
The U.S. had not won the competition in 21 years, leading the White House to tweet celebratory congratulations and a “Go Team USA!”
As a high school math whiz, Loh attained considerable acclaim and won numerous state and national honors.
He twice represented Wisconsin in the national MathCounts competition and competed on Team USA in the 1999 International Math Olympiad.
He is now an associate professor of math at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.