Tarmac Online

by Bennett Reda ’26

Six seniors from Chaminade High School presented original mathematics research earlier this month at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, the largest mathematics conference in the world, held this year in Washington, D.C.

The students traveled from Mineola to Washington by train and joined thousands of mathematicians, educators, and researchers from universities and institutions worldwide. The conference is typically attended by PhD candidates, professors, and established scholars, making the presence of high school presenters highly unusual.

The Chaminade students presented research in enumerative combinatorics, a branch of pure mathematics focused on counting structured objects and understanding the patterns behind them. Their work examined skew Young tableaux and the outcomes produced when those tableaux undergo a classical algorithm known as jeu de taquin.

At its core, the research addressed a fundamental question in the field: given a specific skew tableau shape, what resulting shape emerges after the jeu de taquin process is applied? While this algorithm has been studied extensively, the students proved new results for certain classes of shapes that had not previously been resolved.

The research was conducted by two groups working on related components of the same topic. Group one consisted of Bennett Reda, Justin Jones, Patrick Ryan, and Alex Figoni. Group two included Logan Tsupros and Liam Collins. Together, they submitted a research abstract that was accepted by the conference’s review committee.

Both groups presented their findings during a poster session, a standard academic format in which researchers display their work and discuss it directly with attendees. Throughout the session, the students fielded questions from professors and PhD researchers, many of whom worked in different areas of mathematics and were unfamiliar with tableau theory.

According to the students, discussions focused on both the substance of the proofs and the clarity of the definitions used. Attendees offered feedback on mathematical precision, organization, and presentation, providing the students with insight into how professional researchers evaluate and refine their work.

The project was advised by Dr. Daniel Summers and Mr. Anthony Penoro, who oversee Chaminade’s math research program. Dr. Summers, who holds a PhD in mathematics, and Mr. Penoro guided the students through the research process, from developing definitions to constructing formal proofs and preparing for conference presentations.

The research originated as part of a small, experimental course at Chaminade. What began as a classroom exploration developed into a full research effort over the course of the year, culminating in acceptance to an international conference.

Although the results have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, the students plan to submit their work for publication in the future. Presenting at the Joint Mathematics Meetings represents a significant academic achievement and provides early exposure to the professional research community.

For Chaminade, the conference appearance highlights the growing scope of its math research program and demonstrates that high school students can contribute meaningfully to advanced academic fields when given the opportunity and mentorship to do so.