10th Grade Students Receive $30,000 Grant from TSPE to Launch Georgetown Mu Alpha Theta; Georgetown Mu Alpha Theta Chapter to Host 130 Local Mathletes in Mock MATHCOUNTS Competition.

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1999--

The Texas Society of Professional Engineers, TSPE, today announced that Georgetown High School 10th graders Michael Rothenberg and Brian Piper, along with 12th graders Joe Pepin and Don McGee, have been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, TSPE, allowing them to establish a Mu Alpha Theta math honor society at their school.

The new chapter will host a mock MATHCOUNTS Competition at Georgetown High School (9th Grade Campus) this Saturday, Nov. 13, from 8am until 3pm.

Each of the young men has participated in MATHCOUNTS, and founder Michael Rothenberg was a member of the national silver medalist team in 1998. "These young men gained a number of skills and friendships through MATHCOUNTS while in middle school. They wanted to continue to pursue their interests in mathematics, but more importantly to establish a way for others to get involved as well," said Trisha Rothenberg, mother of founder Michael Rothenberg.

This Saturday's mock competition is expected to draw over 130 student participants as well as more than 25 educators and coaches. The event will include all rounds of an official MATHCOUNTS event: sprint round, target rounds and team rounds as well as the exciting game-show-style Countdown Round, a timed event in which the top ten students compete one-on-one.

"We are very proud of these young men and are quite impressed with all the effort they have put into creating this event." says Victoria Corcoran, Education programs Director for TSPE. "The best teams in Texas will be in attendance, so we're expecting some fierce competition. These students and their coaches work year-round to prepare for MATHCOUNTS competitions and this invitational is great opportunity for them to refine their skills and experience the MATHCOUNTS atmosphere."

The Texas Society of Professional Engineers is a nonprofit organization that provides career information, classroom volunteers, curriculum support, and hosts the Texas Engineering Challenge and MATHCOUNTS competitions for middle and high school students in Texas each year. For more information about TSPE visit www.tspe.org.

MATHCOUNTS is the first nationwide program to promote math excellence for 7th and 8th grade students and to combine the efforts of education, business, government and the engineering community. MATHCOUNTS competitions enhance student's skills in science and math; provide professional development for teachers; and allow professional engineers to take an active volunteer role in math and science education, thereby promoting school-to-workplace links.