Competition
BSU Math Invitational
A large on-campus event at Boise State where teams of students in grades 8 to 12, along with parents and volunteers, celebrate the joy of math and problem solving.
Sign up (opens in a new tab)- When
- Saturday, November 14, 2026
- Where
- Jordan D Ballroom, Westmark Student Union Building, Boise State
- What I do
- I help plan it and write problems for it, and I helped bring Po-Shen Loh to the event.
Keynote speaker
Po-Shen Loh
Prof. Po-Shen Loh of Carnegie Mellon University will give a talk to everyone between the individual competition and the awards, and speak to parents during the team competition.
What is the Invitational?
The Boise State University Math Invitational is a large on-campus event at Boise State. Teams of students in grades 8 to 12 come together with parents and volunteers to celebrate the joy of math and problem solving. It's hosted by the BSU Department of Mathematics.
The day has a team test, a longer problem the team solves together, and a quick individual round, then a keynote talk and awards. The problems go beyond what you'd usually see in class, covering logic, geometry, algebra, and a lot of reasoning. It's a fun way to challenge yourself and meet other students from around the region who like math.
The day
Everything happens in the Jordan D Ballroom, on the second floor of the Westmark Student Union Building at Boise State. Here's the schedule from Boise State's page.
8:30 to 9:00 am
Check-in
With bagels and coffee.
9:15 to 9:30 am
Welcome
9:45 to 10:45 am
Team Test
About 10 problems of mixed difficulty, worked on as a team.
11:00 to 11:45 am
Team Problem Solving
One longer problem the team works through together.
11:45 am to 12:45 pm
Lunch
Provided, at no cost.
12:45 to 1:15 pm
Individual Competition
Quick-thinking problems, on your own.
1:15 to 1:45 pm
Opportunities at Boise State
1:45 to 2:45 pm
Keynote: Po-Shen Loh
A talk for everyone from Prof. Po-Shen Loh of Carnegie Mellon University.
2:45 to 3:00 pm
Awards and closing
Times can move a little before the day, so check the official site for the latest.
For parents
Parents are welcome. While students compete, there's programming for parents in the Student Union Building, and Po-Shen Loh will speak to parents during the team competition, on top of his keynote for everyone in the afternoon.
What I do
I've been helping plan and run the Invitational since 2025. My main job is writing problems for it. I try to make them hard in an interesting way, so solving them takes a good idea rather than a lot of grinding.
This year I also helped bring Po-Shen Loh to the event as the keynote speaker.
Sign up
Teams sign up through Boise State's form. Everything else, including any changes to the schedule, is on the official site.
Questions? mathoutreach@boisestate.edu