Tim Kunisky, Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ

Probabilistic Properties of the Logarithmic Number Derivative

Mr. Kunisky’s mathematics project concerned the number derivative, a mathematical topic that had only been studied at a basic level in the past. His approach consisted of applying more sophisticated techniques from the theory of probability to create new results regarding this function’s behavior. These results may have applications both in approaches to long-standing problems of number theory, as well as a practical application to cryptography. Mr. Kunisky worked on his project with Dr. Alex Kontorovich, Professor of Mathematics at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Mr. Kunisky, a senior from Livingston, New Jersey, would one day like to be a research mathematician at a university or an independent laboratory. He is currently a member of the National Honor Society as well as the French Honor Society, and is recognized as a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction and Merck State Scholar. He also placed second at the West Point Bridge Design Competition. Mr. Kunisky is the President of his school’s Organization of Student Tutors, which helps match students needing assistance to students willing to tutor them. He also enjoys reading, watching plays, playing tennis and ultimate frisbee, and playing the guitar and piano. Mr. Kunisky was born in Moscow, Russia, and lived there for five years before moving to the United States. His mother is a former chemist and his father a former physicist; both parents strongly encouraged his inclination towards mathematics, providing an environment conducive to his independent scientific and mathematical development.