INDIANAPOLIS (May 18, 2009) - Governor Mitch Daniels today made a surprise visit to Terre Haute South Vigo High School to announce that students Sachin Dilip Shinde and Raj Anand Bhuptani are "Indiana Mr. Math" and "Indiana Mr. Science," respectively.  This is the second year for the annual Hoosier High School Math and Science Awards Daniels created to recognize Indiana's top high school talent in math and science.

"Our best math and science students are vastly more important to Indiana's future than our best athletes," said Daniels.  "We will know that an important shift has occurred when more people can remember the name of Mr. Math or Miss Science than the name of Mr. Basketball."

Shinde, a junior, is the son of Dilip and Pratima Shinde.  He scored a 800/800 on the SAT math portion, 5/5 on both the Advanced Placement Calculus BC and Statistics exams and earned no grade lower than an "A" in any of his math courses at South Vigo. He is currently enrolled in a Calculus III course at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. In college, he hopes to study bio-medical engineering and medicine, and aspires to become a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Bhuptani, a senior, is the son of Anand and Trupti Bhuptani.  He scored a 800/800 on the SAT II Physics, Chemistry and Bio M tests, a perfect 5/5 on the Advanced Placement Biology, Chemistry, Physics B, Physics C (Mechanics) exams and earned no grade lower than an "A" in any of his science courses at South Vigo. He currently is taking courses in differential equations and physics at Rose-Hulman, and he volunteers as a science tutor at a local community center. Bhuptani plans to attend Harvard University where he will study applied mathematics.

"Students like Sachin and Raj have worked hard and deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments," said State Superintendent Tony Bennett, who joined Daniels for the presentation. "As we work to make Indiana the best education state in the country, we must continue to create a culture where our brightest math and science students are rewarded as much as, if not more than, our fastest or strongest athletes."

Shinde and Bhuptani were selected from among more than 300 candidates by a panel of high school mathematics and science teachers, university faculty, Indiana Department of Education staff and math and science professionals. Selection criteria included SAT, ACT and Advanced Placement scores, awards and prizes earned and grades in math and science.  The winners will each receive a $2,000 academic scholarship from McGraw-Hill Education. Samuel Dittmer from Zionsville Community High School was the 2008 "Indiana Mr. Math" and Swara Kopparty, also of Terre Haute South Vigo High School, was the 2008 "Indiana Miss Science."

"That three of our first four honorees all came from a single high school out of 300 is a remarkable testimony to the excellence of the teachers and staff of South Vigo. Congratulations to them, too," said Daniels.

The awards were developed with input from the Indiana Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (I-STEM) Network, the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Inc. (HASTI), the Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) and the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents. 

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