A Hopkinsville Community College graduate was recently named the 1st place winner in the nation for the Student Research League competition held by The American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges.
Over 40 teams participated in the nationwide competition and Ashley Lesher received a $3,000 prize for her 1st place award. According to HCC Math Professor Pat Riley, she was the only regional finalist who worked solo. Most of the other entrants were in groups of two to three.
Lesher graduated from Hopkinsville Community College with an associate in science degree this past summer. She entered the competition in the spring while she was still a community college student.
A news release says the national competition consisted of a 14-page paper regarding renewable energy for a building or structure. The challenge included a practical application math problem, which involved researching materials, methods, processes and more related to the solution of the problem.
Lesher used her own home as the project structure and utilized formulas and applications from the Tennessee Valley Authority for research. She was also mentored by HCC Math Professor Arthur Schultz.
She is quoted in the news release as saying, “Strangely, the home that I based the project on burned down only a few weeks after I submitted it. HCC and Professor Riley helped me a lot during that time. The college gave me assistance through the Student Emergency Fund so that I could get back on my feet.”
Lesher is currently working toward a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Austin Peay State University. College officials say she is a veteran and has three children.