Ithaca-Tompkins Airport Awarded 750 Thousand Dollars in Federal Funding
By CORNELIA YE
On Tuesday, October 3, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer announced a 750 thousand dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Program to support new service at the Ithaca-Tompkins International Airport (ITH). The grant aims to encourage airlines to establish consistent direct flights from Ithaca to Washington, DC. Both senators wrote letters to the Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, on behalf of the project to emphasize the importance of the airport to the economy in New York’s Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions.
Currently, the airport only offers four flights daily. Delta services John F. Kennedy International Airport, and United services Newark Liberty International Airport. However, ITH previously operated a daily route to Washington Dulles International Airport, which was later discontinued. Additional services to other major airline hubs, such as Charlotte, NC, Detroit, MI, and Philadelphia, PA, have also been terminated. This year, airport officials have expressed interest in expanding routes to the south and west by the end of the year.
While no specific launch date for the new flights has been disclosed, many hope the additional services will boost ITH’s recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and promote greater accessibility for travelers in the region.
Cornell Hosts Math Competition
By MUKUND GAUR
Cornell held its first Cornell University Big Red Math Competition (CUBRMC) on October 28. The competition, which aims to introduce middle and high school students to topics in math not traditionally covered in the K-12 curriculum, brought together teams from across the country to compete. The competition consists of a one-hour proofs round, where participants complete four mathematical proofs, a two-hour individual round with sixteen questions, and a thirty-minute team round, where each team works together to solve ten problems. A team’s ranking is determined by a combination of the individual scores of each team member and the team’s score on the team round. First place went to American Heritage School, from Florida, and the competition also included awards for the highest scoring individual students. There was additional recognition for the highest scoring ninth or tenth grader and middle schooler.
Alongside the competition, CUBRMC provided other opportunities to competitors, including an information session with the admissions team of Cornell’s Arts and Sciences department, and a mathematical lecture from Professor Allen Knutson. Two of the competing teams were from IHS’s very own Math Team, which sent more than ten students to the competition. Though IHS did not place in the top three, students enjoyed the competition and meeting other high schoolers interested in math. Sophomore Connie Zheng ’26, described to The Tattler, “Going to CUBRMC was really fun despite the questions being very hard. The proctors and volunteers were all very chill and I had a lot of fun beating them at card games in our down time. The lecture from Professor Knutson was also very cool and interesting.” Zheng, along with other Math Team members, hopes to attend the competition again next year.