Dual enrolled Buchholz students creates new calculus formula
Glenn Bruda came up with the idea for his calculus integration formula late one night in May 2021.
He recalled going to bed at 11 p.m. after doing some math for fun. Bruda woke up at 2 a.m. feeling parched. He grabbing a glass of water and walked back to his bedroom when the new math formula appeared in his head.
"And I jotted it down really quickly on a notebook. And then I went to sleep," Bruda said.
The formula was a new integration technique that can be used to solve a calculus equation. The name of the technique: the Maclaurin Integration.
Bruda has described it this way: "Maclaurin Integration is a new series-based technique for solving infamously difficult integrals in terms of elementary functions. It has fairly liberal conditions for sound use, making it one of the most versatile integration techniques."
National Math championship: Buchholz Math Team dominates national contest
Finalists for national merit: National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes 40 finalists at Alachua County high schools
Teacher of the year: Lincoln Middle School teacher named Alachua County's Teacher of the Year for 2022
His triumph in developing a new technique gained him recognition from the Davidson institute, selected as runner for the Davidson Fellowship Scholarship, a prestigious scholarship for gifted students that awards around up to $50,000.
He said he won't find out if he received the scholarship until June.
Bruda says his talents arise naturally, with mathematics from his father, Michael Bruda, an algebra and geometry teacher at Buchholz High School, and creativity from his mother, Jennifer Bruda.
Bruda, 17, is dual enrolled at Buchholz and Santa Fe College.
After making the discovery, Bruda sent his work to Santa Fe College's mathematics chair Katey Arnold, who sent it to Professor John Pfeilsticker. The last step in checking his work Kevin Knudson, at the University of Florida's mathematics department.
Ms. Bruda said she didn't realize how her gifted her son was until he began receiving recognition and feedback for his accomplishments.
She recalled when he was six how a teacher pulled her aside and wanted to test him to see if he was gifted. At first the parents were hesitant because Glenn was getting enough enrichment at home.
"I didn't want to put all that pressure on him. I mean, he was only six years old," Ms. Bruda said.
However, Bruda's teacher at the time assured the family that everything would be fine. After the test he was getting pulled out of class for gifted math and science. She said he began doing math that was more advanced from when she graduated from school.
"He could do it almost as if he was starting halfway through the problems. Most people would have to write out what would be second nature to him. In his mind he could start halfway through the problem," Jennifer said.
His work can be found on Cornell University's arXiv page.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Glenn Bruda, a Buchholz student, discovers new technique in calculus
