Bona's Bonus Problems are special mathematical challenges for students of St. Bonaventure. A Bona's Bonus Problem is any problem posed in the problem section of a recent issue of a mathematics journal such as Math Horizons, The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, Crux Mathematicorum, Mathematics Magazine, The College Mathematics Journal, or The American Mathematical Monthly.

If a student solves any Bona's Bonus Problem in accordance with the Rules below, the student may bring his or her solution to Dr. Chris Hill to receive the following benefits:

• the student's name will subsequently appear in the journal as a solver of the problem and the student's solution MAY be chosen to be PUBLISHED in the journal;
• the Mathematics Department will give the student one (1) free tee-shirt with a groovy mathematical design and a copy of the journal's issue in which his or her name appears;
• the student will be immortalized in the  BBP Hall of Fame  (the list of students who successfully solved one or more Bona's Bonus Problems).

For more information about Bona's Bonus Problems, including lists of problems posed in recent issues of mathematics journals, please contact Dr. Chris Hill.

• Brett Chiodo '23 solved Problem 2158 of the December 2022 issue of Mathematics Magazine.
• Keon Cruz '25 solved Problem 2158 of the December 2022 issue of Mathematics Magazine.
• Shannon Heinig '24 solved Problem 2158 of the December 2022 issue of Mathematics Magazine.
• Erica Low '22 solved Problem P406 of the September 2020 issue of Math Horizons.
• James Brown '18 & Chyann Piendl '18 jointly solved Problem 346 of the November 2016 issue of Math Horizons.
• Mitch Kovacs '16 solved
  • Problem 485 of the No. 1 2013 issue of the New York State Mathematics Teachers' Journal;
  • Problem 1270 of the Fall 2012 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal;
  • Problem 983 of the September 2012 issue of The College Mathematics Journal;
  • Problem 3670 of the December 2011 issue of Crux Mathematicorum.
• Rene Sandroni '15 solved Problem 1290 of the spring 2014 issue of the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal.
• Jennifer Dempsey '12 & Michael Murphy '13 jointly solved Problem 3629 of the April 2011 issue of Crux Mathematicorum.
• John Postl '11 solved
  • Problem 931 of the September 2010 issue of The College Mathematics Journal;
  • Problem 3539 of the May 2010 issue of Crux Mathematicorum;
  • Problem 1223 of the spring 2010 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal;
  • Problem 1218 of the spring 2010 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal;
  • Problem 1216 of the spring 2010 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal — John's solution was  PUBLISHED  in the fall 2010 issue;
  • Problem 1207 of the fall 2009 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal;
  • Problem 3452 of the Sept. 2009 issue of Crux Mathematicorum.
• Daniel Winger '11 solved Problem 3539 of the May 2010 issue of Crux Mathematicorum.
• Natalie Burns (as a high school student) solved
  • Problem 1223 of the spring 2010 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal;
  • Problem 1210 of the fall 2009 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal — Natalie's solution was  PUBLISHED  in the fall 2010 issue.
• Troy Mulholland '11 solved Problem 3426 of the April 2009 issue of Crux Mathematicorum.
• Andrew Krull '10 solved Problem 1811 of the Feb. 2009 issue of Mathematics Magazine.
• John Grillo '09 solved
  • Problem 1175 of the spring 2008 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal;
  • Problem 1174 of the spring 2008 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal.
• Jack Fuller '10 solved Problem S122 of the November 2007 issue of Math Horizons.
• Kevin Miller '08 solved Problem 1139 of the Fall 2006 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal.
• Tim McGue '07 & Craig Vicini '07 jointly solved (under the name "St. Bonaventure University Problem-Solving Group")
  • Problem 796 in the Sept. 2005 issue of the College Mathematics Journal;
  • Problem S98 in the Sept. 2005 issue of Math Horizons.
• Jerome Brabant '05 solved
  • Problem S90 of the Nov. 2004 issue of Math Horizons — Jerome's solution was  PUBLISHED  in the April 2005 issue;
  • Problem 186 of the Sept. 2004 issue of Math Horizons;
  • Problem S88 of the Sept. 2004 issue of Math Horizons.
• Eric Cranmer solved Problem S85 of the Feb. 2004 issue of Math Horizons.

• An SBU student may work on a problem either alone or with another Bona's student. If two students work together, the pair must submit a solution jointly.
• A student may not receive help from anyone who is not submitting the solution with the student, although...
• .. a student may see Dr. Hill for boundless encouragement and general assistance. (An example of general assistance would be, "Here is a book that has some relevant material.'')
• The problems in a particular issue of a journal have a deadline, beyond which the journal will not accept solutions. A student's solution must be submitted to the journal prior to the journal's deadline. (Happily, the deadline is often a few months after the problem is proposed, giving students ample time to work on the problem.)

Students interested in mathematical problem solving are encouraged to take MATH 281, The Problem-Solving Seminar. In the Seminar, problem-solving strategies are studied and applied to a wide range of problems. As the same techniques are applied to problems in calculus, discrete mathematics, geometry, and other areas, mathematics is revealed as a unified discipline rather than a collection of unrelated topics.

The Seminar emphasizes the value of attempts and partial solutions—when a problem-solving technique does not seem to work on a particular problem, progress has been made on the problem and insight has been gained into the technique.

During previous Problem-Solving Seminars, students solved problems posed in the problems sections of national undergraduate journals such as Math Horizons, The College Mathematics Journal, and the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal.

MATH 281 is a one-credit course offered during the fall semester. The prerequisites are MATH 152 (Calculus II) and MATH 207 (Discrete Mathematics I).