A high school senior from Stevenson Ranch has won a spot on the American team that will compete next month in an international math contest in China.

Adisa Kruayatidee, a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, is one of eight American students selected to display their number-crunching skills at the 2010 China Girls Mathematical Olympiad to be held in Shijiazhuang, about 40 miles north of Beijing.

The competition helps to develop the talents of future American mathematicians, according to the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, a Berkeley-based center that sponsors the U.S team.

“Programs like the Olympiad are among the best ways to spark interest and create passion about math and science for young women, which is crucial to creating the next generation of female scientists and engineers,” said Laura Hass, director of computer science for IBM Research-Almaden, which provides funding for the competition.

All of the American girls were selected from the top ranks of the 2010 USA Mathematical Olympiad. Kruayatidee’s other California teammates are Cynthia Day from San Jose, a junior from Lynbrook High School, Shiyu (Jing Jing) Li from Sunnyvale, who recently graduated from Cupertino High School, and Lynnelle Ye, who recently graduated from Palo Alto High School.