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Mu Alpha Theta is offering Summer Math Program/Research Grants to
Mu Alpha Theta members. To be considered for the grant,
the member's chapter must have been active during the previous twelve months.
(This means that the school would not have reactivated or chartered in the
twelve months prior to the application.)
Grants may be requested for up to $2000 per student, if the student has been a member
since, at least, the semester prior to the application.
High school members may request grants through the summer after high
school graduation. Two-Year college students may request money through
the summer after they graduation from their member college. Coursework
taken using grant money may not be used for courses that are typically
available at the high school or the student's home college, such as
Calculus I, Calculus II or Statistics. Grant money may be used to pay
tuition or fees for a summer math program at, or sponsored by, an accredited
school or university. Money will also be granted to reimburse expenses for
doing research in mathematics or applied mathematics. This may include,
but is not limited to, housing, travel, publication fees, or supplies.
Money provided for tuition and fees will be sent directly to the institution
offering the program. Student's receiving reimbursed expenses will be asked
to provide receipts for reimbursed items and a social security number for
tax purposes. The member's service to and active participation in his/her
Mu Alpha Theta club may be considered in the grant selection process.
Click here to download the Summer Grant application.
Some summer programs that might qualify:
Recipient’s Name: Leigh Braswell
Recipient’s School: AL School of Fine Arts
School Location: Cullman, AL
Program: MathCamp
Leigh's Program Comments:
"Ever since I departed from the AwesomeMath Summer Program last year, I knew I wanted to attend a
math camp again this summer. I finally decided on Canada/USA Math Camp, mainly because it lasted
longer than AMSP (five weeks instead of three) and seemed to be less focused on contest and more on
college-level mathematics, an area I had not previously been exposed to. Indeed, during my time at
Math Camp, I was completely inundated with higher level mathematics- even the notation seemed
unfamiliar! However, I soon became quite comfortable dealing with this new and fascinating language
as I navigated my way through an incredibly interesting multitude of classes. I started with crash
courses in linear algebra, multivariable calculus, group theory, and ring theory, all subjects I had
merely heard of prior to camp. These Week 1 classes were invaluable in the weeks to come; for example,
in just a few days, the amazing multivariable calculus teacher gave me such a solid foundation that
in latter weeks I was able to understand classes on complex analysis and attend lectures on topics
such as using double integrals to find the sum of the reciprocals of the squares of the positive
integers. Not only did my proficiency in calculus skyrocket, but I become very familiar with topics
in graph theory, combinatorics, and invariant theory. I am now able to prove theorems I never knew
existed, including the Redfield Polya Theorem, whose application allows me to count the number of
distinguishable bracelets with different numbers of colored beads, without using brute force! I
even had the privilege of attending classes on olympiad problem solving with themes such as
polynomials, inequalities, and Putnam problems. Basically, every single one of the classes I
attended in this short time was great preparation for the math I will do in upcoming years, both
in school and in contests. I so look forward to applying the techniques and skills I gained at Math Camp very soon!
However, to just talk about the success I had with the academic program at Math Camp would be
leaving out a very significant part of what made my experience unforgettable. The culture of Math
Camp is unlike anything I have ever been a part of before; a community of mathematicians, scholars,
ultimate Frisbee players, singers, dancers (etc.) makes for the most welcoming and incredible summer
camp environment. Of course math classes were the top priority, but Math Camp is so much more than
just attending class. It’s listening to John Conway speak at the daily colloquium, learning a new
computer language and programming levels of a video game, getting lost and turning a 12 mile hike
into a 23 mile “hardcore” hike, exploring both inside the classroom and out, solving puzzles about
cereal and zombies, wearing sarongs, working and making friends with brilliant campers and staff,
and being unabashedly yourself, no matter what. I couldn’t imagine not attending Math Camp this
summer, and I can’t thank Mu Alpha Theta enough for giving me the means to. This experience will
stay will me forever, and I promise, the knowledge I gained will not be wasted!"
Recipient’s Name: John Gee
Recipient’s School: Calhoun High School
School Location: Port Lavaca, TX
Program: Simons Summer Research Fellowship
John's Program Comments: "I am grateful for the summer grant offered to me this summer
by Mu Alpha Theta. The experiences I've had during the past seven weeks in the lab have been eye-opening
to my conception of science. In the past, I've taken science to be a compilation of concepts for us to
understand and to be tested. The discoveries were made and we just had to learn about them. This summer
was my first experience doing research, and the independent and relentless work has truly given me the
intuition as to what research is all about. Few high school students have the opportunity to
work in a lab like the one I did. It was a great honor to work in this Simmerling lab and to
be with each and every one of the Simons Fellows this past summer.
My research pertained to implementing computer simulations that modeled the molecular dynamics of protein
structures. Though the theme of the project was biologically oriented, the methods that were used were primarily
statistical. Thanks again to Mu Alpha Theta. I’m sure that what I did this summer will eventually be a
significant influence on my future career. I wish the same for future Simons Fellows!"
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Recipient’s Name: Pamela Hu
Recipient’s School: Rickards High School
School Location: Tallahassee, FL
Program: Awesome Math
Pamela's Program Comments: "From the title, you can assume that this camp is awesome. But
from personal experience, I can honestly say that this is just an understatement. As a returning camper, I was
definitely excited to see what else there was to learn from another three weeks.
I started off my mornings with Geometry. This class focused on polygons and circles. The most useful thing
I gained from this class is a mindset that questions everything. “To think logically…”, that was the goal our
teacher had set out for us. Nothing was said to be what it was until proven so. Every theorem we used, every
law and every formula was proven. It was surprising to see how many things we just assumed. Whenever a classmate
made an assertion, our teacher would reply with a “why”. This became the most used word during class and because
of that, I was taught to think deeper.
My afternoon class revolved around counting, a field of mathematics known as combinatorics. During the three
weeks, we covered fundamental topics including pigeonhole principle, stars and bars, and graph theory. My teacher
was very friendly and open to any questions. The most valuable lesson that I learned from her was to be organized.
In combinatorics, problems often involve multiple steps, several cases, and large numbers. The solutions to each
problem my teacher taught were very clear, very well planned out and this influenced my approach. Keeping track of
what’s being calculated, whether physically labeling or mentally, is ideal.
After class, many recreational activities and math-related forums were offered. The weekends gave us time to relax
and enjoy some of the bigger events. This year we went to Great America, had a scavenger hunt, a talent show, and a
dance. I’ve genuinely enjoyed my time at AMSP. Beyond learning mathematics, I had the opportunity to get to know some
really amazing people. They are a very talented group of kids with a lot of potential and I can’t wait to see them again.
Thank you, Mu Alpha Theta, for allowing me to have this experience."
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Recipient’s Name: Aditya Jain
Recipient’s School: Clements High School
School Location: Sugar Land, TX
Program: Mathworks - San Marcos, TX
Aditya's Program Comments:
"Mathworks runs an absolutely wonderful summer camp. After coming home from math camp last year, I was initially
quite sad, but I was also very happy because now I had something wonderful to look forward to for next year.
Coming back to math camp, so many things were as I expected and so many things were unusual. As a second year
student in the Honors Summer Math Camp, I took Analysis I and Combinatorics. Not having taken Calculus yet, I
really enjoyed getting to do analysis in camp and preparing myself for calculus through this. We explored
different properties of sequences, series, and functions and truly learned what it meant to have a limit.
Furthermore, in Combinatorics, we learned different counting principles. We examined various areas of study from
combinations and permutations to graph theory to brain-racking logic puzzles. Having had some difficulty in
Combinatorics in the past, taking a course at camp truly solidified my understanding of Combinatorics. Beyond
the two main classes I took, I had the opportunity to work on a research project with two other camp students.
Receiving this opportunity to work closely with two other students for many hours a week in an area of
mathematical research, I was incredibly thankful, but also very confused. Over these 6 weeks, I learned so much
more than I could have imagined from my Siemens project. Beyond just learning math, I learned the value of hard
work, persistence, and "out-of-the-box" thinking. However, math camp wasn't just all work and no fun. Taking
advantage of our free time in the day and at nights, I developed close friendships with other math camp students
as well, making friends I value greatly and have already made plans to keep in touch with now that camp is over.
Mathworks offers a truly unbelievable and unique experience in their program. I wouldn't trade this opportunity
to make priceless friendships, experience new things, and learn a subject that I truly enjoy for anything. I
strongly recommend that anyone else with a passion for math should apply to this program!"
Recipient’s Name: Frederick William Lake, IV
Recipient’s School: Highland Park High School
School Location: Dallas, TX
Program: Stanford - Quantum Mechanics
William's Program Comments: "I would like to thank you very much for helping me with the costs of
attending Stanford this summer. It was an amazing experience: the campus was beautiful; I was constantly among great
kids who were as smart or smarter than me; and the math I was learning was well past my prior knowledge. We learned
Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues and also a whole host of new
matrix operations. They especially went very in depth on how to derive the wave equation. The book we used was Introduction
to Quantum Mechanics by Park. We also used the
book, Six Quantum Pieces, by Valerio Scarani. My Professor, Dr. Gary Oas, also gave me Spacetime Physics by Edwin Taylor
at the conclusion of the program as a prize for being such a dedicated student. It was an
absolute privilege to study Quantum Mechanics at Stanford, a valuable experience which I will always deeply appreciate.
Not only that, but I was so impressed with Stanford that I decided I would apply Early Action after only my third day there."
Recipient’s Name: Vivek Miglani
Recipient’s School: Stoneman Douglas High School
School Location: Coral Springs, FL
Program: Awesome Math
Vivek's Program Comments: "During this summer, I attended the AMSP summer program at
University of California, Santa Cruz. Each student took 2 courses, and I took combinatorial arguments and
geometric proofs. In these courses, I learned a lot of advanced techniques to solve Olympiad level problems.
In combinatorial arguments, we focused on combinatorial geometry and learned about the many identities in
this area. Since combinatorial geometry also happened to be our professor's research interest, we were
exposed to the proofs of known theorems and the unsolved problems. It was amazing to see how many of our
assigned problems could be varied slightly to become a currently unsolved problem which many researchers
are working on. In geometric proofs, we covered a wide range of topics from Ceva's Theorem to projective
geometry and inversion. Each theorem and lemma that we used in class was proved from the basics without
assuming anything. Outside of the math lessons, I had a great time meeting so many new friends who all
shared the same passion for math. I learned an enormous amount of math and was able to have an experience
I will remember forever! I hope that Mu Alpha Theta can help many more students attend a summer program
and share the wonderful experiences that I enjoyed."
Recipient’s Name: Brian Min
Recipient’s School: Trinity Preparatory School
School Location: Winter Springs, FL
Program: Awesome Math
Recipient’s Name: Daniel Wang
Recipient’s School: W.T. Clarke High School
School Location: East Meadow, NY
Program: Simons Summer Research Fellowship
Daniel's Program Comments:
"For the past seven weeks, I had the privilege of conducting mathematics-related research at Stony Brook
University as part of the Simons Summer Research Program. Under the mentorship of Prof. Carlos Simmerling of
the Department of Chemistry, I was provided the tools and guidance to explore computational biology, a modern
field of science that utilizes mathematical principles to solve biological problems. More specifically, I used powerful
computers to simulate the complex process of protein folding using a tool known as molecular dynamics. These
simulations use a vast array of mathematical calculations to determine the coordinates of each atom in a protein
over time. I was truly amazed to see mathematics applied in such a unique way; the experience affirmed my longtime
belief that mathematics is the tool to solving the world’s most complex problems. By coupling the principles
of biochemistry with the power of mathematics, I was able to shed some light on one of biochemistry’s most
perplexing questions. In addition to work I conducted during lab hours, the Simons Summer Research Program
also allowed me to explore mathematics through various presentations and lectures that were offered in the
evenings. For instance, I particularly enjoyed attending a guest lecture by MIT professor Erik Demaine on the
computational and geometric properties of folding origami. It was interesting to hear about the complex
mathematics behind such beautiful creations. In addition, we attended weekly lunch talks hosted by professors
from Stony Brook University on the cutting-edge research they are currently conducting. Topics covered in these
guest lectures ranged from the molecular mechanisms of tuberculosis to the potential dangers of radioactive tuna
fish. We also had the chance to take a guided tour of Brookhaven National Laboratory, where we were able to see
the inner workings of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the National Synchrotron Light Source.
In addition to providing me with a priceless research experience, the Simons Summer Research Program also gave
me the opportunity to meet a group of amazing people from across the nation and make lifelong friendships. The
community of students at the Simons Summer Research Program was unlike anything I had ever been a part of. In
this diverse group of scholars, everyone seemed to have an inspirational story to tell. I was truly surprised and
excited to meet other young scientists from across America who shared my passion for discovery.
I would like to thank my mentor, Prof. Carlos Simmerling, as well as the entire Simmerling Lab for providing me
with the guidance in exploring a field of study that was once foreign to me. I would also like to thank Karen
Kernan, director of the Simons Summer Research Program, for organizing an inspiring and enriching summer
experience. I strongly recommend any students with a passion for math and science to apply to this amazing
summer program!"
Recipient’s Name: Lawrence Wu
Recipient’s School: Stephen F. Austin High School
School Location: Sugar Land, TX
Program: PROMYS
Lawrence's Program Comments: "PROMYS is a great program. The ideals of the program are
given by 'To think deeply of simple things' - Arnold E. Ross. I quickly learned that simple does not equal
easy and to question any result that I accept as true. The core class was number theory, where we began
by seeking rigorous proofs for basic results using only the axioms for the integers. Through this process
we realized how naturally these results generalized to other rings. Eventually we were able to prove
beautiful results such as the law of quadratic reciprocity. In addition, I took abstract algebra and
exploration lab. Due to the rigor and exploration involved, by the end of the program I felt a deeper
understanding of mathematics, as opposed to the mystery of plugging numbers into formulas without knowing
why they work. PROMYS was an invaluable benefit to my mindset. Thanks Mu Alpha Theta for the [grant]!"
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Recipient’s Name: Haohang Xu
Recipient’s School: Ladue Horton Watkins High School
School Location: St. Louis, MO
Program: MathCamp
Recipient’s Name: Karen Yang
Recipient’s School: Klein High School
School Location: Spring, TX
Program: Stanford's SuMac
Karen's Program Comments: "Upon reflection of the 4 weeks of my life that flew by so quickly this summer at SUMaC,
I have come to the conclusion that they were some of the most influential and life-changing
moments of my life.
Academically, the excellent program SUMaC offered provided just the right amount of rigor;
I attended program I, which began with number systems and finite algebraic structures, and
gradually transferred to abstract algebra, number theory, and permutations before wrapping
up with partitions, cosets, quotients, rings, and fields. The course was able to introduce
relatively new topics to me, and broadened both my perspective of and intrigue towards mathematics.
The structured program allowed the students to effectively use all of their time, with lectures in
the morning, problem sets in the early afternoon, and usually planned activities later in the day,
which sometimes involved informative guest lectures given by Stanford professors. Everyone also
participates in research which culminates into a presentation at the end of the program; my research
topic, cryptography, allowed me to explore the real world application of mathematics in ways I could
never have imagined before. The incredible amount of mathematics I learned in that short period of
time provided me a sense of immense joy in my newfound knowledge.
Beyond the academics of the program, SUMaC offered many activities for fun bonding moments, such as a
trip out to San Francisco, SUMaC Olympics, and a talent show, just to name a few. After 4 weeks of
collaborating with TA’s and other campers, I felt incredibly close to each and every individual like I
had known them for years. Every single person there was a truly bright and talented individual that h
elped to form not just a sense of community within SUMaC, but also the genuine love of a large family.
The unbelievable memories of unimaginable joy and intense math that I shared with everyone created,
quite simply, the most amazing time of my life.
I would like to thank the Mu Alpha Theta, as well as all the amazing counselors, TA’s, guest lecturers,
Rick, and my new friends from everywhere around the world for having a hand in making my incredible
experience what it is today. I would strongly recommend anyone interested to apply to SUMaC,
as it will definitely be a decision they will never regret."
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Recipient’s Name: Catherine Yip
Recipient’s School: Cooper City High School
School Location: Cooper City, FL
Program: Mathworks - San Marcos, TX
Catherine's Program Comments: "As a second-year at math camp, I had the opportunity to take Analysis I and
Combinatorics. Both were completely new to me for I had no previous exposure to either topic. I really enjoyed both classes.
In Analysis, I loved being able to prove concepts I used in my AP Calculus AB and BC classes. It was so cool to be able to know
why a limit existed as opposed to just knowing that it did. I really liked the format of the class in that through our daily
presentations of theorems we proved the previous nights. I had the opportunity to see different ways of approaching theorems and
methods of solving. It was great being able to see how others viewed problems. Additionally, Terry, who taught our Analysis
class, taught me to pay attention to every single minute detail. Everything had to be in the precise, correct order in order
for the proof to “flow”. In Combinatorics, I greatly enjoyed using math concepts we simply glanced over in school, such as
combinations and permutations, to go in-depth into other combinatorial proofs. It was also really interesting to begin learning
graph theory and apply the concepts we learned overall to apply them to combinatorial puzzles and riddles. The applications
were one of the coolest things we could do in Combinatorics. One of the best parts of math camp is the opportunity to do
mathematical research under a university professor. It is an amazing experience and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity.
Not everyone has the opportunity to conduct research and sometimes, I can’t even believe that I’m actually here doing it. I’ve
learned so much from the research project I’m currently working on with my teammates.
Mathworks has also changed how I view Mu Alpha Theta. I find myself thinking about ways I could prove the problems of the
regional competitions. I think it would be really cool if Mu Alpha Theta was expanded to include number theory, analysis, and
combinatorial concepts. Unfortunately, many of the schools I know of do not offer students the opportunity to take such
classes and solely focus on the “core” mathematical subjects, such as geometry, calculus, and statistics. While we can learn a
lot from these classes, I feel that we could learn even more from number theory and other classes that teach students why
mathematical concepts work and the very foundations of math. In addition to competition topics, I plan to expand the
Mu Alpha Theta chapter at Cooper City High School by introducing number theory concepts to members or any other students who
want to learn them. I would definitely recommend Texas Mathworks to any person who might be looking for a great summer
experience. The campers, counselors, and teachers here are amazing and it has an honor to be able to work with them. I have
learned so much, more than I thought I could from a “math” program when I first heard about Texas Honors Summer Camp."
Recipient’s Name: Jennifer Zoffada
Recipient’s School: Castro Valley High School
School Location: Castro Valley, CA
Program: COSMOS
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Recipient’s Name: Ran Ju
Recipient’s School: Rickards High School
School Location: Tallahassee, FL
Program: Awesome Math Program/Santa Cruz
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Recipient’s Name: Andrew J. Chico
Recipient’s School: Rickards High School
School Location: Tallahassee, FL
Program: Awesome Math Program/Santa Cruz
Andrew's Program Comments: "Awesome Math was an amazing experience. I have
never before learned from such distinguished faculty. Many IMO medalists were teaching classes
such as Number Theory, Combinatorial Arguments, and Computational Geometry.
In my Algebra class, we went from AIME level Algebra up to simple Olympiad Algebra, starting with
quadratic equations and applications of them to solve problems. Eventually, we reached Muirhead’s
Inequality and the Cauchy-Schwarz Inequality. We proved the general form of the AM-GM inequality as
a class, which was very interesting.
In the Combinatorics class, we learned the concept of double counting and counting sums the first
week. This was a very tough week. Eventually we moved on to the Principle of Inclusion-Exclusion,
informally known as PIE. In the last week, we tackled generating functions. Perhaps the most valuable
part of this course was my change in perspective. Combinatorial AIME problems always seemed to
intimidate me in the past, but now that I have the tools to tackle them with ease.
Overall, the program was highly beneficial. I met other students who are very interested in math, and
I learned much from my TA’s and teachers. The campus was beautiful and the weather was great! I would
recommend the Awesome Math program to any student who wishes to improve their skills at competition math."
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Recipient’s Name: Linda T. Liu
Recipient’s School: Rickards High School
School Location: Tallahassee, FL
Program: Awesome Math Program/Santa Cruz
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Recipient’s Name: Lilly Shen
Recipient’s School: W. P. Clements High School
School Location: Sugar Land, TX
Program: MathWorks/San Marcos, TX
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Recipient’s Name: Hayley Sypniewski
Recipient’s School: Mt. Notre Dame High School
School Location: Cincinnati, OH
Program: Ross Mathematics
Hayley's Program Comments:
"The Ross Mathematics Program at OSU was an amazing experience. The program focused
on number theory, but, as opposed to a traditional educational experience, much of
the learning done was based around personal discovery. Instead of being taught
number theory and having proofs given to me, the Ross program required that I discover
for myself why many things in mathematics, that I might have taken for granted, are true.
The Ross Program not only challenged me to work harder than any previous program or class,
but it also made me develop a deeper appreciation of the formulas and equations I used on
a daily basis in my high school classroom. This definitely follows the Ross Program’s motto
'think deeply of simple things' as by the time I finished my first week of the program I
realized that nothing was as simple as it seemed. Starting with basic axioms such as additive
identity, multiplication, addition, etc, students constructed proofs of why a|a and why
a>b^b>c=>a>c. The true beauty of the program rested in how, by the time the program ended,
these basic proofs had built on top of each other to prove less obvious conjectures such as
quadratic reciprocity, Pell’s equation, and Mobius inversion.
At the end of the program, not only did all of us learn about number theory, but we also formed
really strong friendships. After working hard for eight weeks to prove up to 31 sets worth of
proofs, camaraderie arose amongst the first years, junior counselors, and counselors which created
a really powerful sense of community. We all knew how it felt to be stuck on a set or to feel
disappointed when we received a redo on a proof we thought was legitimately correct. By
the end of the first few weeks of the program, I had already become really good friends with people
from all over not just America but also the world. The people I met at Ross were not only the
smartest group of people I’ve known, but also the most interesting. Everyone had talents and
personalities which contributed to the Ross community and all of
these personalities blended together to create an environment where there was never a dull moment
even during a busy day of work.
I would definitely recommend this program to anyone with a strong
interest in mathematics. This program not only exposed me to why many things in math work, but
it also changed the way that I looked at much of the world. The Ross Mathematics Program taught
me to stop thinking 'this is true,' but rather to question why this is true and to develop a deeper
understanding of the things around me."
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Recipient’s Name: John C. Deeble
Recipient’s School: Fontainebleau High School
School Location: Mandeville, LA
Program: MathWorks/San Marcos, TX
John's Program Comments:
"Mathworks Honor’s Seminar Math Camp was a refreshing delve into the less-learned subject of Number
Theory. The coursework was challenging and we moved quickly. It was a radically different style of
learning mathematics than school work for a couple of reasons. First, we came up with everything that
was taught, before it was taught, in “study groups” where we were asked probing questions that forced
us to the conclusions or “theorems” that would be reviewed the next day. Second, there was more of a
focus on proofs than applications. If we wanted to use any property of mathematics, it had to be proven
or introduced axiomatically first. Initially this was frustrating as I did not want to spend any amount
of time proving things that seemed obvious, for example 0*n=0 or 1*n=n. However I realized that these
proofs offer a feeling of closure, as if now I can feel like I truly know why Math works at the most
basic level. The concepts were not basic for long; it became increasingly challenging as we worked
towards the principle of quadratic reciprocity and the explanation behind RSA encryption.
In addition to the study groups we learned Mathematica. We designed programs that would express any
number as a continued fraction, and programs that could create linear combinations of two integers such
that the linear combinations would be equivalent to the greatest common denominator of the two integers.
One of the benefits of this course in Mathematica was that at the end of the camp, we all got student
editions of Mathematica.
All in all, it was a valuable learning experience and I am very grateful for the Mu Alpha Theta
scholarship which allowed me to attend."
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Recipient’s Name: Pratheek B. Nagaraj
Recipient’s School: Stoneman Douglas High School
School Location: Parkland, FL
Program: The Summer Science Program
Pratheek's Program Comments: "The Summer Science Program, SSP, was an unparalleled
learning opportunity. In just 5 weeks, I learned more than I could have ever anticipated. The primary
focus of the program is observational astronomical research in celestial mechanics, but the program
also allowed for a great combination of academic and social growth.
During the day, we had lectures in subjects including mathematics, astronomy, physics, and programming. At night, we were
placed in groups of 3 to observe a near-earth asteroid’s movement across the night sky as part of the Orbital Determination
Project. Each group took turns using a telescope to track our assigned asteroid. Using this data, we then wrote computer code
to convert our observations into a mathematical model that accurately depicted the movement of our asteroid over time. This
was an entirely new experience for me, and I certainly enjoyed staying up till 3 AM to take advantage of this exceptional
opportunity! The Instructors, Assistants, and Staff were phenomenal and all supportive throughout the rigorous academic process.
Besides the academic experience, SSP provided a great social experience. Meeting people from around the world who share the
same passions and interests was a unique and special moment in my life that I will surely cherish. We had numerous noteworthy
guest speakers and many unforgettable field trips. The friends that I made over the course of the 5 weeks were some of the most
amazing and remarkable individuals that I will meet in my life.
For over 50 years, the Summer Science Program has provided a great intellectual and personal development opportunity to
participants. Having experienced the program first-hand, I sincerely recommend it to anyone else who shares my passion for
applied mathematics and science."
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Recipient’s Name: Michelle S. Fogarty
Recipient’s School: Providence High School
School Location: Charlotte, NC
Program: MIT Women's Technology Program
Michelle's Program Comments: "This past summer I participated in the Women's Technology
Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science track.
It was an incredible learning experience: I was immersed in the fields of electrical engineering,
computer science, and discrete mathematics through a rigorous schedule of daily classes, labs, and
problem sets. During the four weeks, I programmed a working Tetris game in Python language, wired a
working AM radio, broadened my knowledge of over a dozen discrete math topics, and built a running
motor. This summer experience exposed me to fields I had not previously explored and furthered my
understanding of the importance of mathematics in the engineering and science fields.
The MIT Women’s Technology Program was also a rare opportunity to spend time with like-minded young
women interested in these exciting fields. The staff was also very supportive, both academically and
socially, organizing many fun outings and events for the campers. They really cared about the campers in
the program.
This experience helped me solidify my desire to study mathematics in college and I would highly
recommend this program to all young women interested in mathematics."
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Recipient’s Name: Aaron D. Choe
Recipient’s School: Thomas Jefferson High School
School Location: Auburn, WA
Program: Texas Tech University Summer Math Camp
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Recipient’s Name: Yi (Tony) Zeng
Recipient’s School: Buchholz High School
School Location: Gainesville, FL
Program: PROMYS/Boston University
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Recipient’s Name: Hyungie Sung
Recipient’s School: Baton Rouge Magnet High School
School Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Program: MIT Women's Technology Program
Hyungie's Program Comments:
"During three of the four weeks that I spent at MIT's Women's
Technology Program for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,
I took a Discrete Math class. Although I had taken a Discrete Math
course in my high school, the course at WTP was much more
challenging, as we learned about advanced topics. On the first day,
we were introduced to asymptotic relations, which would be a topic
that kept returning throughout the three weeks; we learned how to
analyze different functions and how to note which function is more
efficient. I found asymptotic relations to be both the trickiest
and the most interesting subject that we covered. Although the
mathematics was one exciting aspect of the program, there were
many others that made WTP so great. Outside of the classroom, I
would spend my time exploring Boston, playing Quidditch, and
traveling through MIT's underground tunnels. Many events were
also hosted by the WTP staff, such as eating dim sum, visiting
the aquarium, and going to the beach. With all of this excitement,
I gained many treasured friends. WTP was the highlight of my
summer and a fantastic experience that I will always remember."
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Recipient’s Name: Adam H. Su
Recipient’s School: Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science
School Location: Denton, TX
Program: Research Science Institute at MIT
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Recipient’s Name: Mark J. Aksen
Recipient’s School: Bergen County Academies
School Location: Bergen, NJ
Program: Awesome Math Program/Santa Cruz
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Recipient’s Name: Alex P. Brandt
Recipient’s School: American Heritage High School/Boca-Delray
School Location: Boynton Beach, FL
Program: Michigan Math and Science Scholars Program
Alex's Program Comments: "I took the course “Images and Mathematics” at the University of Michigan Math
and Science Scholars summer program. In this course, we learned that there is more to pictures than just
a camera and a lens. There are many different areas of mathematics involved in imaging and image processing,
and we spent time covering each of them. Some of these were matrices, vectors, transforms, and functions.
After learning the math behind images, we used a program where we could apply our newly learned skills called
MATLAB. In this program, we could manipulate an image however we wanted. For example, if we wanted an image to
be rotated 45 degrees, all MATLAB would need is a matrix that would perform such a transformation. So we’d
define the matrix in MATLAB and submit a code so that it performs the transformation and then we would get our
new image. We also used MATLAB to do different types of image processing. We submitted functions that make the
quality of the image better, which is very useful when analyzing images in the medical field.
I highly recommend the Michigan Math and Science Scholars program. There are many other types of courses to
choose from. It was really exciting to see how math is used in real world applications and I had never thought
about math being involved in imaging."
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Recipient’s Name: Clarisse A. Caliman
Recipient’s School: Oakville Senior High School
School Location: St. Louis, MO
Program: Idea Math
Clarisse's Program Comments: "Overall, it was a very good experience. I took Geometry and Contest Enhancement.
In the geometry class, I definitely learned new ways to think about problems and how to deal with them
in different ways. We covered innovative ways of deducing trigonometric identities, simplifying math steps
by working with vectors, and working with circles. The same went for the Contest Enhancement class. I learned a
lot of creative problem-solving from that class, and I feel much more confident now about my performence on
competitions. The problem sets in this class mostly came from AMC or higher mathematical competitions. Also,
I liked how they sponsored games every evening so that we all got a chance to socialize and relax. I made
many new friends from all over the U.S. It was also cool that they had a special program for Chinese and
Indonesian students to come and practice their English skills while learning math. It was a great opportunity
to meet people from all over the world! The camp had a big range in ages, as well. I got to meet very intelligent
and nice people from different age groups. I also liked the sponsored field trips, one to the campuses of MIT
and Harvard and one to an amusement park. I thought this was a great camp and it would be a great experience for
anyone who decides to go."
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Recipient’s Name: Kevin Y. Chen
Recipient’s School: William P. Clements High School
School Location: Sugar Land, TX
Program: Texas Mathworks
Kevin's Program Comments: "Mathworks has been an amazing experience for me! In only six weeks, I took classes, worked on
mathematics research, played ferociously at night, and as a Junior Counselor, was able to help the newer campers with their
classes.
This year I took Combinatorics and Analysis II, the former exposing me to a lot of interesting competition-math type problems,
which I’ve enjoyed all throughout high school, and the latter allowing me to carefully understand the simple concepts that we
had been taken for granted in our high school calculus class. In between classes I worked with two other campers, who are both
very close friends with me now, on a research project in graph theory concerning the modular chromatic number of graphs. Our
research had a lot of ups and downs, and I learned a lot about being persistent and patient with our work.
The camp experience allowed me to feel very independent as I managed by myself when I should sleep, do work, buy groceries, or
explore the Texas State campus. We always have lots to do, and one particularly fun weekend for me included rafting down the
Guadalupe River and then playing Frisbee with all my friends here and even with the professors who teach us! I’m sure that
compared with other camps I’ve been to, none of them have campers and teachers who are as close and remarkable as in this one.
I would highly recommend this camp for anyone who wants to not only enjoy math but also meet friendly and amazing people while
having a great time."
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Recipient’s Name: Daniel T. Cooper
Recipient’s School: Jesuit High School
School Location: Mandeville, LA
Program: EPGY Summer Institute at Stanford University
Daniel's Program Comments: "For three weeks this summer, I studied number theory as part of
Stanford’s Education Program for Gifted Youth, and I had an amazing time!
Through my class and study session, I learned more about numbers than I had
ever imagined there was to know. My class and I solved problems, wrote proofs,
and presented advanced topics in order to get a well-rounded number theory education.
I found writing proofs especially interesting and edifying, since they emphasized
thoroughness and creativity. However, the program was not entirely about mathematics.
During free time, I got the chance to play basketball and volleyball, explore
Stanford’s campus, and go stargazing. On the weekends, I got sunburn at the beach,
bought some delicious food at a farmers’ market, and played soccer in the inter-program
tournament. Along the way, I met many remarkable people and made some incredible
friendships. All in all, my time at EPGY was an extremely enriching experience,
one that I will never forget."
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Recipient’s Name: Diego B. Hernandez
Recipient’s School: Rickards High School
School Location: Tallahassee, FL
Program: AwesomeMath Summer Program/Santa Cruz
Diego's Program Comments: "This summer I attended the AwesomeMath Summer Program, or AMSP, which was held at the
University of California Santa Cruz. A three-week program for about 80 students, AMSP offers three classes each in algebra,
geometry, combinatorics, and number theory. Participants take two classes, one
in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each class is roughly split into a 90-minute lecture
and a 90-minute problem session.
My morning class was Elements of Geometry. Despite the
label, the class was exceedingly challenging and went well beyond the scope of any high-school
geometry class! The second week was spent learning about Menelaus’s Theorem, Ceva’s Theorem, and
circles, including a few lectures on the power of a point and radical axes.
The AMSP courses put a great deal of emphasis on proof, not only in solving problems but also
in learning the concepts. Our teacher stressed the importance of rigor in mathematics. Students would present solutions to individual problems on the blackboard.
Many times our teacher would find holes in our logic and challenge us to elaborate on our explanations.
My afternoon class was Number Sense, the “entry level” number theory course. The course was
difficult but fascinating. We began with divisibility and prime numbers and worked from there,
covering such things as the division algorithm, the Euclidean algorithm, Bezout’s Theorem, the
tau and sigma functions, Euler’s totient function, Fermat’s Little Theorem, Euler’s Theorem,
Wilson’s Theorem, Chinese remainder theorem, bases, and rational and irrational numbers. Many of
the proofs of theorems and problems that we did challenged everyone.
Outside of class time, every night after dinner, we had the opportunity to play soccer, Frisbee, and tennis on the excellent
UCSC campus grounds or socialize in the dorms. Occasionally, math forums were held, in which a
camp counselor presented a specific mathematical topic. On weekends we had such
activities as a talent show and a trip to Six Flags, which were fun.
The people I met at AMSP are some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and I had many
great experiences with them. I wholeheartedly recommend the AwesomeMath Summer Program to anyone wishing
to hone their mathematics skills. I guarantee you will get your wish—and more!"
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Recipient’s Name: Sean P. Karson
Recipient’s School: Trinity Preparatory School
School Location: Winter Park, FL
Program: Texas Mathworks
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Recipient’s Name: Adam H. Su
Recipient’s School: Cinco Ranch High School
School Location: Katy, TX
Program: Ross Mathematics Program
Adam's Program Comments: "Ross is centered on the self-discovery of a
relatively esoteric branch of math, namely number theory. In the beginning
we start with the axioms of the integers, rules as basic as "a = a," yet
using just these axioms, we prove beautiful results such as Fermat's Little
Theorem, Quadratic Reciprocity, and Pell's Equation. These results take days
rather than hours, and the numericals, unfruitful ideas, and lemmas require
much, much more time. We tackle problems as if they aren't known; we become
eternal skeptics, abandoning faulty conjectures, salvaging them, and proving
every "trivial" step until we have an undeniable theorem, which we use again
in even more complicated proofs. Part of the Ross spirit is individual drive
within the context of the Ross community. The couselors become your best friends,
and discussions of problem sets (which regularly push past midnight) become
invaluable bonds where two minds explore foreign, amorphous ideas. In a sense,
Ross has the feel of a cutting-edge research group with a balance of rigor and
creative, unexpected results. Ross alumni not only master number theory but also
leave with an instinctive feel for solving very hard problems. They will be the
future's leading researchers. Thank you and MAO for your support! Ross was life-changing."
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Recipient’s Name: Jennifer B. Tilton
Recipient’s School: Suncoast Community High School
School Location: Riviera Beach, FL
Program: Canada/USA Mathcamp 2010
Jennifer's Program Comments:
"Canada/USA Mathcamp has a perfect combination of learning and fun. While the amount and
variety of classes offered ensures that the campers can completely satisfy their intellectual
curiosity, the frequent injections of entertaining activities keeps boredom and stress levels
low. Week-long classes were offered by graduate students from prestigious
colleges across the nation. They had the opportunity to teach a subject which they had studied.
The teachers were passionate about the subjects which made each class exciting and stimulating.
Their excitement encouraged us to be excited, too. Mathcamp offered classes on topology, graph theory,
knot theory, and many more. It was during this program that I found a love for graph theory, and I
decided to enroll in a semester long college class about the subject this year.
The intellectual atmosphere at Mathcamp combined with the general love for learning made it a paradise
for me. It provided a no-stress opportunity to learn as much as I want to, and I am extremely happy that
I was able to attend.
In the free time after the afternoon classes, we could occupy ourselves doing whatever we enjoyed
– playing chess, doing math problems, or exploring the campus. On weekends,we had optional
“field trips” for entertainment, which included hiking trips,
college tours of MIT and Harvard, and a day at Six Flags New England."
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Recipient’s Name: Kaitlyn A. Bailey
Recipient’s School: Carl Sandburg High School
School Location: Orland Park, IL
Program: MIT Women's Technology Program in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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Recipient’s Name: Jocelyn M. Tang
Recipient’s School: Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
School Location: Rolling Hills Estates, CA
Program: Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists at Boston University
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Recipient’s Name: Kevin R. Sunga
Recipient’s School: Pittsburg High High School
School Location: Pittsburg, CA
Program: COSMOS - CA State Summer School for Math and Science at UC Santa Cruz
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Recipient’s Name: Victoria Shizhen Png
Recipient’s School: Bergen County Academies
School Location: Hackensack, NJ
Program: Awesome Math at University of Texas in Dallas
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Recipient’s Name: Daniel Zhou
Recipient’s School: Bergen County Academies
School Location: Hackensack, NJ
Program: Awesome Math at University of Texas in Dallas
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Recipient’s Name: Stephanie T. Yu
Recipient’s School: James E. Taylor High School
School Location: Katy, TX
Program: Stanford University Math Camp
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Recipient’s Name: David A. Weinberg
Recipient’s School: Spruce Creek High School
School Location: Port Orange, FL
Program: Ross Mathematics Program, Ohio State University
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Recipient’s Name:Feenalie Patel
Recipient’s School:White Station High School
School Location:Memphis, TN
Program:Boston University Hish School Honors Program
Harvard University http://www.bu.edu/summer/program_high_school_students/honors/research_internship
Feenalie's Program Comments:
"Enriching. Empowering. Errant. Enthralling. Unforgettable. It is said that a picture is worth a
thousand words, but after this summer, I would say the same for my experience in the High School
Summer Honors Program (HSSHP) at Boston University. As a student in the Research Internship
program of HSSHP, I spent six weeks of my summer researching at the Harvard Center for
Neurologic Diseases in Boston with mentors who guided and intellectually stimulated me to
think like a researcher as I pursued my own research experiment, something I only dreamed of
doing in college. My research involved studying B-cell infiltrate in a Type 1 Diabetic patient.
While I was there, not only did I gain more knowledge about immunology, but I also learned the
methods used in research labs. Although the lab focused on immunology, mathematics played such
a crucial role in every aspect of the research: you have to calculate proportions for the
solutions and mixtures, create scatter plots and graphs to represent the data, understand
statistical mathematics, calculate regressions lines, and be precise in all measurements.
As I contemplate the possibility of becoming a researcher after college, it was interesting
to understand and apply mathematics to research. Thank you very much for this unforgettable
opportunity, which I would never have been able to experience without the Mu Alpha Theta grant."
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Recipient’s Name:Gina Pai
Recipient’s School:Hickman High School
School Location:Columbia, MO
Program:Texas Mathworks Honors Summer Math Camp
Texas State University: http://mathworks.txstate.edu/student/HSMC/description.htm
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Recipient’s Name:Natalie Cooper
Recipient’s School:Mandeville High School
School Location:Mandeville, LA
Program:Stanford Unversity Summer Math Institutes
Stanford University: http://math.stanford.edu/sumac
Natalie's Program Comments:
"I participated in Stanfordʼs Education Program for Gifted Youth this summer, and it was the best 3 weeks of my life!
I studied Topology and Knot Theory, which was very interesting. I learned about everything
from different kinds of knots to how to assign polynomials to the knots. It was a very
informative class, and I really enjoyed the challenging material. I feel that I learned an
incredible amount of material for such a short period of time. For our final project, we
learned several proofs related to coloring, which was one of the highlights of the program.
We had class for two-and-a-half hours each day and study hall for three hours. Other than that,
we did a lot of activities on Stanfordʼs beautiful campus, such as hiking, sports, tie-dying, and fountain hopping
(a Stanford tradition). It was such a great experience to meet other students from across the U.S.
and across the world. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Stanford this summer."
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Recipient’s Name:Caleb Myers
Recipient’s School:Washington High School
School Location:Washington, MO
Program:Jacking Introduction to Engineering
Missouri University of Science and Technology: http://summer.mst.edu
Caleb's Program Comments:
"I had a great time at the Jackling Introduction to Engineering. I will hopefully use the knowledge
that I learned because of this camp later in my life, when I am choosing which engineering major I
want to pursue in college. This camp really got me interested in IDE, Inter-Disciplinary Engineering.
It sounds like a really cool field to go into and I had never heard about it before. I also found
out that I do not really want to do Aerospace Engineering; it seemed too boring. During camp we were
introduced to all the different engineering majors offered at Missouri University of Science and
Technology. The fact that I was able to attend this camp for free made me feel
special. I could never have gone to this camp on my own because of the cost."
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Recipient’s Name:Andre Kuney
Recipient’s School:Clarkstown High School South
School Location:West Nyack, NY
Program:Canada/USA Mathcamp
Reed College in Portland, ORhttp://www.mathcamp.org
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Recipient’s Name:Yuehan Huang
Recipient’s School:Vestavia Hills High School
School Location:Vestavia Hills, AL
Program:Programs in Mathematics for Young Scientists
Boston University: promys.bu.edu
Yuehan's Program Comments:
"PROMYS is a fabulous program. A Number theory class is the core class that students must attend everyday.
In the class, Professor Glenn Stevens taught us to think differently from what we have been taught from high school.
The class opened our views in the field of mathematics. In addition to the core classe, there were non-mandatory classes
(such as Modulo Forms, Geometry and Symmetry, Exploration Labs, Research Labs, Abstract Algebra) provided to help us to
expand our knowledge. I chose Geometry and Symmetry. In that class, Professor Rosenberg introduced various forms and
numerous ideas of Geometry to us. The ideas I learned through the program, may apply to areas other than mathematics.
I enjoyed the program throughout the whole six weeks."
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Recipient’s Name:Emil Guliyev
Recipient’s School:Clarkstown High School South
School Location:West Nyack, NY
Program:The Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics
Hampshire College: www.hcssim.org
Emil's Program Comments:
"This summer I participated in Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics. We had classes
every morning from 8:34 to 12:34, with a small break in between. The first three weeks, we learned
about various subjects such as group theory, graph theory, number theory, combinatorics, set theory,
and Möbius transformations. In addition to the morning classes, we had problem sets every day from
7:34 to 10:34 PM about what we did in class. The last three weeks, we had three choices for our classes,
which were called maxis, and were from 8:34 to 10:34 AM, and ten classes, which were called minis,
that lasted from 11:17 to 12:34 PM We were allowed to take only one maxi and two minis, and each maxi/mini
had a special topic. The maxi I took was about origami and its applications, which was very fun. The minis
I took were Lebesgue integration, which is a far superior way of integrating functions than Riemann integration,
and Shuffle, which was about shuffling cards which involved group theory, probability and some graph theory.
In addition to all these, we had an hour-long lecture, called Prime Time Theorem, every day at 5 PM on some topic
which were given by either a guest or a staff member. We also watched math movies on Wednesdays, which were
right before problem set. On weekends we did various things, such as hiking and going to Boston. Overall,
it was a great experience and anyone with any interest in math would enjoy it as much as I did."
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Recipient’s Name:Jacob Trentmann
Recipient’s School:Washington High School
School Location:Washington, MO
Program:Jackling Introduction to Engineering
University of Missouri - Rolla: dce.umr.edu
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Recipient’s Name:Timothy Hudson Harper
Recipient’s School:Alabama School of Fine Arts
School Location:Birmingham, AL
Program:Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists
Boston University: www.promys.org
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Recipient’s Name:Jeremy E. Blum
Recipient’s School:Byram Hills High School
School Location:Armonk, NY
Research Project:To determine if force sensors mounted to the forearm
can effectively and accurately control the movements of an intelligent prosthetic hand on an amputee.
Mentoring Professor:Dr. Peter Kyberd, Institute of Biomedical Engineering
University of New Brunswick, Canada: www.unb.ca/biomed
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