Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011 - (Page 13)

Math Circles: A Brief History Mathematical enrichment activities in the United States have been around for at least 30 years, in the form of residential summer programs, math contests, and local school-based programs. The concept of a math circle, on the other hand, with its emphasis on convening professional mathematicians and secondary school students on a regular basis to solve problems, has appeared only within the past 12 years. This form of mathematical outreach made its way to the U.S. most directly from Russia and Bulgaria, where it has been a ﬁxture of their mathematical culture for decades. (The ﬁrst ones appeared in Russia during the 1930s; they have existed in Bulgaria for a century.) The tradition arrived with emigres who had received their inspiration from math circles as teenagers. Many of them successfully climbed the academic ladder to secure positions within universities, and a few pioneers among of lollipops in a bag. This tournament led to a 150 percent increase in girls’ participation in our Math Circle program. Our most recent undertaking has been to start the Santa Ana Math Club. While volunteering at the Santa Ana Math Field Day in June 2010, four OCMC volunteers and I had the opportunity to help over 400 low-income students participate in mathematical problem solving. After gaining support from the Santa Ana Unified School District, I wrote a proposal to the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) and was awarded a $2,000 grant to launch the project. Today, the Club has enrolled 84 students in grades four through seven, and each month, several OCMC volunteers spend a Saturday morning teaching classes to the members of the club. them decided to initiate math circles within their communities to preserve the tradition which had been so pivotal in their own formation as mathematicians. The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Berkeley, California, became involved at an early stage by supporting the Berkeley Math Circle. Not long after, Steve Olson highlighted this math circle in his book Countdown, since a couple of members of the 2001 U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) team attributed their success in part to the problem-solving sessions oﬀered at Berkeley. In this and other ways, math circles began to attract national attention as a means for encouraging students to enjoy, explore, and excel in mathematics. —from Circle in a Box by Sam Vandervelde (Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, 2007). Looking Back and Forward Four years later, OCMC has evolved into a unique community for aspiring mathematicians. Our work pioneered a new model for math circles: in addition to providing opportunities for motivated pre-college students to explore advanced mathematics, we give them a way to become ambassadors who bring the beauty of mathematics to a broader audience. Thanks to our more than 50 devoted volunteers from 30 schools, OCMC’s lectures, tournaments, and special events have served more than 1,000 students from 75 schools. Our math tournaments have become annual events many students look forward to. When California’s budget cuts forced schools to eliminate enrichment programs, OCMC became a destination for many students whose schools could no longer offer math clubs. We assembled OCMC math teams through which such students can participate in math competitions. Last year, our team placed fourth in the inaugural Caltech Harvey Mudd Math Competition. Recently, one of our teams finished first nationally in the Team Round and third overall at the annual Harvard-MIT Online Math Tournament. While I have been honored to win many national math and science awards, creating OCMC is what I’ve found most rewarding and what I’m most proud of. Through the process, I learned the importance of compassion and leadership in pursuit of math that serves humanity. As much as I want to continue to lead OCMC through its expansion and growth, I know that my role will change when I enter college in the fall. With that in mind, I have been spending more time preparing younger volunteers to step up to leadership roles in OCMC. And then I will join OCMC’s Advisory Board, where I hope to mentor aspiring young mathematicians for years to come. Jonathan Li is a senior at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, CA. He is a Davidson Fellow, an Intel StS Finalist, a United States Physics t eam member, a Math Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP) participant, a three-time USAMO qualifier, and the captain of the Southern California ArML t eam. As a cellist, Jonathan has played in All-State and All-Southern Honor Orchestras. At school, he plays varsity soccer, serves on the Honor Committee, and heads up Mu Alpha theta and JEtS t eams. He will attend Harvard in the fall. For more information: Davidson Young Scholars Program www.davidsongifted. org/youngscholars Mathematical Sciences Research Institute www.msri.org National Association of Math Circles www.mathcircles.org Orange County Math Circle www.ocmathcircle.org www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine imagine 13 http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars http://www.msri.org http://www.mathcircles.org http://www.ocmathcircle.org http://www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Problem Solving
Orange County Math Circle
Number Theory
Count Me In
National Mathematics Competitions
Math at the Science Fair
Just My Speed
MathPath
When Origami Meets Rocket Science
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Making a Difference
High School Options for Gifted Students
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011