Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011 - (Page 26)

by Gabriella Studt Fun, Games, & I WAS 13 THE FIRST YEAR I WENT TO MATHPATH. Having never been to a sleep-away camp, I was nervous about attending. I had also never flown by myself, so my mom flew with me to Denver, where the camp was held that year. When we got off the plane, we saw a counselor holding a sign with “MATHPATH” written tOCk SHUttErS in big red letters. She told us where all the kids were supposed to go. A Unique Community I learned about MathPath from older students in my math club, and then I went online and looked more closely at what MathPath had to offer. I decided to apply when I saw that it would allow me to study mathematical topics that I might otherwise not see until college, such as analytic geometry, game theory, hyperbolic geometry, additive set geometry, and spherical trigonometry. When I arrived, I saw why those students in my math club had recommended MathPath so enthusiastically. There were classes on math competitions, such as MATHCOUNTS or Olympiad geometry, as well as on abstract mathematical topics such as group theory, inversion in geometry, vectors, and graph theory. These topics are covered in breakout courses, which are classes of about 15 people. Every student at MathPath takes two breakout classes per week, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each week, there were at least two breakout classes in each time slot that looked interesting to me, and it always took me a long time to decide which classes I wanted most to take. One of my favorites was Mr. M’s mathematical induction course. (Most of “Want to go introduce yourself?” my mom asked. “Uh, in a minute. Let’s get my luggage first,” I said nervously. Once we had my suitcase and I could delay no longer, I went up to the group of kids sitting in a corner of the airport. Pretty much as soon as I joined them, I started to make friends. On the bus ride to Colorado College, where camp was being held that year, I met a few other people, but mostly I got to know a girl named Katie, and we became good friends. By the end of the first week, everybody had settled in and grown accustomed to life at MathPath. My friends and I would go to classes in the morning and afternoon, and in our free time we would go swimming, play hearts, mao, or mafia, or just hang out and talk. By the end of four weeks, we’d had so much fun that we didn’t want to leave. 26 imagine PHOtO COUrtESY OF MAtHPAtH Mar/Apr 2011

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