Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011 - (Page 10)

Johnny (front, center) formed the Orange County Math Circle to involve young mathematicians in problem solving and community service. Here, OCMC volunteers gather at the 2010 Thanksgiving Math Tournament. by Jonathan Li Where Math & Service Meet “W 10 imagine elcome to the 2010 Orange County All-Girls Math Tournament!” my voice boomed from the podium. My welcome was greeted with waves of high-pitched screams from 180 girls who flooded the gymnasium at St. Anne School. For a moment, I thought I had arrived at a Justin Bieber concert. But instead of sharing riveting pop music, I was here to spread the word of Fermat, Euler, and Gauss—and the young mathematicians in the audience couldn’t have been more excited. San Diego Math Circle, taught us that true math is not memorizing formulas but implementing creative and original ideas. He taught us to approach problems with a combination of creativity, intuition, and discipline. As much as I loved his lectures, I also enjoyed socializing with 30 other like-minded students. Despite the long commute, attending the circle and sharing my solutions with my peers became one of my favorite activities. Later in the year, as my math skills improved, I also joined the Long Beach Math Circle, founded by Professor Kent Merryfield of Cal State University at Long Beach. Prof. Merryfield is also the head coach of the Southern My path to that podium started many years earlier. After I participated in the Johns Hopkins Talent Search in fourth grade, my school allowed me to accelerate by taking high school math classes in fifth grade. Worried that I might run out of math classes, my mother searched for enrichment opportunities and found the San Diego Math Circle, a free problem-solving class for motivated, advanced math students held on Saturday mornings at UC San Diego. I was in sixth grade when I attended for the first time, and I was captivated immediately. Mr. Richard Rusczyk, the founder of the 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