MITnews – The Math Gap

Here is an interesting article from MIT on patterns in high math achievement based on a study of AMC data.  This research follows on the heels of the paper written by Dr. Andreescu and his colleagues last year.  The study seems to conclude that girls (and presumably also boys) thrive when they are able to study math in a community that reinforces their interests and encourages their talents.

Here are some key excerpts from the article:

Ellison and Swanson arrived at their findings by using a novel source of data: the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC), a 60-year-old annual contest involving 125,000 exceptional high-school students. A select group of students who do especially well on the AMC compete in a series of annual competitions, the U.S. Mathematical Olympiad and the International Mathematical Olympiad. This focus on standout students differs from most studies about math and gender in schools…

The numbers Ellison and Swanson scrutinized indicate that the gender disparity among star math students widens as performance levels increase. In 2007, about 800,000 girls took the math SAT, compared to about 700,000 boys. Yet at the 99th percentile of the math SATs, boys outnumber girls two to one. In their research, Ellison and Swanson divide that upper tier into even smaller segments, using AMC results. Among students in the 94th percentile of the AMC tests, they found, the top boys outnumbered the top girls four to one; at the 99th AMC percentile, six to one; and at the 99.9th AMC percentile, 12 to one…

Ellison thinks this huge gender disparity is linked to another fact: Among those students scoring so highly on the AMC and participating in the math Olympiads, the range of high schools represented is much greater for boys than for girls. “The top boys in the Olympiads come from all over the United States,” says Ellison. “Some of them are from big powerhouse schools, and some are from schools where they’re the only student who’s really good at math. But it’s these 20 high schools where the majority of the girls are coming from.” Those institutions range from Phillips Exeter Academy, an elite New England prep school, to a fistful of public high schools in Northern California, from Palo Alto to San Jose. By contrast, Ellison and Swanson note, half of the boys in the Olympiads come from about 200 high schools…

O’Keeffe, who has a daughter who competed in the math Olympiad, is inclined to agree. “Anecdotally, I do think the difference a community makes is enormous,” she says. “If you’re lucky enough to be at a school with a math club, you might be the only girl in it. At Exeter or Stuyvesant [a prominent Manhattan public high school], you might be in a minority, but you won’t be alone.” To be more rigorous, though, Ellison wants to track many individual students over time…

September 26 – Brian Basham

Next Saturday we are pleased to have Brian Basham join us to give a lecture that will touch on conditional probability and graph theory.  Brian is well known to many of the country’s top problem solvers as a teaching assistant at both AwesomeMath and IdeaMath.  Brian is currently a mathematics major at MIT and like many of our speakers may share his experiences of getting into and studying at a top tier university.  Brian’s other accomplishments include:

• Two time USAMO qualifier
• MOSP qualifier 2007
• 1st Place HMMT Combinatorics Subject Test 2008
• AMC 10 Perfect Score 2005

Brian describes the content of his lecture in this way:

A quest to defeat the cannibals that inhabit my favorite math problem. Our journey will start with conditional probability and what it has to with medical diagnoses. We will travel into graph theory and learn how turning people into points can make problems much easier to solve. Finally we discover a concept in computer science which will help us claim victory over the cannibals and keep us from becoming dinner.

Like many of our lectures, Brian’s talk should be accessible to novice problem solvers but challenging to even the most experienced.

Summer Camps: RSI

One of the more elite camps for high school juniors is the Research Science Institute held at MIT.  Following is a brief description of the program.

Each summer approximately 75 high school students gather for six of the most stimulating weeks of their young lives. Selected from the United States and other nations, these students participate in a rigorous academic program which emphasizes advanced theory and research in mathematics, the sciences, and engineering.This is the Research Science Institute (RSI).

Students attend college-level classes taught by distinguished professors. Nationally recognized teachers conduct classes designed to sharpen research skills. In addition, students complete hands-on research with top mentors at corporations, universities, and research organizations.

Many RSI students use their RSI research projects as a basis for entry to science competitions, garnering top awards in the annual Intel Science Talent Search, the Siemens-Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition, and the All-USA High School Academic Scholarship.

The uniqueness of CEE lies in its commitment to help RSI alumni throughout their academic careers – from college selection through search for graduate fellowships, fostering a community with both camaraderie and intellect. CEE’s follow-up program includes helping alumni find suitable summer employment, sponsoring trips to other nations for alumni as Junior Ambassadors, and many other activities.

RSI is open to students who have completed the third year of high school, or the equivalent, by the summer of 2009. The twenty-sixth annual summer session of RSI will be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from June to August, 2009.

December 6: Dr. Tanya Khovanova

After Dr. Benjamin’s special November 19 presentation, Metroplex Math Circle will be on break for the next two Saturdays to allow people to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.

We will return for our last lecture of the semester December 6 with Dr. Tanya Khovanova who will deliver two talks:

1. Binary Numbers

I will teach binary numbers, show a magic trick and we will play with binary dollars.

2. Integers and Sequences

Have you ever heard of untouchable numbers? How about aspiring numbers?  I will tell you what they are.  I will talk about perfect numbers and how they are connected to Mersenne primes. I will talk about the biggest known prime number.  Have you ever wondered what is the most famous number sequence? What is the most versatile sequence? We will discuss that.  What is the largest amount of coin money you can have without being able to make change for a dollar? You can bring your answer to this seminar. What is so special about 1089? You will learn that too. Is 42 (The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything) more famous than 47 (the secret Star Trek TNG number)? You will get the answer to that.  I will also show you the Internet resources about numbers. You will be able to find out many things about your favorite numbers.

Dr. Khovanova has had a varied and interesting career.  She grew up in Russia where she participated in many math competitions, winning 3 gold medals at the national level and one gold and a silver at the IMO.  She earned her PhD in Mathematics at Moscow State University.

Until recently Dr. Khovanova worked in Battle Management until recently deciding to return to academia.  She currently holds a position as a Visiting Scholar at Math Dept at MIT.   In addition, Dr. Khovanova is a math competition coach at the Advanced Math and Sciences Academy.

You can read more about Dr. Tanya Khovanova on her blog.

MIT: Mathematics for Computer Science

One of the greatest enterprises on the Internet has been the posting of course materials by elite universities.  MIT’s Open Courseware (OCW) has been a leader in bringing the benefits of their unique curriculum to the world.

Getting a glimpse into introductory courses is critical because they often weed out those students who are unprepared to pursue studies and later careers in fields like Computer Science.  However, I am glad to say that many of our students who have been coming to Math Circle and participating in MATHCOUNTS or AMC tests will find many of the topics in this course very familiar.

Please click below to download some of the excellent lecture notes and tests.

AOPS: MIT Admissions Transcript

Our friends at Art of Problem solving hosted a Math Jam interview with Matt McGann, Associate Director of Admissions and Kiran Kedlaya, Associate Professor of Mathematics at MIT.  Here are a couple of highlights and a link to the full transcript:

Q:  What is MIT’s admission rate?

A: Last year, if memory serves, we received 13,396 applications and admitted 1589 students, for an admission rate of about 11.9%. But remember, just the admission rate tells you very little about the admissions process or the quality of the school.

Q:  Where are the math major students go and what do they do once they graduated from MIT?

A: Our math majors choose a variety of career paths. Some pursue PhDs in math and continue in academic careers; some do likewise in related subjects (physics, computer science). Finance is a popular option, as are various IT-oriented careers.

Q:  What are some of the research opportunities available during the vacations?

A:MIT has an extensive Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), through which undergrads can get funding to do research projects with faculty either during vacations or academic terms. The burden is on the student to find a faculty mentor, but many faculty participate in the program. (I’ve advised maybe 10 students in this way.)

Q:  What kinds of things make an undergraduate application “jump off the page” during the MIT admissions process? In other words, what makes someone’s application stand out from the rest of the applicants who are most likely very studious as well?

A:  I know you’re very anxious to have this question answered! It’s a tough question, and one that doesn’t have an easy answer. Lots of things can make an application stand out. A 42 at the IMO would be great, but it can be many, many things. Some students stand out for their personality, or their extra-curricular accomplishments, or for overcoming a challenging situation. But all of these students must have strong academics and an alignment with MIT’s mission and culture. For more detailed thoughts on this, I’d read the blogs at our website, http://mitadmissions.org

Q:  Not everyone gets to IMO. Are USAMO qualifiers also considered for admission?

A:  Of course! And even non-USAMO qualifiers!

AOPS: MIT Admissions Math Jam

Our good friends at the Art of Problem Solving are hosting a Math Jam this Thursday with representatives from MIT to discuss their math programs and what they are looking for in applicants. MIT has done a particularly good job in recent years of recruiting top math talent including friends of MMC like Ivan Borsenco.

Math Jams are a free online chat format sponsored by AOPS. You will want to go to the site a bit before the start to make sure your computer is set up properly. If you cannot make this time a full transcript of the event is generally available the next day.

Date: Oct 23 (Thu)
Time: 7:30 PM Eastern
Instructor: Matt McGann

Matt McGann, Associate Director of Admissions at MIT, and Kiran Kedlaya, Associate Professor of Mathematics, will discuss MIT and the admissions process.