John Urschel's Wednesday Morning Math Challenge

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/wednesday-morning-math-challenge-week-1/

Big News: UNH Girls Math Camp is Now Free of Charge and Application Deadline is Extended

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May 15: Free Math Festival at Yale

The Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival, sponsored by Yale University, is being held in New Haven on Sunday, May 15, from 9AM through 12PM. 

This festival gives students a chance to work collaboratively on fun, inspiring puzzles designed to spark their curiosity in mathematics. These non-competitive activities are at different levels and accessible to students in grades 6 through 12. Attached is a flyer with more information on this event.

There is a $10 registration fee for student participants to cover logistics. The registration fee can be waived for students who cannot afford it by simply clicking on the appropriate checkbox on the registration form.

Details here.

A Math Team Update from Mr. Smith

Hello ESUMS community,

Here are a few math related announcements

Congratulations to the following AMC 8 participants

3^rd place: Matthew Ryan; 2^nd place: Aimin Anuar; 1^st place: Gwendolyn Towne

  There was a lot of competition and several students were within points of our 3^rd and 2^nd place finishers. Ms. Towne stood alone and earned an Honor Roll distinction for finishing in the top 5% of test takers nationwide.

This Morning is a Math Morning!

Sun, November 1, Davies Auditorium, 10 Hillhouse Avenue: 
Kelly Delp (Cornell): What can you make using cellular automata?
Suppose we have a line of boxes, each with two possible states, black or white. A 1-dimensional cellular automaton is a simple set of rules for determining how the states of these boxes change over time.  Slight changes in the rules can lead to vastly different patterns. In this talk we will look at examples of these 1-dimensional (and possibly 2-dimensional) automata and see how mathematical artists use them in beadwork, knitting, and image processing.

(Sorry for the late notice; this looks like a good one!)

A Message from Mr. Smith for Middle School Mathletes (Grades 6-8)

Here is an announcement for an upcoming math competition, The American Mathematics Competition for students in grade 8 or below (AMC8)

On November 17th ESUMS will be offering the AMC8. Here are the bullet point details:

•  This competitive exam is open only to students in grades up to and including 8^th grade.

•  There is no cost to participate.

•  The exam will likely be given during the school day, or if not it will commence immediately following school.

•  Spots are limited.

Anyone interested in taking the AMC8 exam, please contact Mr. Smith as soon as possible to secure a seat.

Great Opportunity with a Quick Deadline -- Oct. 15

The Junior Academy is a virtual program for exceptional students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Successful applicants gain access to an exciting community of student peers from across the globe, as well as mentoring from leading STEM practitioners. Each year, Junior Academy students compete in global challenges to solve real-world problems with the chance to win cash prizes and an all expenses paid trip to New York City for a two-day summit. The Junior Academy aims to network thousands of the world’s most promising young STEM talent and provide them the support they need to stay engaged and eager to excel. The program is open to students ages 13–19 from around the world.

Application Deadline: October 15th 2015

http://thejunioracademy.org

Short Math/Science Film Scholarship Contest, Due Oct. 4

https://www.breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org/
"The Breakthrough Junior Challenge invites you to share your passion for math and science with the world! Submit a 10-minute video that illustrates a challenging concept or theory of mathematics, life sciences, or physics in an engaging, illuminating, and creative way.
You can explain an age-old theory or concept or a more recent breakthrough discovery, including one made by a Breakthrough Laureate or perhaps even by you! The winner will receive a $250,000 post-secondary scholarship!"

High School Math Team, A Message From Mr. Smith

Good evening Math Team and interested students/parents,

  The first competition is coming very soon on Thursday, September 17^th! This date marks the first Varsity level competition for the Greater New Haven Mathematics League (GNHML). This year, the organizers of the GNHML have combined JV and Varsity events together. While very talented middle school students may participate with the Varsity squad, because of the limited amount of spots, you will have to outperform your High School counterparts. All students are free to come practices (Thursdays from 2:15 – 3:30) and attend events, although they may not be competing officially.

The dates for these competitions are:

More Math Victories!

The ESUMS middle school math team placed first in the New Haven MathCounts competition. Fourteen students competed, and 8 won individual medals (placed in the top 16).

More Math Victories!

Two ESUMS high school math teams placed 1st and 2nd in the New Haven High School Math Competition at SCSU.  Luke and Anisa were the top-ranked juniors.  8th graders Hizami and Prastik were the top-ranked "freshmen."  Congratulations to the teams and to Mr. Smith!

Courant Math "Splash" Event April 18

Courant Splash, or cSplash, is an annual one-day lecture series taught by enthusiastic students, faculty, and others associated with the Courant Institute of New York University. Since 2006, cSplash has been providing a meeting ground for mathematically inclined students in the New York metropolitan area, exposing them to the beauty, utility, and ubiquity of mathematical ideas.  http://www.csplash.org/view-talks?field_hour_value=2 (use the period menu to see all of the talks)

Math is Important -- the Literacy Council Agrees

Join the Literacy Council of Greater New Haven, on Wednesday, April 29 as they hold a Public Forum on "Why is Math Important?" The forum will take place at Gateway Community College (21 Church Street), and will begin at 5:00PM!

Math Camps!

Mostly for high school students; some are costly but most have scholarships.

• PROMYS (Programs in Math for Young Scientists) - PROMYS is a six-week summer program at Boston University designed to encourage motivated high school students to explore the creative world of mathematics in a supportive community of peers, counselors, research mathematicians, and visiting scientists.
• SUMaC (Stanford University Math Camp) - bringing mathematically talented and motivated high-school students from across the United States, and from around the world, to Stanford University for four weeks of serious mathematical pursuits.
• MathCamp - A joint venture between the USA and Canada, this 5-week summer program rotates to a different college campus each year.
• Ross Mathematics Program - an intensive summer experience designed to encourage motivated pre-college students to explore mathematics. During those eight weeks, students are immersed in a world of mathematical discovery.
• HCSSiM (Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics) - an intensive six-week residential program for enthusiastic students. Working in small classes and individually, participants will actively engage in the process of mathematical thought.
• SWIM (Summer Workshop in Mathematics) - a two week summer program at Princeton University for rising senior girls interested in mathematics.
• MathILy (serious Mathematics Infused with Levity) - Do you want to explore and create mathematics? Consider MathILy, an intensive residential summer program that emphasizes mathematics that is pure but applicable and has a core curriculum of discrete mathematics. 
• HSMC (Mathworks Honors Summer Math Camp) -  It is a six-week immersive residential program held at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

To find more summer opportunities, check the AMS list of Math Summer Camps or the AWM list of Other Programs.

You Really Can Have It All

Working mathematician is also a successful NFL lineman -- Article.

How Did ESUMS Do at the State MathCounts Competition Today?

Amazing!  2nd Place Team in the State!  Prastik Mohanraj won 1st Place Individual Student, and Hizami Anuar won 2nd Place Individual Student.  They will both go on to the National Competition! Congratulations to Prastik, Hizami, Jacob & Owen!

Free Online Resources Available to ESUMS Students

Hopefully you have already heard your student mention Membean.  It's a great online vocabulary building tool that all ESUMS students can (and should!) use.  Try it out yourself and encourage your student to use it!

IXLis a similar program for math, but it has more explanation and problems.  Topics go from basic math through pre-calculus, and there is a new section for learning English grammar.  IXL is available for free to every ESUMS student -- if your child doesn't know his or her login information, please contact Bridget Corcoran for help.  

Another online resource to explore as a parent is the set of "Smarter Balanced" practice tests associated with the Common Core in Connecticut.  Please try out these tests yourself to get an idea of what your student will be asked to do on test days (in May) and encourage your child to try them out to get familiar with the interface (it is a bit tricky).  

All of these are great supplements for "no homework" nights!  

Get Ready for Pi Day Friday!

MathCounts Team Advances to State Competition

The ESUMS 8th Grade MathCounts Team placed 4th in the New Haven County Chapter Competition on Saturday.  They will advance to the State Competition in March along with the teams from Dodd Middle School, the Foote School and Hopkins Middle School.  Individual team members Hizami Anuar and Prastik Mohanraj also won individual awards, and the sixth grade participants performed well in their first meet.  Congratulations to all!

A Post from Mr. Smith -- Math Competitions

ESUMS plans to offer two Math competitions to interested students. Each competition has participants nationwide and has the potential to earn students recognition and awards.