MathPath

MathPath is a mathematics enrichment summer program for students ages 11–14 (middle school age in the US). It is four weeks long, and moves to a different location each year. MathPath is visited by world-renowned mathematicians such as John H. Conway and Francis Su. It was probably the original, and is still one of the few, international residential high-end summer camps exclusively for mathematics and exclusively for students of middle school age.

History

MathPath was founded in 2002 by George Rubin Thomas, who had previously founded Mathcamp for high school students and has since founded Epsilon Camp for children age 8–11 (in 2011) and Delta Camp for children 6 and 7 (in 2014). His goal was to inspire and advance the most mathematically gifted middle school age students, through a summer camp.

Story of MathPath

Academic out-of-school-programs for gifted students in grades 7 and 8 have existed for many years. They identified the students and placed them in suitable summer programs. Johns Hopkins University and Duke University have been leaders in the endeavor. Typically they chose students who were in the top 0.5%, 2% and the like from nationally recognized achievement tests.

George Rubin Thomas, a former college professor and then Executive Director of Mathcamp, one of the leading summer programs for mathematically talented high school students, saw the need for an intense program similar to Mathcamp but designed for students in grades 6 through 8. He recognized that, as in music, training suited to the very gifted should be provided at an early age. He saw that such training must go beyond the narrow focus at standard programs for the gifted and talented, and have a balanced approach to the several aspects of mathematical development of the high IQ young student, more balance than can be achieved at problem-solving-focus workshops in the various countries. He first proposed the idea to two fellow mathematicians with whom he ran Mathcamp. They said they did not have the time to be involved in yet another camp and that Thomas could start one if he liked. Starting a large national summer program is financially risky. Thomas, not wanting to jeopardise Mathcamp, struck out on his own. He discussed the idea with many mathematicians, and educators of gifted students. Among those were John Conway of Princeton University and Titu Andreescu, then Executive Director of the American Mathematics Competitions. The encouragement he received prompted him to consult the parents of the very gifted. Their strong endorsement pushed the launch of this summer workshop. The name Mathpath was suggested by Professor John Conway. From the first camp in 2002, Conway has taught at the program. The quality of the program was helped immensely by Professors Stephen Maurer, who joined the program in 2003, and Paul Zeitz, who joined in 2004.

The program is dedicated to nurturing emerging mathematical talent by providing a month-long summer gathering place - a place that has the highest residential standards, instructional programs suited to the extremely gifted, and developmental opportunities, both academic and social.

It was found that a suitable location for a program for the highly gifted young students would benefit from proximity to nature as well as opportunities for weekend trips. Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota, was selected as a suitable campus for the first camp.

The thrust of the program is four-fold: Teach how to write in mathematics, inculcate the importance of proof, familiarize the heuristics of problem solving, and provide a unified view of mathematics and its culture through its historical development. Some of the world's top experts who educate the brightest young students would teach at Mathpath.

MathPath is now a non-profit organization run by a team of mathematicians and high school and middle school teachers of students gifted in mathematics. Thus, as happened to its sibling program Mathcamp, Mathpath too passed on to the mathematics community.

More information

Subjects

At MathPath, students learn about many math topics that are rarely taught in American schools, or taught in much depth, such as non-Euclidean geometry, advanced Euclidean geometry, number theory, combinatorics, induction, spherical trigonometry, mathematical origami, and the mathematics of card shuffling. They also learn some history of math and work on mathematical writing. Topics vary somewhat each year, depending on instructor interest. As well, students have the opportunity to prepare for contests such as MATHCOUNTS, AMC, or AIME.

The emphasis throughout is on enrichment, not acceleration. Thus no effort is made to place students out of their next school course, and when topics are taught which are elective university courses (e.g., number theory) the purpose is to give a good understanding of the issues and key ideas and methods, not to cover the entire university course. Covering a whole university course would be difficult, even an the rapid MathPath rate, since MathPath courses are only a week long.

Although much of the day is spent learning mathematics, there is deliberately more free time than at high school math camps. Also, students regularly go on weekend day trips and visit the surrounding area's attractions.

Staff

Regular Staff

Regular staff are those who come almost every year. Usually they come for 2–4 weeks, but a few come for only one week. Most of the regular staff members have an in-camp nickname.

Visiting Staff

Visiting staff are participants for one year or occasional years. Usually they attend for one week, or for a day or two to give a few lectures. Often they are faculty at the host institution or nearby institutions. Below is a sampling of guest staff from recent years. For more recent information see The MathPath Faculty Webpage; A new version with a new year number is put up a few months before each summer's program.

Activities

Typical weekday schedule[1]

NOTE: Every year's schedule varies slightly (around 15 minutes). Look on the MathPath website (www.mathpath.org) for the exact schedule for the year.

On Saturday, the afternoon activities are a little different.

On weekends, students usually go on a day trip to the surrounding attractions or participate in other activities, such as biking, white water rafting, rock climbing, or hiking. Chess, ping pong, pool, Rubik's Cube, Set and Magic: The gathering tournaments are played and organized during the students' free time.

Admissions

MathPath is selective. The primary criterion for admission is the applicant's work on the yearly Qualifying Test. One begins the application process by filling out an online information form. An academic and nonacademic reference are also required. Admission is done on a rolling basis. For details, see How to Apply. Also available: financial aid, merit scholarships for high scores on various competitions, and fee reductions for paying early and for siblings attending in the same year.

Locations

References

  1. "A MathPath Day". MathPath.

External links

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