Purple Comet at Bard!
This semester, the Bard Math Circle will be hosting the Purple Comet Math Meet for middle school students. Unlike other mathematics competitions at the middle school level, the Purple Comet Math Meet gives students the opportunity to work in teams of up to six. This teamwork gives them valuable experience working on mathematics in a collaborative environment, which is rarely experienced in school but is at the core of what professional mathematicians do regularly. The contest covers topics seldom included in the normal curriculum, including set theory and elementary number theory, and poses exceptionally challenging problems. On February 9, Bard undergraduate Math Circle organizers held the first preparation session, which allowed students to acclimate to a group-work environment. On March 2, there will be a session on strategies for working in groups efficiently and general problem-solving approaches. On March 16, the Math Circle will hold a mock contest. The final contest will take place during the first week of April. For more information please visit the Circle online at bardmathcircle.org.
About the Bard Math Circle
The Bard Math Circle, founded in 2007 by Bard math professors Japheth Wood and Lauren Rose, bridges the gap between academic and recreational mathematics. Current leadership includes Bard undergraduates Eliana Miller and Jake Weissman, and Bard MAT student Joy Sebesta, who work with faculty advisers to run monthly library programs in Tivoli and Kingston, as well as several contest programs. The Math Circle is a joint project of Bard’s Mathematics Program, Master of Arts in Teaching Program, and Trustee Leader Scholars program, a student leadership development initiative enabling undergraduates to lead hands-on community service projects. The Bard Math Circle has been instrumental in helping Bard become a center for mathematical exploration in the Hudson Valley.
This post was a press release from Bard College: http://www.bard.edu/news/releases/pr/fstory.php?id=2530