Dear Math Coordinators,
I am writing to inform you of the 2015 OSU High School Math Day. Please
share this information with your high school's academic coach,
interested faculty members, and students. The math day consists of a
75-minute multiple-choice contest, followed by breakout sessions
featuring presentations by OSU faculty, a low-intensity team
competition, and activities organized by OSU's undergraduate math club.
The contest is a challenging
exam which emphasizes creativity, logic and problem solving skills. All
juniors and seniors with an interest in mathematics are highly
encouraged to participate. Students in earlier grades who have a strong
background and aptitude for mathematics are also eligible, and are
welcome to join the event.
The day will begin with the contest, held in the Student Union Ballroom
on OSU's Stillwater Campus on Thursday, October 8, 2015, from 1:00 p.m.
to approximately 2:15 p.m. This is the same location as last year, and
represents a change from previous years. The student union is on the
south end of our Stillwater campus; the ballroom is on the second floor.
After the contest, we'll have two rounds of breakout sessions, tentatively
including presentations by OSU faculty, a team competition, and a
problem-solving activity run by OSU's undergraduate math club, and then a
brief awards ceremony. The day should conclude between 4:00 and 4:30.
Unlike the last several years, we are not holding a long-form team round
as a second half of the contest. We recognize and regret that this will
make the event less attractive to some of our elite competitors, but it
was not working for too many of the attending students. However, I
would like to measure interest in continuing that long-answer
competition in future years. So, if you have students who would likely
be interested in competing in such a contest with extremely difficult
open-ended questions, either as part of a weekend event in Stillwater or
on high school campuses, please tell me. I will try to figure out if
something makes sense for 2016.
To ensure that we have enough space, we are asking that all
participants be registered by October 2, 2015. The registration form
is available online at <https://math.okstate.edu/people/mermin/hsc/>. Please
mail or fax a completed form by this deadline.
Last year's exam, solutions, and related material may be found on the
website <https://math.okstate.edu/people/mermin/hsc/2014.html>.
We normally request a materials fee of 5 dollars per student, payable
in advance or on the day of the exam. This year, for students taking
the contest at our Stillwater location only, we are able to waive the
materials fee.
Out of state entrants and those more than 150 miles from Stillwater
should contact us. Off-site testing is possible. All other information
including an announcement, parking instructions, and a campus map are
available on the contest website
<https://math.okstate.edu/people/mermin/hsc/>.
If you have questions about the contest, please contact me or Shelly
Downing at <hsc(a)math.okstate.edu> or at (405) 744-5688. For other
questions about OSU, you may also contact the Office of High School and
College Relations at 1-800-852-1255 if you are outside the state of
Oklahoma, or 1-800-233-5019 Ext. 3 if you are within the state.
I look forward to seeing you and your students on the OSU Stillwater
Campus for the contest.
Sincerely,
Jeff Mermin
--
Jeff Mermin
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Oklahoma State University
mermin(a)math.okstate.edu
