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@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