To the editor:
Over 2,000 students from Maine middle schools and high schools recently participated in the 2011 AMC 10/AMC 12 contest. The American Mathematics competition (known as AMC) is the longest running and most prestigious nationwide mathematics competition in the United States.
The competition is held on the same day everywhere in the U.S. The completed entries are certified by the contest manager and mailed to the nationwide headquarters in Lincoln, Neb., where the entries are computer evaluated. The highest scoring students are invited to the second round of the competition, known as The American Invitational Mathematics Competition (AIME). The five hundred best competitors from the “AIME round” are invited to participate in the USA Mathematical Olympiad (known as USAMO).
Ninety students from Aroostook County participated in AMC in February, coming from Dyer Brook, Caribou, Presque Isle, Easton and Fort Fairfield. The University of Maine at Presque Isle hosted the competition. The participation rate in Aroostook County this year was excellent. In past years, the competition drew only 10 students from the County overall.
The best part of the Feb. 8 competition happened after the event was over: A teacher from Caribou, accompanying her students, said that it was so much fun to watch the students on the bus ride home, continuing to put their heads together to solve problems and compare their answers. I hope the experience for these students will be a window into the world of mathematical excellence.
Many dedicated members of the UMPI community assisted in the success of the event including Dr. Raymond Rice, professor and chair of the College of Arts & Sciences; Contest Manager Dr. Michael Knopp, associate professor of chemistry and vice chair of the College of Arts and Sciences; Erin Benson, director of admissions; and Courtney McHugh from the Conferences and Special Programs Office. Without their preparation and support, we could not have offered the competition at UMPI.
The DeepCwind Consortium research initiative at AEWC offers the Maine winner(s) the opportunity to become a student intern at AEWC Advanced Structures and Composites Center. This is, of course, contingent on the student attending UMaine as an undergraduate. There are conditions on grades to carry the internship year after year. After four years, this paid internship opportunity is worth approximately $20,000. Special thanks to the AEWC Center for the scholarships offered.
Those of us who are involved in organizing these contests hope teachers and parents can use this opportunity to talk about math with their students and children, and show alternative solutions and the relevance of mathematics to so many areas that enrich our lives. Adults can open children’s eyes to the world of mathematics through games involving logic, puzzles, engineering problems, and science.
Many other efforts are under way to inspire a love of mathematics in Maine students. I am offering a Junior Engineering and Mathematics Program at UMPI on Monday afternoons where we solve the AMC contest problems with interested students, and have several science and engineering professors presenting their research work to young audiences. Students from all over Maine were able to take part in the Engineering Week Expo at USM in Gorham on Feb. 19. With the ever growing importance of the engineering field and the role of mathematics in our lives it is vital that we encourage and facilitate student interest in mathematics.
Eva Szillery, state director
American Mathematics Competition
