(Press-News.org) Two years after launching a new mathematics outreach program, a team of Texas A&M University professors has been awarded a Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grant to support their program's efforts to promote math enrichment for high school students.
The Program for Research in Mathematics (PReMa) was established in 2022 by four members of Texas A&M’s Department of Mathematics: Dr. Sherry Gong, Dr. Wencai Liu, Dr. Kun Wang and Dr. Zhizhang Xie. The program, directed by Wang, targets high school students living in Texas and neighboring states. Designed to cultivate a deep appreciation and understanding of advanced mathematics, PReMa works to provide a structured platform that encourages student engagement in mathematical research and problem-solving.
“Under the guidance of experienced mathematicians and educators, PReMa not only enhances participants’ mathematical skills, but also fosters critical thinking and analytical abilities through immersive research experiences,” Wang said. “To the best of my knowledge, it is the first and only program in Texas that offers students the opportunity to engage directly in mathematical research.”
Before PReMa’s creation, Gong, Liu and Xie had teamed up in 2021 to organize the Summer Program in Coding and Mathematics, which attracted 14 and 15 students, respectively, in its first two years. While PReMa registered 16 participants in its first year in 2023, 44 have already registered for 2024.
During the past three years, PReMa has collaborated with students from 38 different high schools in multiple states beyond Texas, including New York, California, Oregon, Michigan, Oklahoma and Minnesota — but they do not plan on stopping there.
“In the next year, we want to expand our outreach to include additional high schools, particularly targeting underserved communities,” Wang said. “We also want to continue to enhance the curriculum by incorporating more topics on data science and technology.”
PReMa’s lofty aspirations led faculty to apply for a Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grant awarded by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). These grant proposals are sought from college and university mathematical sciences faculty that have established projects in attempts to actively engage middle or high school students beyond the standard curriculum — an idea closely related to the mission of PReMa.
“We applied for a Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grant to secure the additional funding necessary to expand the reach and enhance the resources of our program,” Wang said.
With the help of the grant, PReMa will have broadened access to digital resources and the opportunity to provide more comprehensive training materials. The grant also enables the program to facilitate the inclusion of guest lecturers.
“We’ll be able to purchase new software and mathematical tools with the help of this grant,” Wang said. “It’s also going to support travel expenses, giving our students the opportunity to present their research results at conferences.”
PReMa has also recently added new faculty members, such as Dr. Chun-Hung Liu, Dr. Simone Chechini and Dr. Yuliia Yershova, to the program to serve as mentors for participants.
“Each of these faculty members specializes in different mathematical disciplines, thereby enriching the program with a diverse range of mathematical perspectives,” Wang said. “From what I have observed, our PReMa students are thoroughly enjoying their lectures and are actively engaged in discussions.”
With the new additions and the help of the Dolciani Grant, the program’s expansion and enhancement objectives seem closer than ever.
“PReMa is crucial because it introduces young minds to the mathematics research area, fostering a new generation of thinkers who are well-prepared to tackle complex problems with innovative solutions,” Wang said. “The program not only enhances participants' mathematical skills but also boosts their analytical, research and presentation skills, preparing them for successful careers in various fields.”
On August 10, Wang and PReMa student Steven Ning are scheduled to present their co-authored abstract and corresponding research at MAA MathFest 2024 in Indianapolis — the first of many achievements sure to come for the growing program.
Learn more about PreMa or additional outreach programs offered by Texas A&M Mathematics.
By Emily Godsey. Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences
###
END
Mathematics outreach program awarded Dolciani grant
The prestigious grant will assist Texas A&M's Program for Research in Mathematics in providing hands-on mathematical research experience to passionate high school students across Texas and multiple states
2024-07-12
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Groundbreaking study reveals insights into Alzheimer's disease mechanisms through novel hydrogel matrix
2024-07-12
Los Angeles, California - May 20, 2024 - Researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI) have unveiled a pioneering study shedding light on the intricate mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study, titled "Effects of amyloid-β-mimicking peptide hydrogel matrix on neuronal progenitor cell phenotype," represents a significant leap forward in understanding the interplay between amyloid-like structures and neuronal cells.
Led by Natashya Falcone and co-first authors Tess Grett Mathes and Mahsa Monirizad, the research team delved into the realm of self-assembling ...
Study examines urban forests across the United States
2024-07-12
In recent years, tree-planting campaigns have been underway in the United States, especially in cities, as part of climate mitigation efforts.
Urban forests can help improve air quality, generate cooling effects, and provide green spaces for outdoor recreation while also serving as an ecological habitat.
Just last year, the U.S. Forest Service announced a $1 billion campaign to expand access to trees and green spaces throughout the country, including in cities.
But a new Dartmouth-led study finds that some areas within urban forests in the U.S., may be more capable than trees growing around city home lawns in adapting to a warmer climate.
The findings are published ...
2023 Rolling Hills Estates landslide likely began the winter before
2024-07-12
Key takeaways
Landslides triggered by intense rainfall can sometimes be predicted along with incoming storms, but dry-season landslides often take people by surprise.
The July 2023 Rolling Hills Estates landslide that destroyed 12 homes seemed to come out of nowhere, but new research shows it began as early as December 2022.
Researchers are developing a database that will enable scientists to plug in new data to monitor potential landslides in real time and possibly predict them.
Californians are familiar with landslides that occur around storms, when saturated soil and ...
Rutgers researchers spot potential hazard with private well water treatment
2024-07-12
Systems designed to treat arsenic in private well water may be malfunctioning and endangering the health of people who count on them to keep their water safe, according to Rutgers researchers.
Megan Rockafellow-Baldoni, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health and justice at the Rutgers School of Public Health, together with co-authors including Rutgers alum Steven Spayd, a retired research scientist formerly with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, tested the water of 62 New Jersey homes with whole-house arsenic-removing water treatment systems. Their study was ...
When to trust an AI model
2024-07-12
CAMBRIDGE, MA – Because machine-learning models can give false predictions, researchers often equip them with the ability to tell a user how confident they are about a certain decision. This is especially important in high-stake settings, such as when models are used to help identify disease in medical images or filter job applications.
But a model’s uncertainty quantifications are only useful if they are accurate. If a model says it is 49% confident that a medical image shows a pleural effusion, then 49% of the time, the model should be right.
MIT ...
Research shows gamified investment sites have risks for novice investors
2024-07-12
TORONTO - What happens when online investment trading platforms start to resemble games that keep people playing for hours, with badges and exploding confetti to reward investors for their engagement?
For those who know what they’re doing, it won’t make much of a difference. New research from the University of Toronto engaging nearly 1,000 volunteers in artificial investment scenarios shows that more informational features such as price change notifications might even help savvy investors execute ...
Specially equipped natural killer cells show effectiveness against the most common form of ovarian cancer
2024-07-12
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Study Title: CAR memory-like NK cells targeting the membrane proximal domain of mesothelin demonstrate promising activity in ovarian cancer
Publication: Science Advances
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute authors include: Rizwan Romee, MD, senior author; and Mubin Tarannum, PhD, KhanhLinh Dinh, and Juliana Vergara, MD, MMSc, co-first authors
Summary: Natural killer, or NK, cells endowed with memory-like abilities and armed with a novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) have generated encouraging results in experiments in epithelial ovarian cancer ...
Entering the golden age for antibody-drug conjugates in gynecologic cancer
2024-07-12
“We are optimistic that the incorporation of ADCs into the treatment of aggressive tumors and treatment refractory gynecologic cancers will improve quality of life and survival outcomes in our patients.”
BUFFALO, NY- July 12, 2024 – A new editorial paper was published in Oncoscience (Volume 11) on May 20, 2024, entitled, “Entering the golden age for antibody-drug conjugates in gynecologic cancer.”
In this new editorial, researchers Michelle Greenman, Blair McNamara, Levent Mutlu, and Alessandro D. Santin from Yale University School of Medicine discuss gynecologic cancers. Biologically aggressive ...
Judge: Texas university must release records on research study that resulted in deaths of dozens of animals
2024-07-12
SAN ANGELO, Texas —Tom Green County District Court Judge Barbara L. Walther ruled Thursday, July 11, 2024, that Angelo State University must release public records relating to an experiment conducted on dozens of mice that resulted in the animals’ unnecessary suffering and death, reportedly to study the impact of the foster care system on human children.
The ruling overturns Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Nov. 17, 2022 decision to side with the university in denying the records.
On July 13, 2023, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington, D.C. based health advocacy group of more than 17,000 doctor members that encourages higher standards ...
UMass Amherst food scientist rises to the challenge of giving marbled fatty feel and taste to plant-based meat
2024-07-12
One of the challenges of creating realistic-looking and delectable plant-based meat is mimicking the marbled effect of animal fat that many carnivores expect and enjoy.
A University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist has a plan to tackle this quandary by developing new technology supported by a $250,000 grant from the Good Food Institute. The not-for-profit think tank promotes plant-based alternatives to meat, dairy and eggs, as well as cultivated “clean meat” grown from animal cells in a facility.
The technology proposed ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Revolutionary scandium doping technique extends sodium-ion battery life
High-fat diet impairs memory formation by reducing autophagy
Keck Hospital of USC named a Vizient Top Performer for third year in a row
New CRISPR test could make tuberculosis screening as simple as a mouth swab
Three-sensor overeating detection could reshape obesity treatment
Study provides first evidence that plastic nanoparticles can accumulate in the edible parts of vegetables
AI predicts complications from surgery better than doctors
New personalized risk score could improve ovarian cancer detection
People on Ozempic who eat to regulate emotions less likely to lose weight
AACR Cancer Progress Report highlights lifesaving impact of federal investments in cancer research
Indra's internet
Lymph nodes found to be key to successful cancer immunotherapy
Room-temperature terahertz device opens door to 6G networks
A hard look at geoengineering reveals global risks
When smoke signals danger: How Australian lizards evolved to escape fire
Beyond the surface: Atopic eczema linked to significantly higher risk of suicidal thoughts, major study finds
After weight loss regular exercise rather than GLP-1 weight-loss drug reduces leading cause of heart attack and strokes
EASD launches its first ever clinical practice guideline – the world’s first to focus on diabetes distress
Semaglutide provides powerful protection against diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults, Greek study suggests
Orforglipron taken orally once daily leads to significant body weight loss (ATTAIN-1 Study)
U of I researchers trace genetic code’s origins to early protein structures
Disease experts team up with Florida Museum of Natural History to create a forecast for West Nile virus
Researchers: Targeted efforts needed to stem fentanyl crisis
New UMaine research could help lower prescription drug costs
Molecular movie shows how mitochondria read their DNA
Loss of key male fertility gene leads to changes in expression of hundreds of other genes
Water’s density is key to sustainable lithium mining
Pioneering research reveals problem gambling quadruples the risk of suicide among young people four years later
New method improves the accuracy of machine-learned potentials for simulating catalysts
Astronomers discover rare Einstein cross with fifth image, revealing hidden dark matter
[Press-News.org] Mathematics outreach program awarded Dolciani grantThe prestigious grant will assist Texas A&M's Program for Research in Mathematics in providing hands-on mathematical research experience to passionate high school students across Texas and multiple states