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Posted March 8, 1999

Maine High School Students Multiply in Mathematical Talent Search

Far more Maine high school students than expected are participating in a state-wide mathematics project conducted by the University of Maine Department of Mathematics and Statistics. In February, 760 students took part in the Maine Mathematical Talent Search coordinated on a voluntary basis by Eva Szillery, an instructor in the department, and her colleagues Jerry Farlow, Sergei Levin and Clayton Dodge.

“We had 370 students in the first cycle last fall. The growth in this project is way beyond our expectations. I think there are a lot of very bright students who need this type of challenge. Some of them are in small schools which can't provide this type of activity, and some are home-schooled,” says Szillery.

Some of the students involved in the Talent Search don't do well in a typical classroom setting, she adds.

Szillery mails a new set of ten problems every five weeks to students. Participants can submit answers to as many of the problems as they like and receive points for all correct solutions. Students can also see past problems via the Internet at www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Center/1539. The site includes games, music and links to other math Web sites.

Typical of the responses from teachers and parents is a note from Patrick Farrell, math teacher at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone. “I believe that bright young students fail to see the kind of mathematics that attracts bright minds to the discipline. I feel the Maine Mathematical Talent Search will grow in popularity and help ignite interest in mathematics (and related disciplines) from the best and brightest Maine students. Your questions are excellent and you provide wonderful feedback to students.”

James England, the father of a home-schooled student, says his 11-year-old son looks forward to the arrival of new problems in the mail. “My only regret is that there are only ten problems each month,” he wrote in a recent letter to Szillery.

Szillery, Farlow, Levin and Dodge volunteer their time to develop the questions and evaluate the answers. They hope to attract additional funding for the project so that Szillery can visit high schools and possibly provide scholarships for the brightest students. They would also like to add a program specifically for students in grades six through nine.

Talent Search questions do not depend on specific mathematical knowledge, Szillery says. Rather, they depend on an ability to think creatively about problems and develop mathematical solutions.

Szillery and Farlow would also like to publish a book with many of the problems and approaches to solving them. The book would include additional problems and strategies to improve creativity in problem solving. In 1997, Farlow published two books designed to promote mathematics: The Girl Who Ate Equations for Breakfast, and It's a Math, Math, Math, Math World.

In May, the Department will host an Honors Day at the university to recognize the top participants.

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