Eva Szillery was presented the Foundation’s 2005 Teacher Appreciation Award by Education Relations Committee Chair Barbara Hamilton The University Of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation’s 2005 Outstanding Teacher recognition Award Presented to Eva Szillery at Annual Meeting The University of Maine Pulp and paper Foundation honored Dr Eva Szillery, Founder and Director of the Maine Mathematics Science and Engineering talent Search Program (MMSETS) by presenting her with the 2005 Educator recognition award for programming excellence at the Foundation’s Annual Meeting in April. Education Relations Committee Chair, Barbara Hamilton, presented the Award. In her presentation Barbara said, “The Award is presented in recognition of education excellence as evidenced by her creation of MMSETS, an interactive classroom and web-based mathematical problem challenge program available to students in middle school through high school. Her enthusiastic approach to mathematics in and out of the classroom and her ability to intrigue and inspire students of all ages is inspiring. She provides a role model for students and faculty alike. This Award is evidenced of the high esteem in which she is held by this Foundation, and by her students who have been motivated and succeeded in their studies as a result of her devoted interest. Our industry needs students who want to become engineers and work for the paper and supplier industry. It is educators like Eva who spark enthusiasm with their imaginative approach in presenting math problems to students of all ages.”
For the 2002-3003 edition, the students in the MMSETS Program nominated their teachers for their supportive role. The winners were recognized by Governor Baldacci.
Maine Mathematics Science and Engineering Talent Search Program
http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/gps/mmsets P.O. Box 496, Orono ME 04473
INTRODUCTION The Maine Mathematics Science and Engineering Talent Search Program (MMSETS) were founded in 1997 as a nonprofit organization to advance the education of children and young people in mathematics and engineering. MMSETS organizes a correspondence mathematics competition and other mathematical enrichment activities for 10-18 year old students. These activities range from popular MMSETS monthly challenges to Lego robotics, engineering and modular origami constructions programs, exhibits, summer programs, invited presentations and one day workshops for teachers and/or students.
GOALS
Through the Mathematics Challenges and associated activities we aim to stimulate greater interest in engineering, engineering technology and mathematics across the 10-18 age group. Last year over 2,500 students participated in MMSETS. This site allows you to download the MMSETS questions for yourself, find out more about our aims and activities, and keep up with the latest news from the MMSETS and associated organizations in junior mathematics and engineering. We believe that access to challenge and opportunities starting from elementary and middle school will determine the future – it is not an issue that we can just keep talking about. Inadequate access to good and challenging real-life problems in Mathematics, mathematical puzzle clubs, Lego Robotics Workshops and Modular Origami Construction Workshops and Exhibits are the opportunities to popularize professions that apply the principles of mathematical science and mathematics in their work. On April 7th 2005 Dr Eva Szillery the founder of MMSETS received the Educator Recognition Award from the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation for Programming Excellence.
Each school year, the Maine Mathematics Science and Engineering Talent Search Program creates seven sets of ten problems each and posts them to high school and middle school. These problems are unusual, challenging problems. Their solutions do not require advanced mathematical knowledge but the willingness to experiment, and persistence. By working on these and similar problems, you can develop your talent for mathematical thinking and problem solving. You can discover how enjoyable being creative can be. You can experience the thrill of solving hard problems. You can learn some new mathematics which is not usually covered in class. Mathematical talent and problem-solving ability is needed in engineering, and other sciences, in business and the social sciences; there is hardly a field that you can enter that does not need a good background in mathematics. HOW TO PARTICIPATE Send in your solutions to the address given on each problem set. Be sure to include your name, postal address, the name of your school, and your grade level. You do not have to solve all problems in each set; submit any number that you can do. The problem sets are graded; partial credit is given. Solutions and coded lists of solvers will be sent out later. Remember that solutions usually require a proof or justification. Please do not write your solutions on the problem set page. HONORS DAY IN ORONO The top entrants and their teachers are recognized by the University of Maine. Here the students visit a research facility on campus, attend an Honors Luncheon and receive some simple prizes. The winners of grade 10 -12 receive scholarship offers too. The Need Every two years the National Science Board publishes as Science and Engineering Indicators (Indicators 2004). In preparing this publication they have observed a troubling decline in the number of U.S. citizens who are training to become scientists and engineers, whereas the number of jobs requiring science and engineering training continues to grow. These trends threaten the economic welfare and security of our country. The Science and Engineering Indicators (Indicators 2004) states as follows: “If the trends continue, three things will happen. · The number of jobs in the U.S. economy that require science and engineering training will grow; · the number of U.S. citizens prepared for those jobs will, at best, be level; · The availability of people from other countries who have science and engineering training will decline, either because of limits to entry imposed by U.S. national security restrictions or because of intense global competition for people with these skills.” We believe that insufficient information about the needs of the future job market is a significant obstacle between families and successful college education. The needs of the future global job market should be communicated in the context of age-appropriate challenges beginning in elementary or middle school. There are no quick fixes for these problems. Years or decades of transition in culture is needed to support students through an educational pipeline of 16 years or more to built the science and engineering workforce. “Even if action is taken today to change these trends, the reversal is 10 to 20 years away. The students entering the science and engineering workforce in 2004 with advanced degrees decided to take the necessary math courses to enable this career path when they were in middle school, up to 14 years ago. The students making that same decision in middle school today won't complete advanced training for science and engineering occupations until 2018 or 2020.” Making engineering and problem solving part of the culture, bonding to the community with engineering initiatives, career preparation, increasing the aspirations of students are benchmarks in creating a high quality place that attracts and retains workers who create knowledge or use knowledge to create new products, processes and services. Deadlines In general the participants of the MMSETS will have three weeks to one month to prepare solutions. The deadlines of the five rounds are as follows: Round 1 November 11, 2008 Round 2 December 16, 2008 Round 3 January 13, 2009 Round 4 February 10, 2009 Round 5 March 10, 2009 The Honors Day is planned for April 1, 2009 These are the dates for postmarking the solutions; hence there is no need to utilize special delivery services. We don’t accept solutions submitted by e-mail. The solutions submitted will be evaluated by a team of graduate students and faculty members. The scores will be sent to the students after each round. Except of obvious oversight on our part, the scoring of the problems will be final. Appeals should be addressed at the coordinator of the MMSETS: Eva Szillery PhD, send appeals or questions to her by e-mail evaszillery-mmsets@me.acadia.net or leave a message at 207 356 0207
Guidelines to Prepare Solutions
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