http://institutecreativeproblemsolving.org/calendar.pdfThe Institute of MERIT is thrilled to be able to bring back a program that was started in 2007 but was forced to be terminated in 2009 due to insufficient funding. The program coordinator, Dr. Robert Gerver, will be the primary instructor. Dr. Gerver is the author of the book Writing Math Research Papers – A Guide for Students and Instructors along with many other books on the same topic. Guest lecturers will be brought in to broaden the scope of the program and to focus on researched based technology. Each participant will be expected to select a topic, produce a well-documented paper, and present the paper at the Al Kalfus Long Island Math Fair. A $400 fee will be charged in order to cover the cost of a text book and registration for the Math Fair.
Classes will take place on Saturday mornings from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM at SUNY Old Westbury. There will be approximately 17 classes focused on research techniques and the technology available to assist in making conjectures and analyzing mathematical relationships. Classes will begin in September and continue until March. No classes will be held over Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any 3-day weekend vacations.
Areas of study will include:
1. routine versus non-routine problems
2. defying your intuition
3. the art of technical writing, annotating, equation editing and naïve proofreading
4. finding patterns and making conjectures
5. determining a suitable and exciting research topic
6. learning to read mathematics journals
7. components of a research paper
8. preparing and critiquing oral presentations
9. learning to use Excel to perform mathematical calculations and analysis
10. using Geometer’s Sketchpad and Geogebra to develop assumptions
11. calculator and computer programming
Requirements for Applicants
Applicant must have successfully completed the ICPS program
The student must be entering tenth or eleventh grade in September. A commitment to attend all classes must be agreed to by both parent and child.
Click here to view a tentative calendar for 2024 – 2025 classes.
Click here to read more about the program and to register for the 2024-2025 class.