The grant will support a mathematics enrichment program for students at Walter M. Williams High School in Burlington, N.C.
Chad Awtrey, associate professor of mathematics and the A.L. Hook Professor in Science and Mathematics, was awarded $3,620 from the Mathematical Association of America’s Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grant Program for his Williams High School Mathematics Club project.
This is the second year of this program. Awtrey won a grant and started the program during the 2017-18 academic year.
Because of the grant, the project is able to expand this year to include two more Elon faculty members – Jim Beuerle and Ryne Vankrevelen – who will work with Awtrey and teachers from Williams High School to engage a diverse population of approximately 45 WHS students in three types of mathematical enrichment activities during the 2018-19 academic year.
The purpose of the program is to inspire students to take more mathematics classes in their secondary and post-secondary careers. The activities are 1) preparing for and participating in two math contests 2) researching, with Elon math majors, an unsolved problem on either abstract algebra or statistics and disseminating results in the form of conference posters/presentations and at least one submission for publication and 3) attending a monthly speaker series at Elon to inspire students to pursue a STEM major at the university level.
As has been the case this year, the continued collaboration between Elon and Williams promises to produce more recognition for the students who participate. For example, three current Williams High School students who spent this year conducting research with Awtrey presented at SURF on April 24, 2018. Their results will be submitted for publication next month and their SURF presentation has been highlighted both on E-net and in The Burlington Times-News.