This school year, MathCON has been established as its own organization with the goal to provide a more robust resource program for both students and teachers. The goal for MathCON is to continue to add to our resources and services that are available for our participants and followers (you guys!) over the next two years. In addition to the national student math competition that we all know and love as MathCON, we’re excited to start providing:
- Sample tests for students
- Educational YouTube content
- Educational blog series
- Online tutoring
- Math clubs in schools
- And more!
With all of these goals, we need help from the people we are serving. This is where our new Advisory Board comes in!
What is the Advisory Board?
The Advisory Board has been instrumental in formulating and supporting MathCON’s goals! It’s formed from individuals who are passionate about mathematics and education.
The Board has short-term and long-term goals that are geared toward creating an even better and brighter future for MathCON as well as the students and teachers we serve. The Advisory Board officially launched in July of 2017 with quarterly meetings and ongoing forums to ensure these future plans are enacted.
The short-term goals of the Advisory Board are to:
- Enhance MathCON’s quality and quantity of questions for the future
- Increase brand awareness (help more people know how awesome MathCON is!)
- Increase funding and scholarships for the students
- Create an online Math Club with Tutoring Support
- Network with the math community
The long-term goals are to:
- Implement regional competition locations at universities/institutions
- Develop an online professional development platform for educators in the form of an online forum
- Offer scholarships to students for achieving high scores at Finals
- Create a math teacher institute
- Create math clubs and camps
Advisory Board Accomplishments!
As of now, the Advisory Board has created an Editorial Board to help with the enhancement of questions being used for MathCON. They have also helped with the addition of sample tests for students, getting our new YouTube series off the ground (Math with Ayhan), and gave insight to our blog that we are using to introduce them on! In addition, they have been gradually gaining new members over the course of its existence to help reach the goals they had set previously.
Who is part of the Advisory Board?
The Advisory Board is made up of:
- Noah Aydin is the Professor of Mathematics and Chair of Scientific Computing Program at Kenyon College.
- Ayhan Caputlu is currently the Director of Mathematics Education for Concept Schools.
- Stanley Chang is currently a Mathematics Professor at Wellesley College.
- Joan DeBello is currently an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at St. John’s University, New York.
- Bryna Kra is the Sarah Rebecca Roland Professor of Mathematics at Northwestern University.
- Julius Nadas is a Professor of Mathematics for Wilbur Wright College.
- Jessie Store is an Assistant Professor at Alma College in Central Michigan where she teaches courses in Mathematics, Mathematics Education, and Educational Technology.
- Shmuel Weinberger is the Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor of Mathematics at the University of Chicago.
The Advisory Board’s contributions to MathCON have really shaped this organization. We are confident that MathCON can become one of the most inclusive math organizations in the U.S. with the Advisory Board’s help.
If you are a secondary level educator or a college/university professor that is involved in mathematics, and have an interest in becoming an Advisory Board member for MathCON, contact us at: contact@mathcon.org. You may also contact us using that same email if you would like to become a content contributor for our MathCON exams.
This is only the beginning of what this board has in store for the future. Stay tuned for more updates on what’s to come from MathCON’s Advisory Board!
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About MathCON
MathCON is a nonprofit national mathematics organization recognized for its annual student mathematics competition. This mathematics competition is for students in grades 5-12 and has had more than 200,000 student participants since 2008. Last year alone there were 50,000 students who were involved in the MathCON competition!
Participants range from schools to individual students with charter schools, public schools, private schools, home school students, and individual students registering each year. To participate, please register at www.mathcon.org/+.
Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel ‘MathCON- National Student Math Competition’ (& make sure to click the bell for notifications!) to see our new series. Be sure to follow us Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin too!
