The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts received a $10,000 grant from the Mathematical Association of America Neff Outreach Fund to establish a Math Olympiad program for Arkansas middle-schoolers.
The Mathematical Association of America is the world’s largest community of mathematicians, students and enthusiasts whose mission is to advance the understanding of mathematics and its impact on our world.
The Neff Outreach Fund was established in the summer of 2022 by the MAA and the John and Mary Neff Foundation. The Neff Foundation has provided funding to support projects designed to encourage middle school students to study and persist in their interest in mathematics. The Neff Outreach Fund helps MAA to offer a pilot outreach program that serves middle school students in rural and indigenous communities.
The grant will allow ASMSA’s Outreach Department to create a Math Olympiad program which will introduce, teach and foster important mathematical concepts and strategies for flexible problem solving, intuition, creativity and ingenuity for all participants.
Six middle schools from around the state are set to compete at the first Math Olympiad in April, said Amy Brown-Westmoreland, outreach coordinator for ASMSA.
The program’s tournament will provide an opportunity for students to participate in a professionally run competition and to network with other students from across the state. Through the program, teachers across the state will have access to professional development opportunities while serving as sponsors of the teams.
ASMSA was one of five institutions nationwide to receive a Neff Outreach Fund grant this year.