The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts Foundation held its most recent ASMSA Roadshow! at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Donaghey College of Engineering and Technology on Nov. 29.
The event allowed ASMSA parents, alumni, supporters, friends and college and university officials the opportunity to visit with ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice, hear an update on the school and learn about important upcoming events.
Seniors Hayley Adkisson of Sherwood and Hayden Burger of Mayflower spoke about their experience at the school. Hayley said before attending ASMSA she planned to seek a career in journalism. Now, she plans to major in biology with a focus on pre-medicine and minor in Spanish. She credited the science and language courses at the school for helping her choose a different educational and career path.
Hayden shared how attending ASMSA allowed him to be involved in a summer research project at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. He said if he had still been at his hometown school in Mayflower that he likely would not have had the opportunity to participate in a research project on the university level during his high school career.
Alderdice spoke about the choice our society must make — whether we should focus on achievements in science, math and arts education or on other areas, such as athletics. As an example, he compared the focus of achievements of two Arkansans who share a last name — Arkansas Razoarbacks quarterback Tyler Wilson and Taylor Wilson, who built a working nuclear fusion reactor at the age of 14 in 2008.
When he was 12, Taylor Wilson began building the nuclear fusion reactor in his garage in Texarkana, Ark. He later moved to Reno, Nev., to attend the Davidson Academy, a school for highly gifted children located on the campus of the University of Nevada at Reno.
Taylor Wilson has also invented a radiation detector that can detect radioactive materials in large shipping containers. For his invention, Taylor won first prize in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which included a $50,000 prize. Taylor’s radiation detector costs hundreds of dollars to make compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars the current detectors the U.S. Department of Homeland Security uses cost. If his detector passes the required tests, his invention could save the government millions of dollars as well as an untold number of lives.
It is that type of thinking that we as a society should be encouraging, Alderdice said. And that is the mission of ASMSA, to give Arkansas students a place to go that can provide the resources to help inspire the same kind of thinking and experimentation as that of Taylor Wilson.
Members of the Office of Institutional Advancement and the Office of Admissions staffs spoke during the event, sharing news of upcoming events, information on the admissions process and how those in attendance could help get the school’s message to the public.
Two more ASMSA Roadshow! events are scheduled this month. On Thursday, ASMSA Roadshow! will visit the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the John A. White Jr. Engineering Hall at the College of Engineering.
ASMSA Roadshow! will close with a special event on Thursday, Dec. 13, in the Student Center at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
To attend either Thursday’s Fayetteville event or the Dec. 13 event, click here and follow the instructions on the page.
To view photos from ASMSA’s UALR event, click here.