This summer was unlike any other, and we were so excited to welcome nearly 300 BEAM students to our in-person programs! While we are tremendously proud of the work we did in 2020 and 2021 to run summer programs online, our experience this summer reaffirmed that in-person programs create invaluable experiences and memories for our students.
Mathematical Wins
At BEAM Discovery LA, Executive Director of LA Programs Jacob Castaneda said students had a real “appetite to keep solving problems.” In addition to tackling a variety of problems in the classroom, students completed the 100 Problem Challenge this year (100 difficult, puzzle-like math problems that involve teamwork, pattern-finding, and strategy) to earn an ice cream field trip!
Want to try one of the 100 Problem challenges? Check out this blog post from last year, showing Problem 64 of the 100 Problem challenge.
Students work on extra math challenges during Open Math Time.
How long do students spend working on one problem at BEAM? It can be days! When asked what the longest amount of time spent on a single math problem was, the median response at BSA La Verne was just over 2 and a half days. Ky’Yah Y, who spent 3 days on her longest problem at BSA La Verne, said: “It was thrilling and left me always wanting to know more.” At BD LA, Montserrat spent 4 days tackling his longest problem, but kept at it thanks to a little help from his friends. He wrote: “I struggled a lot with some problems taking me days but I had support from teachers and peers which helped me keep trying.”
At BEAM Discovery LA, students got an introduction to game theory in the best way – winning games by learning and applying mathematical strategies! Students loved playing a game alternating taking 1 or 3 chips from a pile, where the player who took the last chip won. New ideas were added to each round, to help students build a strategy that won every time. What if there were 2 chips? 5 chips? As many as 12 chips? Students uncovered a pattern to find out who would win if there were 100 chips!
Tanasia provides extra guidance in her class, Exponents: Superpower Numbers
This summer, Tanasia became BEAM's first-ever student to become a faculty member at one of our programs when she stepped in to teach a class on exponents at BEAM Discovery New York City (after the original instructor was unable to complete the program). In her class, “Exponents: Superpower Numbers,” students explored exponents and modular arithmetic – a system integral for computer science and cryptography. Since this is often BEAM students’ first encounter with modular arithmetic, the curriculum leans into the feeling of the unknown by introducing students to a far away planet called Planet Z11, where there are only 11 numbers from 0 to 10. Students get the opportunity to work in small groups to explore the properties of the planet, and learn how those rules may apply to other planets, like Z13. Students loved the activity so much they asked for more problems to do! They spent a whole week of Open Math Time (when students get to do math of their choosing) solving them, even pulling in their friends from other classes to teach them about Z Planets!
Interested in sitting in on a BEAM class? Watch Sam’s Cryptography Class here (13 minutes).
Building Community
One of our successes from online programs was an emoji “badge” system to reward students for specific math challenges and interactions with staff members (like telling a counselor their favorite joke). BEAM LA staffer Joesphine Ochoa brought this virtual success to life this summer in the form of stickers, to reward students for solving particularly challenging problems. There were several mathematical achievements students could earn stickers for, including completing a Problem of the Week (an extra set of five challenge problems completed during Open Math Time), solving problems from the 100 Problem Challenge, and working in a group of three or more to accomplish the challenges. Students also earned keychains with additional charms depending on what they had accomplished. Two students solved 20 problems each of the 100 Problem Challenge, and 7 students solved all 5 Problem of the Week sets!
BEAM Summer Away, La Verne
Quotable Quotes from Our Students:
“I would let them know how comfortable BEAM’s community is. For me, BEAM gave me so much room to grow. It felt like no matter where I felt I was on my math journey, BEAM pushed me further without comparing myself to others.”
“It is insanely fun and you learn a lot.”
“BEAM teaches you many things and treats you like you’re at home.”
“It’s worth it because aside from getting to meet new people, the staff are very cool and fun to be around. Also there’s a lot of challenging questions that I probably would have never solved before.”