Graduation Letter: Congratulations Zeñia!

Graduation season is an exciting time of year at BEAM, as the students we’ve known since middle school graduate and continue their incredible STEM journeys. This year, we introduce to you Zeñia Alarcon, who graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute this spring with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in management. This month, she is beginning her career as an assistant superintendent with a construction management company. Congratulations, Zeñia!

Student Spotlight: Congratulations, Lennin!

Lennin has always been deeply curious.

His curiosity led him to one of his first loves, chess, which he began playing in first grade. Lennin was all in, attending tournaments every weekend, taking classes before and after school, winning trophies, even flying to Dallas (his first time on a plane) to play in his first (of many) national tournament.

...And Now for Some Math on Pi Day!

Curious about more math this Pi Day? Here’s the problem we included in this year’s Pi Day Card:

In this game, x starts at 0, and your goal is to make x as big as possible. You can apply the four rules below, but each rule costs you points, and you only have 100 points to spend. What's the biggest you can make x, and how do you do it?

Happy Pi Day from BEAM!

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PI?

Maybe you would say it’s a handy constant, helpful when trying to figure out a circumference or area. Maybe you’d say it’s irrational and transcendental. Maybe you’d say you know the first five digits, 3.1415 (or maybe you even know the first 10 or 15 or more). But whether you know the first 5 or the first 5000 digits, there are a lot of questions we can ask about the digits that make up pi. 

We could wonder about whether a specific string of digits (such as your birthday) exists somewhere in pi or even if all possible finite strings of digits appear somewhere in pi. 

It's a BEAM First!

In January, Tanasia Gordon accomplished another BEAM first by becoming the first BEAM Alumna to join our full-time staff as our new Enrichment Coordinator. A recent graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Tanasia will be advising 8th-12th graders on high school admissions, applications to other summer STEM programs, and more.

Congratulations BEAM NYC 9th Graders!

Each year, New York City’s rising freshman apply to high school, and last year was a year unlike any other.

The high school admissions process in New York City marks a pivotal step in students’ academic careers. Unlike in most other school districts, all New York City public school students must apply to high school. What school a student attends determines a lot about what opportunities they will have, including opportunities to study advanced math and science that will prepare them to study STEM in college. Consider, for example, that most high schools in New York City don’t offer precalculus, much less calculus. BEAM works with students and families to ensure that students can successfully navigate the application process and apply to high schools with strong course offerings and good support, which open the most doors to a successful STEM career.