Techniques of a Pro Mathematician is a week-long residential summer camp intended for high school students who excel at math and want to be challenged in a rigorous college setting with like-minded peers. This program is a special session of the Tapia STEM Camps and will help you learn advanced techniques that professionals use to do math with ease. These techniques will allow you to think about mathematics with more intention and organization. Afterward, you will be able to learn math more efficiently and effectively, enabling you to tackle more challenging problems. If you are interested in pursuing a college degree in STEM, mastering these techniques will make your future math classes feel easier and more enjoyable.
The program believes that excellence in mathematics comes not from knowing a lot of mathematical results, but instead from mastering fundamental techniques of mathematical thinking. You can learn these techniques using high-school mathematics, and you should practice them so that they become automatic before you reach college-level mathematics.
The unifying theme behind the techniques in this program is communication with others and yourself. During the program, you will learn and practice mathematical techniques, solve a series of mathematical problems, and give a technical mathematics presentation.
As part of this program, you are are expected to:
- practice fundamental skills that you learn
- implement feedback about your mathematical skills
- help your classmates
Techniques of a Pro Mathematician will be offered during the following weeks:
Prerequisites
The program requires students to have completed a high school level course in geometry and to be familiar with the definitions of sine, cosine, and tangent (SOHCAHTOA) by June 2025.
How to Enroll
- Register for a spot at Week 2 or Week 4
- Download and complete Activity 1 - Heatsink Surface Area In this activity, you will be given a diagram of a heatsink with a complicated shape. Your task is to estimate the surface area of the shape and to share your calculation in writing. Try your best to be understandable to a mathematically knowledgeable reader. Your response should be handwritten and fit on a single sheet of paper.
- Upload a photograph or PDF of your handwritten work to this form.
- Dr. Hand will provide feedback on what you have written within a week. Based on this feedback, you will be asked to revise your response and resubmit. Submit your revisions at the same link as above.
- If your revised response shows that you have implemented the provided feedback, as determined by Dr. Hand, you will be officially accepted to the program.
- The program has a limited number of spots available on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is no formal timeline for the application but act soon to make sure you complete your revision before the spots are all taken. If you do not get officially accepted for the special session, you will be automatically registered for the standard sessions of Tapia Camps. If you would prefer not to participate, you may request a refund before May 15, 2025.
Tapia Camps
Tapia Camps are a 6-day/5-night program at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Food and lodging is provided, and campers live in the dormitories and spend their instruction time in the buildings on campus. A field trip will take place within Houston (e.g., at Space Center Houston/NASA Johnson Space Center).
Camp Pricing for Individual Campers*:
- Early Bird (before Feb. 1, 2025): $2,200 per student
- Regular (before May 1, 2025): $2,500 per student
*Discounted pricing for school officials and large groups is available. Please reach out to us by email at tapiacenter@rice.edu.
About your Instructor
Dr. Paul Hand
This one-of-a-kind program will be led by Dr. Paul Hand, an award winning math professor who has done research on applied mathematics, biophysics, image processing, and artificial intelligence. He has taught at multiple prestigious colleges and universities, including Cooper Union, NYU, MIT, Rice, and Northeastern. He is excited to bring you strategies he has been teaching at the college level and beyond so that you can achieve your mathematical dreams.
Have more questions about the camps? Please email us at tapiacenter@rice.edu or call (713)-348-5182.
