A special session of Tapia Camps at Rice University:

Techniques of a Pro Mathematician

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 each 2026 Camp session:

Session 1: July 5 - 10, Register here
Session 2: July 12 - 17, Register here
Session 3: July 19 - 24, Register here

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), including the ability to sketch plots of sin(x) and cos(x) by hand, by June 2026

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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.

Camp Pricing for Individual Campers*:

Early Bird (before Feb. 1, 2026): $2,200 per student
Regular (before May 1, 2026): $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.

Learn more about Tapia Camps.

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.