SAYIT: Summer Academic Youth Institute in Technology
Say yes to Math, and say yes to a bright future
Say yes to Math, and say yes to a bright future
SAYIT is a summer mathematics program for minority students from local high schools.
NOTICE: SAYIT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO OBTAIN FUNDING TO CONTINUE. AT THIS TIME, CHANCES FOR RESUMING SAYIT IN THE NEAR FUTURE DO NOT LOOK GOOD.
There was no cost to the participants. A TI-83 graphing calculator was provided for each participant, and those who completed the program kept the calculator.
SAYIT last took place on the University of Florida campus, July 3-August 10, 2000, Monday through Thursday each week (except July 4), 9:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M, in Little Hall, room 205. Each day had three sessions: a mathematics session, a group-work session, and a technology session. The mathematics session consisted of six one-week modules, on the topics:
1. Problem-solving
2. Permutations, combinations, and counting.
3. Probability
4. Game theory
5. Number theory and cryptography (or secret codes)
6. Fractals and chaos
The group-work sessions included work in small groups on problems which re-inforce the mathematics and technology sessions. Each group had a facilitator, who is a more experienced mathematics student or teacher, to help with the problems and to help clarify the concepts involved.
The technology sessions focused primarily on the use of the TI-83 graphing calculator, which was provided to each participant. These sessions provided many ideas on the use of such calculators which should be useful in future mathematics classes, as well as classes in other subjects which use mathematics, such as science, engineering, and business. In addition, students were introduced to the MAPLE symbolic algebra package. This is a very powerful computer program which will do everything a graphing calculator will do and much more, for example, three-dimensional graphs, and factoring of polynomials. Again, this should be very useful in various later classes.
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Major funding for SAYIT was provided by a grant from GTE Foundation, a branch of GTE Corporation. Additional funding was provided by the Department of Mathematics and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences of the University of Florida.