Camp Euclid - A Mathematics Research Camp

Difficulty Level: U N K N O W N

Meet and Collaborate Online

Camp Euclid is a mind-tingling mathematics research program for middle school and high school students. Participants will encounter solution-defying math problems (which have never been solved before). Mull over and grapple with tantalizingly difficult math problems within a circle of fellow researchers . . . .

Program Description

Eligibility Requirements

You must be a middle school or high school student, 18-years-old or younger, to participate.

Groups

You will be assigned to a small group of other participants during the application process. Mentors will help group members to work together.

(A mentor is a cross between a peer counselor and a tutor.)

Friends

Friends may request to be assigned to the same group during the application process.

About the Mentors

Camp Euclid mentors are undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate mathematicians - all actively engaged in research.

Fact:

Euclid Lab has run Camp Euclid since the summer of 2010.

Location and Technical Requirements

Camp Euclid is a "distance" program which utilizes a VLE (Virtual Learning Environment).

You may participate from virtually anywhere! See below for information on the technical requirements.

Time Commitment and Weekly Schedule

From a few hours per week to full-time - it's up to you!

Camp Euclid is 8-weeks-long. The upcoming camp, Camp Euclid, Summer 2012, will be held Jun. 25th - Aug. 17th. See below for details on the weekly schedule.

Activities

You will investigate unsolved problems in mathematics.

As a group, you will choose a few initial research topics during the first week of camp. Afterwards, your topics may evolve as your research progresses . . . .

You will

  • make conjectures and try to prove them;
  • alter your conjectures and try to prove those;
  • explore examples;
  • try to construct counter-examples;
  • try to prove special cases;
  • try to prove more general cases; and
  • exercise your analytical skills, communication and writing skills, concentration, acuity, intuition and creativity.

In the process, you will gain practical experience with constructing mathematical proofs while exploring/creating the topics which arise.

Visit U N S O L V E D :, our blog about unsolved problems in mathematics, for some examples of research topics; but the possibilities are endless!

Click here for some tips on doing mathematics research.

The Weekly Seminar

Your group will meet with a senior mentor, one hour per week, in the virtual seminar room - a time to present ideas and to brainstorm and explore ideas with others . . . .

The Common Room

You can also meet with fellow participants (besides those in your local area) in the virtual common room.

The Weekly Common Room Meetings

You will "talk math" with your group and a mentor, two hours per week, in the common room.

Your Research Journal

You will keep a journal of your work (problems, questions, ideas, guesses, examples, mathematical soliloquies, what you'd like to be able to show, sketches of proofs, etc.).

The Camp Blog

You will share your mathematical musings on the camp blog.

The Camp Wiki

You will summarize progress, explain ideas and pose questions on the camp wiki.

The Final Seminar Meeting

You will give (individually or with fellow participants) a final presentation on a mathematical topic of your choice - perhaps a question you have have been pondering, or a discovery you have made . . . .

Our Student Gallery

You or your group may contribute to our student gallery - click here to view it!

Participant Testimonials

Click here to learn how past participants describe Camp Euclid.

Technical Requirements and Details

You will need a broadband-connected computer with a web cam, a headset microphone and Adobe Flash Player to log in to the online meeting rooms.

Click here for details on the system requirements for Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Meeting participants, presenters and hosts.

Click here to conduct a pre-meeting system check.

Our online meeting rooms are very user-friendly.

Click here for details in the Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Meeting documentation for participants, presenters and hosts.

If you would like to try out an online meeting room, visit our virtual office during office hours.

What is an online meeting/"virtual" room like?

Attendees may

  • chat via a chat "pod", microphones and web cams;
  • upload/download files to share;
  • leave notes on a note "pod";
  • view/annotate documents collaboratively; and
  • brainstorm on a virtually unlimited number of collaborative whiteboards. 

Camp Euclid, Summer 2012 Details

Dates

Jun. 25 - Aug. 17

Weekly Schedule

The weekly schedule (the times for the weekly seminar and common room meetings) for your group will be determined (given prospective participants' and mentors' schedules) and announced during the application process.

Participation Fee

$1000

Grants

We are committed to making Camp Euclid affordable for all students.
If you are selected to participate, we will offer you (dependent on available funding) a grant up to your full financial need.
Note: We have substantial funds available this summer!

How to Apply

(It's easy.)

Click here for details on how to apply. Suggested application deadline: May 25th!

Important Dates

Suggested application deadline: May 25

Invitations to Participate emailed: Jun. 4 -

First day of camp: Jun. 25

Last day of camp: Aug. 17

It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment. - C. F. Gauss

Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all. - Hypatia

 

Participant Testimonials