Sitting in her high school calculus class senior year, it all clicked for Ashley Meinke. Math was her passion.
Fast-forward to today, Meinke is in her 11th year teaching mathematics at Perry High School and is active with the school鈥檚 Math Club. She spends her days with top math students, teaching Honors Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus to upperclassmen.
Meinke is at home in the classroom, spending time there as a teacher 鈥 and a student. She received her undergraduate degree from 两性色午夜 University at Stark and her master鈥檚 degree at the Kent Campus.
That鈥檚 when she developed a great working relationship with Bathi Kasturiarachi, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics at 两性色午夜 Stark. Namely, Kasturiarachi served as her professor, worked with her on her honors thesis and, later, as her master鈥檚 thesis advisor. Following her collegiate career, Meinke also has invited Kasturiarachi to Perry on several occasions to do math presentations.
Given their history, it was no surprise when Kasturiarachi approached Meinke with the idea to work together again, this time with their respective colleagues, and apply for the $5,000 Mathematical Association of America鈥檚 (MAA) Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grant, which they recently received with the help of the Stark County Educational Service Center. Kasturiarachi is the first faculty member to receive a prestigious MAA grant for 两性色午夜 University.
Creating opportunities
The proposal? An intensive, weeklong summer mathematics workshop for students all across Stark County next year 鈥 the 2022 Stark County Summer Math Academy.
鈥淚 think this will really allow us to hone in on some kids who maybe aren鈥檛 involved in sports or other things and academics is a little more their niche,鈥 said Meinke. 鈥淎nd hang onto the kids who aren鈥檛 as represented.鈥
The Dolciani Enrichment Grant helps fund mathematics programs targeting first-generation, low-income, minority and female students interested in the STEM fields.
鈥淎 lot of (the schools) have been selected from the rural areas in the U.S., whether it鈥檚 Native American, whether it鈥檚 Hispanic communities,鈥 Kasturiarachi said. 鈥(The MAA has been) very thoughtful about which groups are underrepresented. I鈥檓 glad that we were able to bring it to Stark County.鈥
Students from all over Stark County will have the opportunity to apply for the Summer Math Academy. The 45 students who are accepted will self-select into one of three concentrations: 1) Advanced Calculus; 2) Data Science; or 3) Explorations in Pure Math. At least 25% of the chosen applicants will be women and underrepresented students.
And before you think this math academy will be all lecture-based, Kasturiarachi challenges you to reconsider.
鈥淚t will be more hands-on. It will be discovery based. The students will be immersed in a (mathematical) problem right away and they鈥檒l be doing work on that,鈥 explained Kasturiarachi. 鈥淎nd the very last day, they will do a final presentation in small groups of the larger project we鈥檝e designed.鈥
The small groups will be led by Meinke and Kasturiarachi, as well as another Perry math teacher, David Olszewski, and two other 两性色午夜 Stark faculty members, including: Paul Andaloro, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics; and Michele Heron, Ph.D., associate professor of education.
Meinke is looking forward to the unique interactive approach.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited about getting kids excited about math,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e do so much in math class, but it鈥檚 usually just a lot of routine examples. I think that the academy will open their eyes to what they can do with mathematics beyond just the routine problems that they鈥檙e used to seeing.鈥
She is also aware of the importance of such experiences to high school students, especially those planning on going to college.
鈥淎t our school, we don鈥檛 have computer science classes, so this is an opportunity for them to be exposed to that, and (get) a little taste of what college math will be like, too,鈥 Meinke said. 鈥淐ollege math classes are so different from a high school class 鈥 a lot more proof-based鈥 That鈥檚 not something that we always have time to do during the regular school day.鈥
STEM fields are for everyone
Both Meinke and Kasturiarachi are hoping that programs, like this one, can change students鈥 views about mathematics and STEM fields.
鈥淭he goal of the grant is to get that curiosity spinning a little bit,鈥 explained Kasturiarachi. 鈥淪TEM fields are generally considered 鈥榟ard鈥, and people just try to stay away from them. And, so, by getting the curiosity going, and showing them that they can be good at doing fundamental projects and research and having the technology behind them is very helpful. That鈥檚 the goal. For students to go back and say, 鈥業 had this opportunity. Can I continue this kind of thing in college?鈥 鈥
Meinke agrees.
鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting because even though I teach the top math students, they鈥檙e not all necessarily interested in continuing. I鈥檓 a steppingstone to where they want to go sometimes,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 think there is kind of a stigma and a fear, but hopefully, through things like the academies, we can start to put an end to that.鈥
Kasturiarachi looks forward to seeing the spark.
鈥淚鈥檓 most excited to see a change in the students,鈥 he said. 鈥淎s long as they bring that excitement and enthusiasm to do it 鈥 it is rewarding in multiple ways. I see that in my classroom as well at 两性色午夜. They finally get it, and they say 鈥極h, I wish someone had told me this is how it was done.鈥 I鈥檓 looking forward to getting to that point.鈥
Meinke hopes to experience the moments that ignited her passion for math.
鈥淚鈥檓 really just looking forward to revisiting a lot of my old textbooks and jumping back in and reliving some of those math memories,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 content I get to necessarily work with anymore, so I think through re-sparking my love, I鈥檒l be able to then bring that into the academy for our local students.鈥
If the Stark County Summer Math Academy is successful, the program grant is renewable.
And based on the passion both Kasturiarachi and Meinke have for mathematics and students, it鈥檚 an equation that results in success.