Welcome to the BEAM Blog!
BEAM's Fall Newsletter has arrived!
Today, BEAM's quarterly newsletter arrived in the inboxes of all our subscribers. The newsletter features:
An introduction to BEAM Summer Away at Harvey Mudd College, our sixth summer site
An invitation to BEAM’s Puzzles and Trivia Night
A recap of College Prep Week
Staff Picks: recommendations from staff members about what to read, watch, listen to, and more
Recent accomplishments of BEAM students
Slightly mathy trivia from last year’s Puzzles and Trivia Night for you to try out!
Missed it? You can read the newsletter now.
Make sure you don’t miss the next one! Sign up for our quarterly newsletter.
BEAM Discovery Uptown Day 18!
Students were busy on Day 18 of BEAM Discovery Uptown!
Students were busy on Day 18 of BEAM Discovery Uptown. After breakfast, some students started the day in the class Playing with Logic, where they explored the Shuttle Puzzle by becoming the puzzle pieces. (Classes at BEAM are unlike anything most students see at school. Other classes this week include Math for Pirates and Learning from The Number Devil.)
During Open Math Time, when students get to choose what math they work on, some students completed problem sets from their classes. Students are often encouraged to work together to find the answers.
In Applied Math, students talked about game strategies and how to win at games, like Nim. They asked the question, “Can strategies help you win even at a game like Rock, Paper, Scissors, that seems all about luck?” Yes, they decided, by doing things like looking for patterns in your opponent’s play. To test their theories, they squared off in a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament!
Students checked out the 100 Problem Challenge. As of today, only one problem remains! If the students solve all 100, they win a special prize.
A group of students discussed Problem 74 with Xavier, a veteran faculty member.
Are you up to the challenge? Here’s Problem 74:
In Problem 53, you found a way to link three rings so that if you cut just one of the three rings, the other two would come apart.
In this problem, your goal is to do the same thing but with four rings. Together, all four should be linked. But cut any one of the four rings, and the other three should come apart. (Hint: try using pipe cleaners, like the students above, to help visualize the problem.)
BEAM's Pre-Summer Newsletter has arrived!
Today, BEAM's quarterly newsletter arrived in the inboxes of all our subscribers. The newsletter featured:
Information on our largest summer of operations yet
A recap of College Decision Day
Highlights from BEAM’s recent Career Day
“What We’re Reading”: a look at the College Board’s new “adversity score”
Recent accomplishments from BEAM students
A math puzzle for you to try out!
Missed it? You can read the newsletter now.
Make sure you don’t miss the next one! Sign up for our quarterly newsletter.
BEAM Students Make Summer Plans
BEAM students and families gather for the summer program presentation.
After spending two summers at BEAM, what do BEAM students do next? They might want a summer break, staying home or traveling with their family for vacation. But many students want another productive thing to do with their time! Each winter, we encourage our alumni to apply for summer programs to help broaden their knowledge, explore enriching learning experiences, and spend their break in a meaningful way. This is especially part of BEAM’s mission to prepare under-served students for future STEM careers. We aim to support students by helping them to applying to various STEM orientated summer programs, and our unscientific surveys of STEM professionals prove what the BEAM audience already knows: summer preparation in middle school and high school opens the door to STEM success in college and beyond.
BEAM alumni Teo and Jennora share their experience from summer programs they have attended.
On January 26th, BEAM students gathered at NYU’s Courant Institute for the annual Summer Program Information Session. This event’s main focus was to start the process of selecting summer programs and preparing summer applications. The information session began with a presentation highlighting the importance of applying to summer programs and how to go about the application process. We also had a panel of four BEAM alumni who answered questions and discussed their experience in different types of summer programs. After hearing about the different options, students broke out into groups by grade in order to review a list of their personalized summer program recommendations. As the beginning of the year goes by, we encourage our students to start their applications as soon as possible in order to give themselves the best opportunities. Overall, the information session pushed students to start thinking about their pathways towards STEM careers in addition to giving students the chance to hang out with the BEAM family.
BEAM students: it’s not too late to apply to amazing opportunities for summer 2019! Contact your year leader to learn more.