[Chronicle]

Nov. 30, 2001
Vol. 21 No. 6

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    Mathematics Department will sponsor Siemens fellowships

    By Steve Koppes
    News Office

    The Siemens Foundation has turned to the Young Scholars Program in the Mathematics Department to help cultivate future talent for the annual Siemens Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition for high school students.

    The foundation has established 10 Siemens Fellowships in the Mathematics Department with a $10,000 grant. The 10 students selected as Siemens Fellows from the Young Scholars Program are Elmer Brown, Jensen School; Michael Kharouta, Edison School; Damaris Perez, Sabin School; Ashley Thomas, Thorp Academy; Laila Chen, Whitney Young High School; Daniel Rico, Thorp Academy; Gena Urowsky, Lincoln Park High School; Abdullah Adnan, Jones High School; Jennifer Li, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy; and Karl Weintraub, Glenbard West High School.

    The goal of the Young Scholars Program is to identify mathematically talented students in grades seven through 12, especially minorities and females, to prepare them for possible careers in research or education in science and mathematics. Paul Sally Jr., Professor in Mathematics and the College, is encouraging the Siemens Fellows selected from the program to pursue projects for the Siemens Westinghouse Competition.

    Two participants in the Young Scholars Program have received prizes in the competition in previous years. Those prizes were earned in computer science and biology.

    “It is harder to do original work in mathematics at that level than it is in some of the experimental sciences,” Sally said. “That’s just the nature of mathematics. To do serious research, you need a strong background, which is usually not acquired at the high-school level.”

    Also working with Siemens to develop mathematics talent for the Siemens Westinghouse Competition are Ohio State University and Southwest Texas State University.