The Joy of Math
Sometimes our students say things so incredible you wouldn't believe them if we didn't show them to you in kid handwriting. Take what Lismary (who prefers to go by "L") has to say about math:
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 Math is an amazing collection of curiosity, conjectures, and theorems. It's the language of the universe. It's something that brings us together. I want to study math because I know that I will always have questions about the universe. I want to be part of a team of mathematicians who answer those questions.
L is currently in 8th grade. She attended BEAM 6 in 2016 and then BEAM 7 in 2017, where she fell in love in math. She currently aims to get a PhD in number theory and to go on to become a professor of mathematics. Next year, she will be attending Bard High School Early College (BHSEC), which will allow her to finish calculus by the end of 11th grade and then go on to electives covering topics from Cryptography to Graph Theory through the lens of modern mathematical reasoning
We were so inspired by L's amazing quote that we went back and read through five summers worth of responses to the question "What is math?" from our 7th grade students over the past five summers. Check out their responses!
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L (toward the left, red shirt), poses with a number of staff and students at BEAM 7 Bard College 2017.
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Join our team!
BEAM is hiring for full-time jobs in our New York office and summer jobs in both New York and Los Angeles! We have year-round positions for a Middle School Program Assistant, Development and Communications Manager, and Elementary School Program Lead. Summer positions include faculty and counselor positions suitable for professors, teachers, graduate students, and undergraduates, as well as positions for nurses and guidance counselors.
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Not looking for a job? Share this newsletter with someone who is!
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"When people think about why it is important to have a diversity of talent in a field, they think of it as a nicety. No, it’s a necessity. We get better solutions." A recent interview with astronaut Mae Jemison reminds us that diversity in STEM actually leads to better science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Do you know the proofs from "THE BOOK"? Paul Erdős famously posited "an infinite book in which God had written the perfect proof for each theorem." Recently Quanta Magazine broke down two such proofs: Euclid's proof that there are infinitely many primes (a familiar proof to students who've taken number theory at BEAM 7!) and Steve Fisk's museum guards proof.
"Poverty is not a proxy for race when it comes to academic outcomes." A recent study released through the Equality of Opportunity Project aims to answer the question: when it comes to educational outcomes, what are the impacts of race and income? We're particularly interested in this research as BEAM's admissions criteria are income-based, yet we have chosen to focus our admissions on neighborhoods with large concentrations of Black and Latinx students to address the under-representation of both populations in STEM. Interested in learning more about the subject? We also recommend the graphical representations of the research presented in The New York Times.
How much does college really cost? When a 12th grader stares at a financial aid offer, do they understand it? Over the past five years, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has done incredible work to study college policies and the ways in which they do and do not support underrepresented students. Their most recent report, "Making College Affordable," is a result of this work. It presents a clear look at the current state of college affordability, and then presents "11 best practices to institutions to help students pay for college and stay in school."
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Our 8th graders are headed to high school!
This year, a record 89% of BEAM 8th graders have been admitted to high schools we deem highly selective, selective, or trusted. For example, the students pictured below, Alex, Mariwa, and Francine, will be attending Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences, NEST+m, and Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, respectively.
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Yet again, BEAM's results are in sharp contrast to the press about lack of diversity in New York's specialized schools. In total, 13 BEAM students were admitted to specialized schools, including the four students pictured below: Anthony (Stuyvesant), Thays (High School of American Studies at Lehman College), Ethan (Brooklyn Tech), and Christian (Bronx Science).
Congratulations to all our 8th graders! We can't wait to see what you do next.
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BEAM Los Angeles is almost here!
The launch of BEAM's new Los Angeles program continues, with 120 students from 14 partner schools admitted to the program. They will start their journey with BEAM on June 18 at BEAM 6, a five-week program introducing them to new ideas in mathematical reasoning and the applications of mathematics.
Starting a program in a new city requires balancing a number of different factors, from developing school partnerships to securing a program location to hiring new staff. The effort has been led by BEAM's Los Angeles Executive Director, Jacob Castaneda, and as the summer approaches the activity is intensifying.
Just last week, BEAM's National Executive Director, Daniel Zaharopol, flew out to LA with four NYC 11th graders, Zeñia, Maria, Teo, and Eric. During the day, they visited colleges: Caltech, Harvey Mudd, Occidental, Pomona, and USC. In the evenings, they represented BEAM and told their stories at dinners across the city, helping to build a network of supporters to sustain BEAM in its new home. Already, the shift has begun to the next phase: lunches to introduce admitted 6th graders and their families to what they can expect this summer.
Help us spread the word about BEAM's westward expansion. Share this newsletter with a friend and encourage them to sign up for periodic updates!
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11th graders Zeñia, Maria, Teo pose at Caltech in front of the Fleming Cannon.
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 Congratulations, Dan!
And lastly: did you know that Dan Zaharopol, BEAM's Executive Director, was recently named one of The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "15 More People Changing the Nonprofit World"? Congratulations, Dan!
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