Syndication of "Hard Problems" on American Public Television

Mathematical Association Of America, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Unlike sports, or spelling, or even the arts, the general public has little awareness of the process whereby the most mathematically talented high school students in the United States are discovered and nurtured through math competitions. Although millions of students each year take mathematics exams and hundreds of thousands enter math competitions, the public has little understanding of the passion, commitment, determination, talent, parental involvement and coaching it takes to advance to the most difficult math competitions. The MAA documentary Hard Problems: The Road to the World's Toughest Math Contest tells the stories of the six high school students who represented the United States in the 2006 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) Competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia. With funding from the National Science Foundation, the MAA will make the film available to the public through syndication by American Public Television. Viewers will discover that the exceptional young people who represent the U.S. at the IMO team are talented and well-rounded, and are outstanding ambassadors for our country. After watching this film, one can easily envision them as being team leaders when they take their place in the academic/research community, in the work force, and even starting their own successful companies, as many past participants have.