
- This event has passed.
CCMS Colloquium: Math as the Gateway for STEM Achievement and Access: The Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) Program (Dan Zaharopol, CEO BEAM)
January 29 @ 4:15 pm - 5:30 pm
Speaker: Daniel Zaharopol, Founder of Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM), (AoPSI) The Art of Problem Solving Initiative, Inc.
Title: Math as the Gateway for STEM Achievement and Access: The Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) Program
Abstract: Knowing facts is not enough to drive success in STEM fields: one also needs strong problem solving, rigorous reasoning, comfort with abstraction, and the insight to navigate broad spaces of open problems. However, before college, access to challenge and rigor is often limited to those from privileged backgrounds, relying on paying for special programs or having strong community knowledge to find the right programs.
How, then, can we enhance access to high-quality preparation in STEM? In this talk, I will share some reflections on the work to be done, and how we are approaching that work at Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM). BEAM creates pathways for students from low-income and historically marginalized communities to become scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and computer scientists. What we’ve seen is clear: many more students can thrive with the right combination of support and access. With a thoughtful approach, we can make real progress.
Bio: Dan Zaharopol is the Founder and CEO of Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM). An award-winning teacher and nonprofit entrepreneur, Dan’s work at BEAM has been featured in the New York Times, Education Week, the Notices of the American Mathematical Society, and the Atlantic Monthly, among others, and he’s shared his work through articles and talks in a variety of settings. But more importantly (at least to him), Dan loves math, sharing math, and mentoring and supporting students, and he’s worked with enrichment programs supporting students from all backgrounds across the country. Dan is himself a product of STEM pathways; he received his undergraduate degree in math from MIT and masters’ degrees in both mathematics and teaching mathematics from the University of Illinois