The Summer Program in Mathematical Problem Solving (SPMPS) is a free residential summer program for underserved New York City middle school students with talent in mathematics. The program is held each summer at Bard College. Following the summer, students receive mentors and are connected to further mathematical study in New York City and at other summer programs.

SPMPS brings together top instructors from across the country to teach advanced mathematics and build abstract thinking skills. Students choose from courses on topics such as graph theory, number theory, and combinatorics. Additionally, all students take a problem-solving course. Outside of class, students build a strong peer group built around mathematical study. Activities at the program are designed to help students integrate into future programs for talented students, both academically and socially.

The program first ran in 2011 with 17 students. In 2012, there are 40 registered students. As funding increases, the program is expecting to expand to additional sites.

The USA Mathematical Talent Search

The USA Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS) is a free mathematics competition open to all United States middle and high school students.

The USAMTS consists of 4 rounds of 5 problems. Students have approximately one month to work on each round and must provide carefully written justifications of their answers. The contest promotes mathematical writing and deep thinking about difficult problems. The goal of the USAMTS is to help all students develop their problem solving skills, improve their technical writing abilities, and mature mathematically while having fun.

Math Teams: San Diego

The new Math Teams: San Diego project of the Art of Problem Solving Foundation is a pilot project designed to help build math teams in the San Diego area by providing grants and training to middle school teachers in San Diego County to develop math teams in their schools. Click here for more information about the program. Click here for an application. The Foundation welcomes financial support to spread this project both within San Diego, and to other communities.

Local Programs Initiative

The Art of Problem Solving Foundation is also accepting funds to support local problem solving efforts in a variety of communities. Donors may direct their donation to specific local programs, or may donate to the Local Programs Initiative in general, in which case the donation will be divided among the local programs we support as determined by the Board of Directors. The programs we currently support are:

• San Diego Math Circle. Hosted by the Art of Problem Solving and the University of California, San Diego, Math Department, the San Diego Math Circle offers free classes and contests for eager math students grades 5-12 in Southern California.
• Atlanta Math Circle
• Michigan Math Circle
• Stanford Math Circle. A Math Circle hosted at Stanford University.
• Colorado Math Circle. A Math Circle in Boulder, Colorado.
• Charlotte Mathematics Club. Math club for students in the Charlotte, NC, area.
• Charlotte Teachers' Circle. Math Circle for teachers in the Charlotte, NC, area.
• Louisiana ARML. The Louisiana ARML team.
• Soli Deo Gloria Home Educators. Math club for home schooled students in Henry County, GA.
• The Teachers' Circle. A Math Circle designed for teachers in the San Jose, CA, area.
• Princeton Math Club. The Princeton Math Club runs the Princeton University Mathematics Competition for high school students and runs an outreach tutoring program for students in the Trenton area.
• San Jose Math Circle. A Math Circle hosted at San Jose State University.
• Triple Integral. Problem solving opportunities at Johns Hopkins University for students in the Baltimore area.
• Orange County Math Circle. A Math Circle for students in Orange County, CA.
• Albany Area Math Circle. A Math Circle for students in the Albany, NY, area.
• Seattle Infinity Math Circle. A Math Circle for students in the Seattle, WA, area.
• Berkeley Math Circle. A Math Circle for San Francisco Bay Area high school and middle school students at UC Berkeley.
• Santa Barbara Math Ellipse. A Math Circle for students in the Santa Barbara, CA, area.
• New York Math Circle. A Math Circle for students and teachers in New York City.

The Foundation is currently accepting application from more local programs. Please note that the primary fund-raising responsibility lies with the local programs themselves, not the Foundation. Our focus as a foundation is to help those who work hard to help themselves. If you are interested in applying to add your local Math Circle, Math Club, or Math Team to our Local Programs Initiative, please contact us for more information.