History
MASCI (MAth/SCIence) Challenge began in the April of 1998. Founded by Nakia Williams and Ahmar Matthews, MASCI was initiated under the pretenses that additional steps needed to be taken to recruit underrepresented minorities (African American, Latino/Hispanic, Native American) into math and science concentrations on the college/university level. Using the discouraging statistics from United States Department of Education and personal classroom experience, the two individuals set out on a mission to increase the low numbers of these students by creating a weekend designed to promote the values of teamwork, leadership and fun in the learning process.
Teamwork
Schools submit teams of four students from the tenth to twelfth grade. No more than one senior is allowed per team because we feel that each team member should have to opportunity to contribute to the success of the team. To facilitate participate, we have incorporated each of the following divisions of science and math:
Earth
Science
Algebra
Biology
Chemistry
Geometry
Physics Trigonometry
Calculus
Based on past success, the teams with the broadest age ranges typically perform with more accuracy, because each member is an 'expert' in the particular math or science they are currently taking.
Leadership/Discipline
Students are exposed to all aspects of leadership--from assigning a team captain to observing the undergraduates who are running the weekend. Team members are responsible for each others conduct and negative or otherwise unsportsmanlike behavior will result in the disqualification of the entire team.
Fun
The third major underlying principle of the weekend is the concept of FUN! We believe that when students learn that math and science can be fun, they will be more likely to pursue concentrations within these fields. With this in mind, every aspect of the weekend is jammed packed with the element of fun!
Past Events
Click on the following files for an overview of the past two years of MASCI. Both files are zipped PowerPoint presentations and will take a few minutes to download.
Please Direct Questions to:
masci@umich.edu