Carmel High School sophomores Allison Shen and Jennifer Hu are on a journey to spread their love of mathematics to middle school students.
Their new nonprofit, Infinity Squared, aims to show practical and enjoyable aspects of math that go beyond the classroom primarily by organizing interactive community events and programs.
Shen and Hu have excelled in math contests, such as the American Mathematics Competition and MATHCOUNTS.
According to Hu, they both share a deep-rooted passion for math. Drawing from their middle school experiences, they hope to spread their enthusiasm to younger students and inspire them to enter competitions.
“We really wanted to spread that happiness that we felt when we were doing math in middle school,” Hu said. “Math is important and it’s fun.”
In September, Infinity Squared organized Meet the Math, a four-week program at the Carmel Clay Public Library. Once a week on Saturdays, students in fifth through eighth grade learned fundamental math concepts like number theory and geometry.
“We were basically trying to teach them the basic concepts of MATHCOUNTS and AMC competitions, which happen mainly in middle school,” Hu said.
According to Shen, the Meet the Math program incorporated a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, interactive games and mock tests.
“It was less about teaching and more about seeing math in a new way, discovering patterns and ways it affects real-life, as well as playing games to dive into how math can be used in your everyday life,” Shen said.
Infinity Squared plans to organize friendly math competitions in the upcoming year. Learn more at infinitysquared111.wixsite.com/mysite.
