Calvin Brown



I'm Calvin Brown and I am interested in Math Field Day because I have participated in a lot of math competitions and I would like to write problems and tests.  Math has been my favorite subject and I have a lot of experience with problem solving and competition math.  I hope to provide a fun experience and increase interest in STEM in the middle schoolers who participate.
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Math Field Day Personal Blog 10/4
Today was the first time we had all the group members and faculty present together, so we finished our planning of the event.  After reviewing the schedule and tests from last year, we finished our rough outline of the day’s events, combining two tests and adding a new round.  During the planning process, I spoke up at times and talked about other math events I had been to and some successful methods they used.  Because I had the most experience participating in events like the countdown round, I talked about the details and timing of it.  

After we finished our outline of the actual event, we split into groups.  Some people worked on drafting a letter to schools and sponsors, while Michelle, David, Jordan, and I worked on creating problems for the countdown round.  We made about 20 problems together, drawing inspiration from other similar competitions.  To make sure they were an appropriate level, we had two people, Aydin and Emin go head to head and test all the problems.  We ended up having to change a few of them and will have to move some of them to later in the competition.  After we finished that, we started assigning roles to everyone and which test they will be in charge of.  I am in charge of the Countdown round along with Michelle.  We also planned our town meeting announcement and started contacting schools and sponsors.

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11/15/17
We began the day with a recap of what we accomplished last service learning day and assigning tasks.  We were tasked with finishing the first drafts of the different tests that the middle schoolers will be taking on the day of the test.  I worked on the countdown round, which pits two competitors face to face in an intense contest to see who can solve the problem first.  Because we envision 16 participants, we need to prepare for 15 rounds of play, so Michelle Hung and I had to create 70 problems.  For the most part we worked separately, drawing inspiration from competitions we have done before, but we checked each others problems to fix any mistakes and ensure there were no duplicate problems.  We finished the problem set, and will make sure that it is finalized in the next meeting.

I also helped test another group’s problems by taking the algebra and probability test, fixing typos and offering suggestions to improve the clarity.  This is an essential part of working in groups, as finding the flaws of others is easier than finding your own.  I also send a save the date email to a middle school to begin the process of spreading the word about Math Field Day.  Overall, I thought the day was productive and as a group we made good progress.  In the future, I will have to exit my comfort zone as we reach out to companies and middle schools and work on my social skills


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Calvin Brown
Ms. Dear and Dr. Ishii
Math Field Day
10 January, 2018
Service Learning Reflection #3
Over the course of the day, we worked on outreach to schools and tested the engineering challenge of Math Field Day.  The first thing I did was check on the countdown round questions, making sure we didn’t have any typos or mistakes.  Then I worked with Richard and David on the engineering project guidelines to make them clear and easily evaluated.  I also updated the contact information for a few of the schools we contacted, including Pegasus.  We are planning to give them information in person before the next meeting.

After our lunch break, we tested the engineering challenge by forming teams and constructing boats.  There was a point system for constructing the points, where each material costs a certain amount of points and there is a limit to how many points each team can use to construct their boats.  Michelle and I employed a strategy of using as many cups as we could given the points because cups provided the most flotation and buoyancy.  We ended up with a fairly simple boat with six cups attached.  The boat successfully floated across the pool without a problem, but sunk after some weight was put on.  The important thing we learned is that we have to streamline the process of testing the boats because it took way to long as it was.  Overall, today was a fairly productive day.

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