The Avid Learner

N210 - Introductory Physics Olympiad is for students in 8th - 10th grade. This class will focus on Algebra-based physics problem solving and preparation for the AAPT Physics Bowl competition.
N230 - Advanced Physics Olympiad is for students in 10th - 12th grade. This class will focus on AP Physics C and Physics Olympiad Competitions.

For more information, please visit Avid Academy Physics Olympiad Training Program.

America's Best Colleges 2009

The U.S. News & World Report released its America's Best Colleges 2010 rankings. The top ten national schools are:

1. Harvard
1. Princeton
3. Yale
4. Caltech
4. MIT
4. Stanford
4. University of Pennsylvania
8. Columbia
8. University of Chicago
10. Duke University

Some California Universities are:

04 - Caltech
04 - Stanford
21 - UC Berkeley
24 - UCLA
26 - USC
35 - UC San Diego
42 - UC Davis
42 - UC Santa Barbara
46 - UC Irvine
58 - Pepperdine

State Releases Results of CAHSEE Exam

The California Department of Education releases the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) results on September 2. The exam is a test that all high school students must pass to receive a diploma. To top 10 schools in mathematics are:

Oxford High School
Early College High
Middle College High
Troy High School
University High School
Northwood High School
Woodbridge High School
Los Alamitos High School
Orange County School of the Arts
Aliso Niguel High School

For more information, please visit 2009 high school exit exam scores for O.C. schools.

2009 International Olympiads

The goals of the International Olympiads are to promote careers in science for talented students and to stress the importance of the sciences in our modern society. The Olympiads provide excellent opportunities to compare educational methods and exchange experiences among nations. Each summer, the United States sends teams to various International Academic Olympiads competitions. The following is a summary of 2009 results:

50th International Mathematical Olympiad, Germany: 565 students from 104 countries paticipated in this year's International Math Olympiad (IMO) in Bremen, Germany. Each student is given two days to solve 6 problems. The team's score is a summation of individual scores. This year, the U.S. team placed 6th behind China, Japan, Russia, and the two Korean nations. Overall, the team performed astoundingly well and recieved two gold medals and four silver medals.
40th International Physics Olympiad, M�xico: This year's International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) took place in Mexico City. The competition lasted for two days, consisting of a theoretical portion and a lab section. The U.S. Physics Team moved up a spot from last year's standing and finished in 4th place behind China, Korea, and India with four gold medals and one silver.
41st International Chemistry Olympiad, England: This year's International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) took place in Cambridge, Enlgand. Like the IPhO, the IChO consits of theroretical and lab portions. However, no team score is given for the IChO, students are ranked based on individual performance. The U.S. students collectively won one gold and three silver medals.
20th International Biology Olympiad, Japan: The International Biology Olympiad follows the same structure as the IChO. Students are ranked on individual scores, no team award is given. This year in Tsukuba, Japan, U.S. students collectively won four gold medals.
2009 Mathematical Olympiad for Girls, China: For the third year in a row, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) sent a group of 7 girls, from around the country, to participate in the Girls Math Olympiad. The U.S. team brought home a total of 2 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

AMC announces the Junior Math Olympiad

In conjunction with the Math Olympiad, the committee of American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) established a USA Junior Math Olympiad (USAJMO) for 2010. This change does not effect a student's eligibility for the USA Math Olympiad (USAMO), but only students grades 10 and below are eligible to compete in the USAJMO. For students in grade 10 or below who desire to compete in the USAMO, they must take the AMC 12. In so doing, they will be completely taken out of the pool for students eligible for the USAJMO. Students in grade 10 or below should take the AMC 10 if they do not wish to be excluded from the pool of students competing in the USAJMO. In such case, they may still be eligible for the USAMO if they obtain a score of 11 or more on the AIME.

For more information, please visit: Introduction of the 2010 USAJMO

The Billionaire University

Interested in knowing which schools crank out the most graduates worth 10-figures? A recent study shows that Harvard has an alumni base that features 54 10-figure titans. That's more than 5% of the world's billionaires. Stanford falls short to a second with 25 billionaire alumni, less than half of Harvard's. USC has the 10th largest pool of billionaire alumni with 9 alums in the 10-figure realm.

While it may seem that these name dropping colleges have given these tycoons the tools they need to attain such affluence, the study had also shown that 46 of Forbe's top 400 richest Americans lacked a college degree altogether. Bill Gates, the wealthiest man in the world, dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft. Similarly, Mark Zuckerburg dropped out of Harvard to form Facebook, which is now worth $1.5 billion.

It would seem that an individual's success has less to do with the name of their school, and more to do with their own personal drive and ambition. But one cannot argue that where a person goes to college can make a big difference in starting pay, and that difference is largely sustained into midcareer.

For more information on the "Billionaire University," please read Yahoo's online article by Marie Thibault: Billionaire University.

Math and Science Related Careers

Avid Academy would like to announce a new feature on its website. The profiling of jobs and possible career paths of math and science students can be found under the "resources" tab on our website: Resources.

The first job profiled is one on Actuarial Science. An Actuarial Scientist uses the knowledge of math and science, combined with analytical skill, to determine the likelihood of future events, such as the probability of an earthquake in an area and the likely costs associated with damage repair. Actuarial Scientists most often find employment in insurance companies, investment banking, stock corporations, and federal government.

Benefits of such a job vary with skill, time in the career, and relevant professional associations. To attain certain benefits, such as a higher degree of pay, an actuary may join one of two actuarial societies: Society of Actuaries (SOA), or Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS). Attainment of associateship in each society is characterized by the successful completion of series of exams.

Starting pay: $45,000/year
Pay raises: $3,000 per passed exam, $2,000 per year of experience
After ten years and Associateship: $96,000-$130,000/year for SOA, $119,000-$159,000/year for CAS

I hope you enjoyed the information provided in this newsletter. Thank you for supporting gifted education in Southern California. If you have comments to improve our newsletters or would like to share articles, resources and ideas with our community, please email me at Dr.Li@AvidAcademy.com.

Sincerely,

James Li, Ph.D.

Executive Director
Avid Academy for Gifted Youth