MN Youth Math Outreach

About the Initiative

This initiative was created in support of Advantage Testing Foundation's Math Prize for Girls to address the unique challenges faced by young girls in competition math and STEM. Throughout our team's involvement in participating and coaching mathematics, we’ve faced the obstacle of the gender gap. While we’ve already expanded accessibility to high-quality competition math instruction through MNYMO’s free camps and events, we recognized that girls often face added barriers—whether that’s being one of the only girls in a room, lacking female role models in math, or not knowing where to begin. MNYMO for Girls aims to create a space where girls can feel supported and excited to engage with mathematics and create their own communities.

Schedule

12:30–1:00 Competition Check-in
1:00–1:20 Opening Ceremony
1:30–2:10 Education Panel
2:20–3:00 Individual Round
3:05–3:55 Dr. Judy Yang Student Talk
4:10–4:40 Lightning Round
4:40–5:40 Activities
5:40–6:00 Awards & Closing Ceremony

Format

Individual Round: 40 minutes, 10 short-answer problems (MATHCOUNTS to lower-AIME level).
Lightning Round: The top individuals will compete two-at-a-time in a double-elimination-style bracket tournament. For each match, a problem will be read and projected and the students will have 60 seconds to solve the problem. When a student has an answer ready, they may buzz in and answer and time is paused. If it is correct, they gain a point. If it is incorrect, time is resumed and the other student will have the remainder of the time to buzz in and answer. The first student to two points wins the match, and this process is repeated until a first-place winner is decided.
Education Panel: Q&A with our team regarding our high school experiences in math and beyond.
Activities: Arts and crafts (origami), games, and more!

Guest Speaker: Dr. Judy Yang

Dr. Judy Yang is an Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, where she also serves as a McKnight Presidential Fellow and researcher at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory. She completed her master's and Ph.D. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT, followed by postdoctoral research at Princeton University, where she studied mechanical and aerospace engineering. At UMN, Dr. Yang serves as principal investigator of the Environmental Transport Lab, designing experiments that range from microfluidic chips to large experimental flumes to study how water, sediment, and living organisms interact. Her research tackles pressing environmental issues, including coastal erosion, soil carbon dynamics, and the spread of contaminants and pathogens. As a dedicated mentor and first-generation college graduate, she is deeply committed to expanding STEM access. Specifically, she has volunteered as a math instructor in a women's correctional facility and shared her passion for STEM and research to hundreds of K12 students. In her talk, she will share key insights from her research journey and offer guidance for students building their own academic paths.