\ newsletter from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
^IMSA
Volume 2 • No. 1
'.4 Pioneering Educational Community '
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
1500 West Sullivan Road
Aurora. Illinois 60506-1039
312/801-6000
Director
Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall
Board of Trustees
Dr. Larry Freeman
Dean of College of Education
Governor's State University
Ms. Sheila Griffin
Marketing Executive
Motorola Incoporated
Mr. Gary D. Jewel
Superintendent of Schools
Aurora West School Dist. 129
Dr. Leon Lederman
Director
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Dr. Walter Massey
Vice President for Research and for Argonne
National Laboratory. University of Chicago
Mr. John McEachem. Jr.
President
Wayne Circuits Incorporated
Dr. David Mintzer
Special Assistant to the President
Northwestern University
Mr. James D. Pearson
President
Aurora Industries
Dr. David R. Pierce
Executive Director
Illinois Community College Board
Dr. Ted Sanders
State Superintendent of Education
Ms. Barbara Schmulbach
Teacher of Mathematics
Carbondale Community High School
Mrs. Elise Scott
Teacher of Chemistry
Mattoon High School
Mr. Jesus Manual Sosa
Principal
Clemente High School. Chicago
Dr. Charles Thomas
Superintendent
North Chicago School *64
Dr. Richard D. Wagner
Executive Director
State Board of Higher Education
Editor
Naomi Geltner
NOVA is published five times a year by the
IMSA Communications Office.
The Second Year:
A Time of New Beginnings
The "Great Balloon" release. IMSA students celebrate the passage of the supplemental
appropriation with the release of hundreds of colorful balloons. (Picture by John Dziekian,
courtesy of the Chicago Tribune)
Dear Members of the IMSA Community,
It is with renewed confidence, balanced with realism, that we embark on the second
half of our second year. This past fall the Illinois legislature approved a supplemental
appropriation of $3.2 million to enable the Academy to continue beyond January 1.
1988. The visit in December by Governor James Thompson for the signing of the sup-
plemental legislation, was truly a milestone in the Academy's history.
With the demonstration of financial support from the Illinois legislature, the corpo-
rate sector is now taking steps to promote excellence in Illinois education. The
AMOCO Foundation is the first major contributor to the Academy, since the fall veto
session. The Foundation approved the contribution of $225,000 over a three-year
period to establish a state-of-the-art organic chemistry laboratory. The first payment of
$75,000 was presented to the Academy Board of Trustees at its regular meeting in Janu-
ary. AMOCO's donation is the second largest contribution to date, bringing the total in-
kind contributions and cash donations into the IMSA Fund to more than $1 million. It
is our hope that AMOCO's commitment will provide the catalyst to secure additional
corporate gifts.
Budget
In planning for the 1988-89 school year and our third class of sophomores, we are
acutely sensitive to the fiscal condition of the state. We are. therefore, limiting the
continued on page 2
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
John Laubenstein, AMOCO Foundation (left)
hears laboratory plans from student Mehmet
Guler. Physics instructor Joe Meyer and
Foundation Executive Director Bob
Arganbright look over construction.
THE SECOND YEAR: {continued from page 1)
enrollment of our new class to about 130 to 140 students which will bring the total
student population to approximately 500 students, reflecting the capacity of the four
existing dormitories and the fifth dormitory scheduled for completion this year. How-
ever, the admission of the third class will be contingent on an increase in the general
revenue funding received this year.
The State Board of Education and Superintendent Ted Sanders have approved our
request for $8.7 million in general revenue funds for the 1988-89 school year. The State
Board budget, however, is also contingent on an increase in the appropriation allocated
to education by the General Assembly and the Governor.
Mission
Internally, we are in the process of solidify-
ing the Academy's mission. The Board of
Trustees, Administrative staff and faculty are
defining goals for each department and are
developing student learner outcomes. We are
also establishing new courses for the third
year program. We view the establishment of
the long-term goals as a necessary step
towards the development of an exemplary
program.
University Affiliates
Last year, a unique program was initiated
called the University Affiliates program. Its
purpose is to secure a representative from
each of the universities and colleges to work
with the administration and faculty in cur-
riculum development, research, and to pro-
vide opportunities for faculty and staff exchanges. We are working to develop incen-
tives, such as scholarships to encourage IMSA graduates to attend Illinois colleges or
universities. To date Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University. Western Illi-
nois University and Southern Illinois University have met at the Academy to discuss the
development of collaborative programs and potential incentives for our students.
National Perspective
We continue to draw attention from other states as they look to develop residential
schools for gifted and talented students in mathematics and science education. The
Washington Post recently featured the Academy in light of Maryland's plans for a three-
year residential school. Earlier in the year, we were featured in the October issue of
Education Week. We anticipate that this is only the beginning of more interest at the
national level, and more importantly, that it will bring attention to Illinois as we strive
to stimulate excellence in mathematics and science education statewide.
Growth
Our IMSA community is growing. Last month we welcomed the West Suburban
Regional Academic Consortium (WSRAC) now headquartered in our building. WSRAC
represents a consortium of approximately a dozen institutions of higher learning in the
West Suburban Chicago area. Through the Corridor Partnership for Excellence in Edu-
cation (CPEE), WSRAC and IMSA will be working toward goals of mutual interest to
benefit education statewide.
Part of the Academy's fundraising efforts include the First Annual Gala scheduled for
March 19 at the Academy. Parents are working with Chairman Richard Horwitz in
planning the event sponsored by the IMSA Fund for Advancement of Education.
Finally, our deepest appreciation to all of you who assisted the Academy in our
efforts to secure a supplemental appropriation. Your help, and the vision and leadership
of the Governor and legislature, will enable us to move forward to become the best
school of its kind in the nation.
Sincerely,
M^/
Stephanie Pace Marshall,
Director
Ph.D.
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Federal Official
Visits IMSA
The Chief Advisor to the U.S. Secretary
of Education and author of a new best
seller visited IMSA in January'- Dr. Ches-
ter Finn, Assistant Secretary of Educa-
tion, Office of Educational Research and
Improvement, met with faculty teams and
members of the Student Council and Ver-
batim newspaper. His primary purpose was
to gather information on the academic
program and on how the humanities inte-
grate with mathematics and science
courses.
Dr. Finn, author of What Do Our
Seventeen Year Olds Know?, had the
opportunity to visit a social science class
as it discussed cultural perspectives of
"equality" in the context of an individu-
al's responsibility to his society. The dis-
cussion developed from readings that
included Socrates. Plato and other classi-
cal works. Finn's interest in IMSA stems
from his role as a federal education official
and as an author.
In speaking to students during a mut-
ual exchange of questions, Finn explained
Maryland Prepares for Three-Year
Math and Science School
the interest at the federal level. "We are
considering whether or not there should
be involvement by the Federal Govern-
ment in assisting in the development of
residential schools or programs in
mathematics and science for each state,"
he said.
IMSA's Director, Dr. Stephanie Mar-
shall, is hoping Finn's visit and subse-
quent report might bring U.S. Secretary of
Education William Bennett to Illinois.
"We hope his (Finn's) visit is a precursor
to a similar visit by Bennett," she says. "I
also hope he came away with the impres-
sion that we have developed unique inter-
disciplinary and integrative programs that
prompt students to make connections
between science, mathematics and the
humanities. We have offered to work with
the U.S. department on program develop-
ment and assessment."
Finn will be taking his findings back to
the Capitol and to Secretary Bennett.
Illinois, North Carolina and Louisiana
will soon be joined by other states work-
ing to develop public residential high
schools. Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Texas, Mississippi and Maryland all passed
legislation last year to establish similar
schools within those states. The state of
Maryland is currently in the process of site
selection and searching for a Director to
head their three-year school.
A delegation of school officials and leg-
islators from Maryland visited IMSA in the
fall, gathering information from adminis-
trators, faculty and students in prepara-
tion for a planned opening in September
1989.
According to David Falk, Executive Pol-
icy Advisor with the Office of the Gover-
nor, the Maryland proposal will be going
through a series of hearings in January
and February. "We will know by April
whether or not our school will be an actu-
ality," he says.
The idea for the Maryland School
began with Governor William Donald
Schaefer after he visited the North Carol-
ina facility during his 1986 campaign.
Schaefer told the legislators the school
would provide a crucible for imaginative
courses and teaching methods that could
be shared with local systems and to
develop high-tech industry for his state.
Other states are either in the process of
proposing schools or establishing them.
Like Illinois and Maryland, Texas is also
planning a three-year program to be
located at North Texas State University in
Denton. No date has been set for opening.
South Carolina is planning to open next
September as a two-year school on the
campus of Coker College with a small
class of about 60 students. And, Okla-
homa has legislation, but currently does
not have funding or a date for opening.
Several other states have inquired into the
IMSA model, including Florida which sent
a delegation last year on a fact-finding
tour of the Academy.
"There are pendulums that swing
national educational priorities," says Dr.
Stephanie Marshall, IMSA's Director.
"Within the last few years we've seen
another movement for education in math,
science and technology because of the
increasing competition from other indus-
trialized countries."
Dr. Marshall has been actively commun-
icating with the various states. She plans
to co-host a meeting of the schools in the
near future to share ideas and issues of
common concern.
Members of the Maryland delegation hear IMSA instructor Bill Stepien explain the resources
available through the Furnas Information Resource Center.
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Statewide Outreach
Plan Drafted
The IMSA Outreach Program, under the
coordination of the Corridor Partnership
for Excellence in Education (CPEE), is
well underway with initial publication of a
Five-Year Plan. IMSA Director, Dr. Ste-
phanie Marshall, supervises the function
and development of the overall Outreach
Program.
The Five-Year plan includes goals out-
lined in the Academy's enabling legisla-
tion. The eight goals include:
1. Stimulating curriculum development
and revisions through collaborative
efforts of the interacting institutions
involved with the Academy, including
universities, seconday schools, the
industrial sector and national
laboratories;
2. Providing inservice training sites for
persons in preparation for the teaching
of science and mathematics;
3. Hosting summer institute opportuni-
ties for Illinois teachers, modeled after
the successful National Science Foun-
dation programs prevalent in the
1960's;
4. Providing opportunities for exchanging
teachers or faculty at the Academy for
science and mathematics educators in
the elementary and secondary schools
of Illinois;
5. Creating the opportunity and potential
to link vocational programs and educa-
tion for technology and employment
programs, to the work of the Academy;
6. Offering speakers and programs for
teacher institutes and inservice train-
ing around the state;
7. Providing videotapes of lectures and
experiments for use in the schools of
this state; and
8. Providing assistance in identifying
necessary competencies to be incorpo-
rated in public school district gradua-
tion requirements.
"The IMSA Plan is based on a collabor-
ative model", says CPEE Director Gail
Digate, "which requires joint planning,
joint implementation and joint
evaluation."
Dr. Marshall and Ms. Digate have out-
lined three levels to the plan. In the first
phase, IMSA will act as the principal
initiator of specific activities as described
in the eight original goals of Outreach.
Secondly, IMSA will act as a partner
with joint responsibility for the activities.
Planning, implementation and evaluation
will be shared with other organizations
such as CPEE, the West Suburban
Regional Academic Consortium (WSRAC),
the Illinois Association of School Admin-
istrators and Illinois Association of School
Boards (IASA, IASB).
At the third level, IMSA will act as a
collaborator, with other organizations
serving as principal implementors.
According to Marshall, the plan is con-
ceptually designed to create an Outreach
plan that is implemented in conjunction
with other organizations that foster an
exchange of ideas and strategies. She says
the design permits the Academy and
CPEE to serve as clearinghouses for pro-
grams and curriculum development.
"The IMSA plan will work, "
says Digate, "with the
cooperation of shared owner-
ship by other organizations,
and educational systems.
The first step involves prioritizing activ-
ities that can be implemented and funded
during this next year. The largest project
underway is the "Summer Ventures Pro-
gram," a direct service program to gifted
and talented youngsters in the state of
Illinois. It will also serve as a curriculum
field test for similar mathematics and
science programs provided to students
other than those in residence at the
Academy, before it is recommended or
implemented in other areas.
Another major step will be the devel-
opment of a common calendar. "It sounds
simple," says Digate, "but it will have the
various activities of organizations such as
the Illinois Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, Illinois Association of
School Boards, Illinois Principals Associa-
tion and other education-related groups."
The goal is to provide districts with
information about professional and educa-
tional organizations in the state as well as
information regarding programs and activ-
ities underway. This will be the initial
step in developing a more comprehensive
information clearinghouse at IMSA.
"The IMSA plan will work," says Digate
"with the cooperation of shared ownership
by other organizations, and educational
systems. It will be something that many
groups of people own. That's why CPEE
and WSRAC are so vital, because they are
the links towards a common mission and
conduit."
The fact that all three organizations are
located within the same building only
facilitates the purpose and goals of each.
"There are seven task forces organized
around the major Outreach goals.
Members of the different consortia will
focus their energies on a task force." She
says the combination of IMSA faculty and
the task force members will provide the
impetus for joint planning and implemen-
tation of educational programs.
The development of the IMSA Outreach ;
Program is viewed as being closely linked
and highly compatible with the growth of
WSRAC, CPEE and a statewide alliance of
business and education partnerships.
"CPEE is primarily interested in elemen-
tary and secondary education linked to
mathematics and science technology and
business," says Digate. "The consortium
is interested in the same agenda but for
higher education, and the Academy is
seen as the bridge between the two."
According to Marshall, the end goal of
each is to involve as many people and
organizations as possible in addressing
what is widely recognized as a need for
restructuring public education. It has
been a goal discussed and pursued by
many in the past with little success.
"What is making the difference now, is
that business and education have the
same agenda," she says.
To date, no other state has initiated a
residential school in conjunction with a
comprehensive Outreach Program. And,
according to Marshall, no other state has
developed a similar plan of action. If suc-
cessful, the program would not only offer
the possibility to change Illinois educa-
tion, but could in fact, offer a program of
Outreach that other states would emulate.
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Admissions: The Second Year
A new class of students was added this
year to IMSA's student body, bringing the
total enrollment to 380 students. The
enrollment of the sophomore class adds to
the diversity and representation of Illinois
communities, according to Dean of
Admissions and Research, Dr. LuAnn
Smith. A total of 197 new students
enrolled out of an applicant pool of more
than 870 students across the state.
Returning juniors totaled 183.
The statistical demographics show a
slight increase in the number of females,
blacks and Asian students. The statistics
also show that the average SAT scores for
incoming students, who took the exam as
8th or 9th graders, remain 100 points or
more above the average of college-bound
seniors. Grade-point averages are also
exceptionally high with a mean of 3.9
and 3.86 for each class on a scale of 4.0.
The demographics and statistics are as
follows:
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
1987-88 Student Demographics
ADMISSIONS STAT
STICS
MEAN GPA
3.88
MEAN SAT VERBAL
529
MEAN SAT MATH
614
SEX
CLASS OF
1989
183 STUDENTS
MALES (105)
FEMALES (78)
RACE
ASIAN
BLACK
HISPANIC
WHITE
OTHER
NOT REPORTING
GEOGRAPHIC
(28) | | 15%
(12) Q 7%
(6) [] 3%
(136)T
(1)
74%
1%
FROM CHICAGO
& SUBURBS (104)
57%
FROM OTHER
AREAS IN ILLINOIS (79)
43%
CLASS OF
1990
197 STUDENTS
MALES (110)
FEMALES (87)
(40)
(19) | 1 10%
(4) Q 2%
(129)|
] 20%
65%|
(1) J 1%
(4) (] 2%
FROM CHICAGO
& SUBURBS (107)
54%
FROM OTHER
AREAS IN ILLINOIS (90)
46%
TOTAL
380 STUDENTS
■ 57% \ MALES (215)
k FEMALES (165)
(68)
] 18%
31) Q8%
10) [] 3%
(265) |
(2) Ql%
70% I
(4)
1%
FROM CHICAGO
& SUBURBS (211)
55%
FROM OTHER
AREAS IN ILLINOIS (169)
45%
While the diversity of student represen-
tation is greater this year. Smith says
there is concern over the small number of
applicants from Chicago, the state's larg-
est student population. Approximately 41
Chicago students filed applications, with
only 20 submitting the required letters
and SAT scores to complete the applica-
tion process. Only three students enrolled
as sophomores, with a total of 12 Chicago
students in both classes.
"Several factors may play a part in the
smaller number of applicants from Chi-
cago," says Smith. "The city offers a
number of options to its residents. They
have magnet programs for public schools.
There are also a number of private and
parochial schools within the city provid-
ing other alternatives." She says most
students make a decision about attend-
continued on page 6
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Science:
More than 60 IMSA students submitted
project proposals for INTECH '88, the
Illinois Young Engineers and Scientists
competition. INTECH, sponsored by the
Corridor Partnership for Excellence in
Education and the Friends of Fermilab,
provides high school students with an
opportunity to interact with scientists and
researchers at institutions along the High-
Tech Corridor. Students are matched with
professional advisors from the corridor
who guide them in acquiring engineering
or scientific skills through their project.
INTECH. now in its fifth year, is
expected to attract more than 150 stu-
dents from schools in the Research and
Development area. "The response to the
program has been greater than ever," says
Joy Talsma, Associate Director and Co-
chair for the competition. "It is a terrific
opportunity for students to draw on the
resources of the INTECH area and allows
them to come back year after year to build
on their projects and ideas."
Students can earn awards of $500, $300
and $200 given to the top three finalists.
Ten semi-finalists can earn $100 each,
with other awards and scholarships also
available.
This year's competition is scheduled
for Sunday, May 1st, at the AT&T Bell
Laboratory, Indian Hill Facility. The
exhibit area will be open to the public
from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m. The chart on
page 7 is a list of accepted entries
for INTECH 88: ►
ADMISSIONS (continued from page 5)
ance at the end of the eighth grade. By
then, they are committed to their high
school, making it harder for them to
reverse that decision. And, more recently,
news reports from Chicago media point to
a heavy recruitment of students, particu-
larly minority students, by eastern private
boarding schools. "We also don't know
how many of our applications are being
filtered down to the students," she adds.
"It's a high school system, unlike any
other in the state, and the number of peo-
ple through which materials need to pass
is greater."
Chicago Advisory Committee
In an attempt to improve the applica-
tion ratio from Chicago, an Advisory
Committee was established. The commit-
tee, composed of prominent Chicago citi-
zens, met on January 26th to offer advice
and support in reaching qualified appli-
cants. The first meeting of the committee
was held at IMSA to give members a better
understanding of the program. A second
meeting is scheduled at the Urban League
office within the city of Chicago.
This year more than 14,000 applica-
tions were mailed to school superintend-
ents, guidance counselors, media and leg-
islators in search of eligible candidates for
the Class of 1991. Additionally, some
educational support organizations across
the state (such as Educational Service
Centers) receive application information.
According to Smith, admissions this year
will be more competitive with the incom-
ing number limited to about 130 to 140
students. The smaller class is dictated by
Members of the IMSA selection Committee screen applications for the Class of '8
the dormitory space available with the
completion of a fifth residential building
this year.
The first part of the admissions process
takes place in January and February with
Open House events providing interested
students and their families an opportunity
to visit the IMSA facilities and to talk to
students, parents and faculty.
Open House events are scheduled for
February 26th, and March 4th from 1:00
p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Two sessions were held
January 29th and February 6th. For more
information or applications, students may
write to:
Admissions Office
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
1500 West Sullivan Road
Aurora, IL 60506-1039
Application deadline is April 1, 1988.
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
INTECH '88
cm
NAME
FIELD
PROJECT
Addison
Stanley Kim
Physics
Scanning Lasers for Image Formation
Anna
Mehmet Guler
Biochemistry
The K+ 'Na+ pump & Ion Distinction
Aurora
Lishanga Aikerson
Computer Science
Music with Computers
Batavia
David Joerg
Math
Higher Dimensionality
Batavia
Sue Wu
Physics
Computers (Untitled)
Berkeley
Suja Chacko
Biology
Human Genetics (Untitled)
Bloomington
Adam Tavlor
Math
Development of Computer Algorithm for Polynomials
Bolingbrook
Sanza Kazadi
Physics
Increasing Lift
Bolingbrook
Steve Kukulka
Chemistry
Demolitions and Reactant Energies
Bourbon nais
Eugene Huang
Chemistry 'Physics
Recreating the Stradivarius
Bourbon nais
Keton Patel
Physics
Relativity
Buffalo Grove
Jin Han
Biology
Human Genetics (Untitled)
Carol Stream
David Gabrius
Physics/Aerospace
Model Rocketry (Untitled)
Carterville
Steven Blessing
Physics
Superconductivity
Charleston
Saunders Hsu
Psychology Physiology
Motor Performance in Varied Environments
Chicago
Jeffrey Young
Physics
Beyond TCAS: Automated Air Traffic Control
Chicago Ridge
Gina Martvn
Aeronautics
Flight
Crescent City
John Dexter
Math
Applications of Finite Fields in Simple Mathematics
DeKalb
Jill Mitchell
Psychology
Memory Organization Patterns
Edwardsville
Allison Atkinson
Astrophysics
Novas & Supernovas (Untitled)
Elbum
William Gramblev
Astrophysics
Quasars. Black Holes & White Holes
Elgin
Erin Roche
Behavioral Science
Psychological Hologram
Elk Grove Village
Frank Lai
Physics
Scanning Lasers for Image Formation
Eureka
Kevin Schraith
Physics
Superconductivity
Flossmoor
Carole Ho
Chemistry
Chromatography (Untitled)
Forest Park
Rajan Lukose
Physics
Construction of Lasers for Measuring Distance
Hanover Park
Chris Butrvm
Chemistry
Demolitions and Reactant Energies
Hanover Park
Eric Wang
Chemistry
Demolitions and Reactant Energies
Hazel Crest
Nikki Hughes
Biology
Animal Behavior
Hinsdale
Scott Pfister
Physics
Fiber Optic Transmission
Hoffman Estates
Stephanie Racette
Biology
Cause and Prevention of Aging
Hoopeston
Mohammad Malik
Physics
Subsonic & Supersonic Laws of Physics
Ingleside
Brian Butler
Phvsics
Encoding and Decoding a Fiber Optic Signal
Joliet
Malcolm Alexander
Physics
Aerodynamic Principles
Joliet
Young Lee
Math
Patterns in Numbers (Untitled)
Joliet
Andre Victorian
Engineering
Producing Electricity without Fuel
Liberty
Lucinda Roberts
Electronics/ Robotics
Undecided
Monee
Thomas Harrington
Chemistry
Organic Synthesis
Mt. Prospect
Bonnie Min
Biology
Acupuncture: Its Foundation in Science
Naperville
Peter Gast
Physics
Three-Dimensional Resistor Networks
Naperville
Mbuyi Kazadi
Phvsics
Analysis & Comparison of Generator Efficiency
Naperville
Scott Swanson
Chemistry
Photographic Emulsions for Detection of Cosmic Rays
Northlake
Apama Parthasarathy
Biology
Genetic Engineering & Applications
Oak Brook
Ada Jain
Zoology
Hemodynamic Response to Inderal & Isoproterenal in Rats
Oak Forest
James Petrie
Phvsics
Scanning Lasers For Image Formation
Oakbrook
Ronjon Paul
Biophysics
Biological Solution to Environmental Contamination
Ottawa
Michelle Schneiderheinze
Biology
Mutagenesis of Insecticides in Insects
Pekin
Eleanore Kim
Physics-Optics
Effects of Colored Light on Perception
Peoria
Maggie Taylor
Physics
Scanning Lasers for Image Formation
Peoria
Paul Lee
Psychology/Physiology
Motor Performance in Varied Environments
Plainfield
Johann Peterson
Physics
Construction of Lasers to Measure Distance
Rockford
Rowan Lockwood
Paleobiology
Study of the Pterosaurus (Early Flight)
Roscoe
Kimberley Dilley
Biochemistry
Effects of Antibiotics on Bacteria
Rosemont
Frank Borras
Phvsics
Particle Accelerators
Springfield
Andrew Oh
Physiology
Sleep Research
St. Anne
Paul Capriotti
Physics
Remote Sensory Applications of Fiber Optics
Staunton
Joe Oettel
Phvsics
Superconductors: A Physical/Chemical Perspective
Urbana
Doug Tumbull
Biochem./ Neurology
Biochemistry of the Brain During Activity
Wadsworth
Robert Chang
Physics
Particle Accelerators
Waukegan
Dolores Ratajczyk
Biology
Effects of Ozone on Photosynthesis
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
IMSA Organizes A.I.D.S. Seminar &
Commemoration for Victims of a Chicago Tragedy
At the core of the IMSA philosophy is
the training of students as "apprentice
investigators", so they will obtain infor-
mation from first-hand sources or experi-
ments and learn to research from docu-
ments rather than just textbooks. To that
end, the Social Science Department has
involved students in researching current
issues for analysis, as well as researching
articles and documents of past events.
One example of applying the research
philosophy is the recent A.I.D.S. seminar.
In keeping with a legislative mandate, all
schools must provide information on
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(A.I.D.S.) to its students. But the IMSA
Social Science Department did more than
that. The department, in conjunction with
IMSA Health Care services, opted to bring
many of the issues to the students in the
form of a two-day seminar.
"What we proposed to do with the
seminar was to look at the disease from a
biomedical point of view, as a legal issue
and as a social or ethical issue," says
instructor and coordinator Bill Stepien.
"Our invited speakers are experts in each
area of controversy."
The approach is in keeping with all the
concerns surfacing around the country as
different governmental bodies, stricken
individuals, and the general public grap-
ple with this highly emotional and sensi-
tive problem. Among the legal issues are
the constitutional rights of persons with
the disease to continue their work or
study. In some areas the issue of forcible
quarantine has become a legal or court
issue. Another social or ethical issue is
the protection of the general public from
unnecessary exposure to the communica-
ble disease. What rights do individuals
have within our society, and what rights
does the society have to monitor its own
behavior?
The issues, according to Stepien,
extend beyond the disease itself and have
continually surfaced throughout history
in connection with other societal prob-
lems. With that in mind, Stepien wanted
students to take a very active role in the
seminar. "We wanted to provide a forum
for different points of view and to have a
lot of discussion with advocates of these
different viewpoints and with the stu-
dents. We wanted them to see if they
could come up with a policy or position
on a number of the ethical issues after
studying them." He adds, "Since most of
the issues related to the disease have
never been solved, IMSA students are on
the cutting edge of the debate. It's an
exciting position for our kids to be in."
The program, while immediate and
relevant in nature, offers timeless perspec-
tives to allow for dissemination or distri-
bution to other schools or interested
groups. Stepien believes that the rele-
vancy of the material will depend on the
involvement of the different populations
or audiences. But he re-emphasized, "the
disease is of such epidemic proportions, it
is of major concern to the majority of the
general population. As long as there is
one AIDS victim, the policy issues, the
legal and ethical issues will be with us."
Eastland Disaster
Commemoration Plans
Learning history through more than
textbooks has become a standard for the
social science department at IMSA. As
part of their studies, students have been
researching the events surrounding the
Chicago Eastland Steamer disaster of 1915
in which more than 1000 people lost their
lives. The victims, most of them from the
suburb of Cicero and employees of the
Western Electric plant, were on their way
to a picnic when tragedy struck.
According to Bill Stepien, social science
instructor, the tragedy was among the
greatest disasters in history (the Titanic
claimed 1400 lives). He also says that it
was the only one that claimed the most
victims from one community — in this
case, Cicero. According to Stepien, histor- :
ians have noted that there was not a block
in Cicero that didn't have a casualty, and
in some cases every house on a block
experienced a casualty.
As students researched articles, insu-
rance documents, court testimony and
burial sites, they have been able to recon-
struct the event and subsequent court
trials. In their research, they also became
interested in finding survivors or des-
cendants of some of the victims. Out of
that interest, students developed the idea
of commemorating the victims of the dis-
aster with a historical site marker and
plaque. "The state of Illinois has invited
us to submit a proposal for a grant to
create and then erect a landmark at the
site on the Chicago River where the inci-
dent occurred," says Stepien. They've
been in contact with Philip Elmes, Presi-
dent of the Chicago Maritime Society, and
Stepien says the Society is also interested
in becoming involved in the research and
the development of the landmark. A prop-
osal by IMSA students will be sent to the
state of Illinois for a grant and to the Mar-
itime Society for a matching grant.
IMSA Presents First Student Play
The first play written and produced
by students at the Illinois Mathematics
and Science Academy had a successful
two-day presentation in January.
"Omelet", a three-act adventure-
comedy, was written by students David
Joerg (Batavia) and Mitchell Gordon
(Peoria), with music by Resident Coun-
selor Steve Blunt. Joerg also directed
and took on a cameo role in the
production.
The play focuses on the adventures
of Mortimer Jones and his friend, Beth,
who travel to Tibet to rescue the most
famous archeological artifact, the
Golden Omelet, and, in the process,
find Mortimer's long-lost father - Cali-
fornia Jones. The hero leads a battle
against the evil Ribald Danes who have
stolen the Omelet. The All-Star cast
included Lisa Green (Bolingbrook),
and Mark Arman trout (Mattoon) in the
lead roles as Beth and Mortimer. Other
members of the cast were: Andy Alt
(Aurora), Alyssa Bennett (Willow-
brook), Brian Butler (Ingleside), Dave
Case (Lawrenceville), Robert Chang
(Wadsworth), Chris Dargis (Schaum-
burg), Kim Dilley (Roscoe), Bridget
Engman (Elgin), Kris Gerhard (Free-
burg, Bill Grambley (Elburn), Dave
Joerg (Batavia), Heather Johnson
(Bolingbrook), Laura Kozlevcar (Peo-
ria), Jacob Marszalek (South Chicago
Heights), Jennifer Mawdsley (Carter-
ville), Erin Roche (Elgin), Kevin
Schraith (Eureka), Sal Schulze
(Chrisman), Chris Smith (Elgin), Scott
Swanson (Naperville), Pninit Varol
(Carbondale).
s
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
IMSA Students Tops in National Academic Contest
An IMSA team placed first in the
National Knowledge Master Open, an
academic competition, held in December.
The team, consisting of about 19 stu-
dents, competed against 35,000 students
in over 1100 schools across the nation.
IMSA's team scored 1,543 of 2,000 possi-
ble points. The average score was 1,098.
They placed FIRST in the state of Illinois
against a field of 54 schools, and placed
sixteenth in the nation, competing
against 1,180 schools. They ranked fourth
in the nation against schools in their
same enrollment category.
The contest was run on computers at
secondary schools in all 50 states and
Canada, with computers tallying the stu-
dents' scores based on speed and
accuracy.
This is the first time that IMSA has
entered the Knowledge Master Competi-
tion. Academic coach, Ellen Bumba, des-
cribed the event as ". . .an exhilarating
and exhausting three hours. The amazing
thing is that the neophyte students could
actually do such a credible job in their
first attempt against experienced teams.
They have practiced very long, hard hours
and obviously accomplished a great deal. I
am very proud of their efforts."
The Knowledge Master Open was deve-
loped to provide all schools the opportun-
ity to compete in a national academic
contest without the expense of travelling
to a central site, and to stimulate interest
and recognition for academic accomp-
lishment.
Results of the contest are tabulated into
national, state, and enrollment-size rank-
ings by Academic Hallmarks, the software
publisher which produces the event.
IMSA STUDENT PARTICIPANTS:
Mark Arman trout (Mattoon)
Steve Blessing (Carterville)
Portia Blume (Utica)
Lori Buetow (Crete)
Dave Case (Lawrenceville)
David Franklin (Moline)
David Gabrius (Carol Stream)
Anil Curnaney (Bloomingdale)
Jong Ho Kim (Hoffman Estates)
David Lockhart (Quincy)
Jill Mitchell (DeKalb)
Debbie O'Fallon (Naperville)
Krista Rakers (Aledo)
Jennifer Rawlings (Bridgeview)
Sendhil Revuluri (Palatine)
Lucinda Roberts (Liberty)
Steve Scott (East Peoria)
Anant Setlur (Naperville)
Tony Stuckey (Montrose)
IMSA'S TEAM SCORE
SUBJECT
POSSIBLE
RIGHT
PERCENT
American History
11
10
91%
World History
22
22
100%
Government
9
9
100%
Current Events
5
5
100%
Economics & Law
6
6
100%
Geography
14
13
93%
Literature
25
23
92%
English
15
14
93%
Math
25
25
100%
Physical Science
14
12
86%
Biology
17
17
100%
Earth Science
18
17
94%
Health i Psychology
6
6
100%
Arts & Music
11
9
82%
Miscellaneous
2
2
100%
Youth & Government Prepares for Session
Lobbyists are busy planning their
strategies and their position papers on
issues they will champion during the
upcoming legislative session. Legislators
have prepared their packets, and pages are
getting ready for their duties. The Illinois
legislative session? Not quite. IMSA stu-
dents are once again preparing for their
various roles, as are their counterparts
throughout the state, through Youth
Government events and activities.
"We went to Galesburg to meet with
their delegation for the first round of
legislative meetings," says Bill Stepien,
sponsor of the IMSA team. "All of our leg-
islation did very well. We came out with
very high priorities on each of our bills."
The trip to Galesburg is largely due to the
placement of IMSA with the Southern sec-
tion of the state, rather than with the
Chicago area schools.
This year's team is also larger by ten
percent with the addition of a second
class. "Judging by the amount of interest,
we could have grown by 200 percent,"
says Stepien. He says the program in Illi-
nois is so large that coordinators have to
run two Senates and two Houses and
share facility time with each other.
Because the program is very popular, the
YMCA, the sponsoring body for the IMSA
team, made a decision to limit the number
of participants. According to Stepien, the
IMSA team was given a quota of ten per-
cent growth. "That's unfortunate," says
Stepien, "because so many of our
members this year are returning students
who participated last year." According to
Stepien, he and the sponsors felt an obli-
gation to those returning students, leav-
ing little room for new student
participation.
For this year, much of the simulation
and roles will be the same, with students
opting for different roles to play. With the
addition of students, some new roles
include pages and bailiffs. However,
unlike last year, there will be no IMSA
journalists sent to the Springfield session,
since many of the same students chose
different roles this year.
The team went to Springfield in
December for their second pre-Iegislative
meeting. The students paid their own way
to stay in Springfield.
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Information
Resource
Center:
The Information Resource Center (IRC)
received a new name and is expanding its
computer resources during its second year
of operation. Having opened with only a
few shelves and no books last year, it has
expanded to a collection of more than
1 1,000 volumes in the library and 75
periodical subscriptions. Additionally, the
center is now closer to becoming a com-
pletely electronic information center with
the recent contribution of computers for
its network.
The IRC was dedicated last fall in
memory of Leto M. Furnas, the wife of
William Carlyle Furnas, founder of the
Furnas Electric Company in Batavia, Illi-
nois. The Furnas Foundation has been the
biggest IMSA contributor to date with the
donation of $300,000 over a three year
period. The grant is earmarked for the
development of the IRC. The first
$100,000 installment in 1986 initiated the
purchase of IMSA's first books, basic
materials and the hiring of staff for the
center. Director of Information Systems,
Dr. David Barr, says the IRC now has sev-
eral laser disks, CD-ROMS (data disks)
computers and an Omnifax machine, all
made possible by the grant.
Also this year, Apple Corporation
became the first major company to estab-
lish a founding partnership with the
Academy with the contribution of nearly
$100,000 in new equipment. This year's
donation by Apple brings the total equip-
ment contribution by the computer com-
Students Jin Han, Kris Gerhard, JeffTruitt and Andy Chen work in one of two Apple Computer
labs at IMSA.
pany to $168,000. "We, at Apple, feel tha
this project is of great importance and
magnitude," says Judy Gilley, Area Sales
Manager for Apple, "as a response to a
national need for better trained citizens
in the fields of mathematics and science.'
The center offers students access to a
variety of resources through print and
electronic means. "We also have access to
the libraries in the area," says Barr,
"through both personal borrowing agree
ments and through electronic capabilitite:
— with Aurora University, Waubonsee
Community College and the Aurora Publi
Library."
An on-line catalog is available from
Waubonsee via computer, providing stu
dents with information about the library's
collection directly from IMSA. Each of the
institutions also has an interlibrary
agreement with IMSA permitting students
to borrow books.
"The Academy bought FAX (facsimile)
machines and placed them in five area
libraries in exchange for making copies of
periodical articles," says Barr. "It signifi-
cantly expands both our own holdings
and theirs."
IMSA now also has access to DIALOG,
the on-line commercial database with 290
different sources of references, providing
millions of data entries. DIALOG is cur-
rently employed in the required physics
course "Research and the Computer." The
course instructs students on the use of
CD-ROM and books in print, and other
computer-base resources as part of their
research assignments in physics. Barr says
the students are learning about the latest
research tools available while working on
class projects. "Students learn about
methodology in one of the sciences, and
they also have the freedom to pursue
research methodologies in any other dis-
cipline with the approval of the
instructor."
Apple's contribution last year of several
Macintosh's and Apple II GS's led to the
first computer lab at IMSA and the con-
nection of the Academy onto the PLATO
system at the University of Illinois. "It was
our first step outside these walls," says
Barr. This year's additional contribution of
Macintosh SE's and printers facilitated
the development of a lab for the mathe-
matics department, a physics lab, and a
second student computer lab.
The next step, according to Barr, is the
placing of computers within the dormitory
facilities. Initially, plans are to install one
computer and printer within each of the
four dormitory wings. Within a year, that
10
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
could grow into a small network of two or
three computers within each wing. "Addi-
tionally, we will create a new computer
lab within the physics area with the help
of Zenith Corporation. That lab will be
designated for courses during the day and
opened for student access the rest of the
time."
Among the long term goals, according
to Barr, is the development of a data net-
work for every part of the main building
and eventually to connect the building to
the dormitories. One of the first hook-ups,
he says, will probably be from the library
catalog database to the dormitories.
Within a few years, he also envisions
computer and satellite link-ups through
the development of an electronic video
facility that is currently being studied at
IMSA. "As we go through each stage, we
"We're looking towards
the future. . . towards
being a computer-based
information system. "
have to rethink the design and planning
process to find the most economical and
flexible systems possible. What's impor-
tant is that once we have information
(resources) in place, then we have the
potential to make that available to other
people as well."
Initially, Barr says some of the dissemi-
nation of information may be in the form
of videotapes, disks and CD-ROMs. Even-
tually, information may be made available
more directly. He says there is currently
discussion of a grant proposal to make
IMSA a clearinghouse of information (see
CPEE article). Of equal significance is the
documentation of the development of the
information system. "We are trying to
find ways of developing in ways we think
most ordinary schools could emulate.
We're taking a more modular approach
that can be replicated in other districts or
schools."
From a building that had nothing in it.
the center has developed a print library
and resource center, supplemented with
computers. "We're growing about as
rapidly as we can," states Barr. "We're
looking towards the future. . .towards
being a computer-based information
system."
College Counseling and Career Development:
Recruiters Scout IMSA
The College Counseling and Career
Development department (CC/CD). one
of the new additions to the IMSA com-
munity during the 1987 school year,
began an aggressive program that has
drawn an impressive number of colleges
to the Academy. Under the direction of
Rick Bryant. Career Development Consul-
tant, and Joyce Suber, College Consul-
tant, the Academy is beginning to attract
much more than just a passing interest
from institutions of higher learning. Wof-
ford College, of Spartanburg, South Carol-
ina, a highly-regarded southern school,
recently approved the first scholarship
ever offered an IMSA student, as a recruit-
ing incentive. Wofford is extending a full
tuition scholarship, renewable each year
for a period of four years, to an IMSA
graduate of the class of '89.
Bryant and Suber see the Wofford scho-
larship as only the beginning of many
similar accomplishments of the depart-
ment. The CC/CD program is primarily
designed to assist students with their
immediate college plans as well as to pro-
vide guidance towards professional
careers. The two counselors, however, are
taking a proactive role in developing col-
lege resources and career possibilities.
Bryant and Suber share equal responsibil-
ity in working with all 380 students, but
are currently focusing their efforts on the
junior class as they prepare for testing and
college applications. Some of CC/CD's
efforts have already been rewarded with
recruiting visitations by officials from
prestigious colleges and universities.
Colleges and universities making visits
to date include Johns Hopkins University,
Princeton, Yale, Vassar, MIT, University
of Chicago, Northwestern University,
Brown, Rensselaer, Duke University,
Emory University, and the University of
Illinois, which is scheduled to bring three
Associate Deans and two admissions
representatives in January. A total of 19
colleges and universities visited the
Academy during the month of November
alone, with still more visits scheduled in
the coming months. As important as the
visits, however, is the impression made on
the recruiters and in some cases on the
admissions directors.
"We've had several letters stating that
this was absolutely the best visit they've
had all fall," Bryant said. "They leave
very impressed with IMSA students and
the quality of their questions. Joyce and I
have ourselves been very impressed with
the students and the numbers in attend-
ance. We've had as many as 60 students at
a time to see one representative."
Bryant says the visits will continue to
be scheduled, including a College Fair
that could bring as many as 100 to 150
continued on next page
Students visit with professionals during recent Career Exploration Week organized by the
College Counseling and Career Development office.
11
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
RECRUITERS (continued from page 11)
college representatives to IMSA in one
day. Current plans are to hold the College
Fair in May.
One of the first major events for
CC/CD during the year occurred in early
December as the department hosted
Career Exploration week. Each day stu-
dents had an opportunity to meet with
professionals and college students from
the various disciplines. On Science Day,
for example, students could meet with
physicists, researchers, environmentalists
and engineers representing industry along
the High-Tech Corridor and Chicago. Of
special interest was the Career Fair in
December, which featured about 50 pro-
fessionals from many walks of life. Jour-
nalists, writers, lawyers and social scient-
ists came together to provide students
with personal experience and insights on
their own career development. The week
culminated with a seminar by Dr. Robert
Berdahl, Vice-Chancellor of Academic
Affairs at the University of Illinois. Ber-
dahl's keynote address focused on "Liberal
Learning for Change."
There is no doubt in either of the coun-
selors minds that their work at IMSA may
be more challenging than similar work at
more traditional schools. According to
Bryant, IMSA students have higher expec-
tations of themselves and of the program.
While Bryant concedes that much of the
initial college inclination of students is
accomplished during the admissions pro-
cess, the counseling role is still critical.
"The importance of. . .personal quali-
ties (occurs) during the admissions pro-
cess, since that is when the importance of
knowing oneself becomes critical. These
students knew why IMSA was the best
place for them. Most of these students
have a better understanding of who they
really are and what an institution repres-
ents. What we're trying to do in the coun-
seling process is assist them in again mak-
ing that good match, as they prepare for
college."
Both Bryant and Suber have put
together a comprehensive plan that
includes personal assessment through var-
ious testing tools, inviting college admis-
sions officials to IMSA, and several career
and college activities during the year. Part
of their responsibility has also included
briefing staff, parents and students about
the services and resources they can
provide.
In addition to their current counseling
activities, the CC/CD department is
initiating a plan for the mentorship pro-
gram for students. Bryant and Suber have
already met with some faculty and the
Mentorship Committee of the Parents
Council. They also plan to meet with
representatives from the private sector to
draw on resources within the different
industries. Bryant says he hopes to estab-
lish a Corporate Council to recommend a
program and then assist in the evaluation
of the program.
The year has so far proven to be an
Student Badri Rengarajan looks over
information from Rick Bryant. IMSA Career
Development Consultant.
ambitious undertaking for Bryant, a
former College Planning coordinator with
the North Carolina School of Science and
Mathematics, and for Suber, previously
the Associate Director of Admissions at
Drew Univeristy. Bryant believes that
through their continuing efforts and those
of the academic program, IMSA will gain
even more recognition. "In the next year
and a half, the IMSA name will become
very well known nationally."
IMSA Sports
FALL SEA!
Varsity Team
SON
tecord
SPORT
WON
LOST
Golf
2
6
Cross Country
0
8
Soccer
7
5
Girls Swim
5
7
Girls Tennis
3
6
Volleyball
5
12
The Fall sports season marked the first
effort by IMSA to compete as a fully-
recognized Illinois High School Associa-
tion School at the Varsity level. The
Academy fielded teams in seven sports
with each participating in the IHSA Tour-
nament series for the individual sport.
"While the teams participated with
limited numbers and experience and
without the leadership of a senior class,
the teams represented the Academy well,"
says Carl Dillow, IMSA's Athletic Direc-
tor. "They achieved many of the goals
that they had set for themselves."
The athletic program has not gone
unnoticed as writers with the Beacon
News in Aurora and the Chicago Tribune
published articles on the newest addition
to area competition.
In addition to team successes, there
were also some outstanding individual
efforts. Of particular notice was Stephanie
Jayne (Waukegan) who earned a varsity
letter in soccer as one of the few females
in state participation at this level. She was
also featured in an article in the Beacon
News. Rowan Lockwood (Rockford) quali-
fied in the State Swim finals and finished
18th at the state meet in Evanston.
Winter sports are now underway at the
varsity level. The Girls' basketball team is
undefeated in pre-holiday participation.
Competition during the Winter season in
basketball is almost equally divided
between Varsity and Jr. Varsity teams.
The Boys' basketball team finished
fourth at the Sandwich Thanksgiving
Tournament while the Sophomore Boys
won the Championship at the Valley
Lutheran Holiday Tournament.
12
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Equinox" Program
Links Science and Humanities
Audience walks spiral pattern
at dusk as part of the
"Equinox to Solstice"
presentation.
The fine arts do have a place in high-
tech education, and this year, a special
program at IMSA was established to
initiate links between the humanities,
science and the arts. A $5,800 grant from
the Illinois Arts Council initiated an
artist-in-residence program, aimed at
developing integrative ideas between the
various disciplines at IMSA.
The proposal for the grant, initially
submitted by English instructor, Dr. Neill
Clark, employed the theme of the autum-
nal equinox and the winter solstice as its
base. Clark proposed a dance program at
the Academy, whereby students and
teachers could study the physical move-
ments of the planets scientifically and as
metaphors in literature and the arts.
The approval of the grant let to the hir-
ing of Chicago choreographer Julie Salk
as artist-in-residence for the fall semester.
Salk directed several dance projects at
IMSA, including a presentation for Par-
ent's Day entitled "Space Chase" in which
students incorporated the building's
architecture as their stage.
One of the highlights of the 'Equinox
to Solstice" unfolded in the fall as the
IMSA community participated in a special
presentation designed to incorporate the
metaphors of "light", "dark" and
"change" through music, dance, litera-
ture and science.
The audience first gathered in the
school auditorium for presentations of
musical selections.
The evening's program developed into
an "experiential" presentation as the
audience progressed from the auditorium
to the outdoors, where other IMSA stu-
dents performed movements depicting the
molecular movement of photosynthesis.
The outdoor performance at sunset
involved members of the audience who
followed dance leaders around a spiral
pattern (the spiral having been the inspi-
ration of students with a stronger interest
in math). The spiral walk at sunset
represented the pattern for the movement
of the planets around the sun, as well as
the symbolic replication of the very struc-
ture of genes since DNA molecules are
spirally connected.
The evening culminated with a dance
presentation, choreographed by Julie Salk.
In a darkened gym, student dancers
incorporated the use of phosphorescent
"glow lights" as symbolic reminders of the
metaphor of darkness to light.
"The festival served as a way to put
together the larger concern of the rela-
tionship of the arts, humanities and
science into a common program, that was
based on metaphor and analogy," says Dr.
Clark. "Both are essential to literature and
the arts."
According to Clark, the English classes
are being presented in a way that shows
how the various disciplines are inte-
grated; that the level of metaphor and
model are an extension of the idea of
comparison or analogy. "If you can see
those things and what they share in
common, then trace them as they grow
out from a compact state into a differen-
tiated state, you can understand the rela-
tions one to the other from a historical
perspective. They (disciplines) all emerged
from the same kinds of things."
In addition to the festival program, stu-
dents participated in the making of masks
with artist Keith Richmond from Chicago.
The masks served as another art form,
incorporating the metaphor, the model
and the imagination.
"A mask is a metaphor," says Clark. "I
was working out of a book by Edward Har-
ris entitled 'Masks of the Universe'. "
Traditional English is basically writing
and thinking — the essence of language.
According to Clark, fundamental to lan-
continued on page 15
13
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
and MUSIC!
IMSA 5 string Orchestra and choir were joined by members of the faculty during the Holiday
concert.
Music Program
Showcases
IMSA Talent
This year, the IMSA music program
became an integral part of the Academic
curriculum, and for the first time, stu-
dents garnered statewide recognition for
their talents.
Students worked for three to four
weeks, mostly in tutorials, preparing for
the auditions with nine students making
the district music list and three who suc-
ceeded in being named to All State
Orchestra. Viola - Paul Lee (Peoria),
Second Violin - Eugene Huang (Bourbon-
nais) and First Violin - Sue Kim (Liberty-
ville) were accepted into the Illinois
Music Educators Association All State
Orchestra. They were selected from more
than 400 other students auditioning for
the various orchestra positions. All three
were also named to the District Orchestra
list. It was Lee's second time to All-State,
last year having made it to the Honors
Orchestra.
Three students named to the District
level Chorus were: Soprano - Laura
Kozlevcar (Peoria), Alto - Andrea Stone-
cipher (Texico), and Baritone - Greg Jun
(Aurora). Kozlevcar may go to All State.
Named to District Band were: Clarinet -
Dori Ratajczyk (Waukegan), Baritone -
Brian Patterson (Danville), and Tuba -
Rob Larson (South Holland).
With the exception of orchestra, stu-
dents must be a junior or senior to be
accepted to All-State. The sophomores
were accepted for the District 7 orchestra,
consisting of 42 schools from the Chicago
Metropolitan area. Guest conductor was
Michael Morgan, director for youth con-
certs with the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra.
The accomplishments of the program
and students are even more significant
when one considers the fact that budge-
tary constraints last year prohibited the
scheduling of any fine arts programming.
Before the end of the second semester,
however, IMSA had hired Mark Running
as a full-time instructor to develop the
program's courses and activities for the
second year. Running says students were
interested in competing early on in the
program. "We began last spring by mail-
ing out a questionnaire inquiring whether
students would be interested in audition-
ing for the Illinois Music Educators Asso-
ciation's All-District and All-State Band,
Choir, Orchestra, Jazz Band and Jazz
Choir." Twenty students went through
the audition process.
For the first time, students have a var-
iety of musical groups in which to develop
their musical talents and receive academic
credit. Students may audition and register
for Band, Chorus and/or Orchestra. Addi-
tionally, students registered in the music
program may enroll in Jazz Band, Pep
Band or Swing Choir. The Chorus and
Philharmonic Orchestra (string and wind
players) have put on two major perfor-
mances this year. The Orchestra played a
selection from Vivaldi's "The Four Sea-
sons" for the "Equinox to Solstice" musi-
cal program. Their second major presenta-
tion came in the form of a premier concert
on Parent's Day. No small feat for a music
program that's only existed for 14 weeks!
"The concert on Parent's Day was sig-
nificant, because it was the first time we
brought them (string ensemble, orchestra,
band and choir) all together to play in
public, only twelve weeks into the semes-
ter." A total of 23 string players in string
orchestra, 67 members in band and 45
members of the choir played and sang an
hour of classical selections.
The reward for all of their hard work
came as a standing ovation during the
Parent's Day concert from appreciative
parents, friends and staff impressed with
the quality of the performance of classical
pieces. "I was pleased with the perfor-
mance and the attendance," says
Running.
Working with bright students in a resi-
dential setting has proven to be very
rewarding for Running, allowing him to
assist students during after-school hours
and to draw on faculty expertise. "Next
semester, the physics department will use
the orchestra and band as living laborato-
ries for the study of sound waves. So, they
14
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
students) will look at the technical part
>f making music, and I, in turn, have
experts I can call in for scientific ques-
tions that relate to music."
Through the music program, students
are required to think in cognitive and psy-
chomotor levels, within the affective
domain, and in terms of aesthetics. In
(summarizing the value of the program to
jthe curriculum and to the students he
simply states, "we don't live in a vacuum,
people need aesthetics and creativity."
Currently the only music faculty
member. Running has a rare opportunity
to work with more students, at different
musical talent levels and within the dif-
ferent musical groups. In reflecting on
their attitudes in relation to the more typ-
ical high school student, he says he has
noticed they are more likely to work
together or to help each other. "It's a
iclose-knit community. I don't see much of
:the competitiveness one might normally
find in other school settings."
L The young musicians were kept very
'busy the first semester, some voluntarily
igiving up part of their lunch period to
(participate in a second musical group. The
String Orchestra performed for visitors to
the Illinois Council for the Gifted at the
Westin O'Hare in December. In December,
the entire music department came
together for a special "Winter Holiday
Concert." The program sent students and
parents home for the holidays with works
from Giovanni Gabrielli, Ron Nelson,
Robert Convery, David Eddleman, Wolf-
gang Mozart. Alfred Reed, LeRoy Ander-
son and Franz Schubert.
Future plans for the musical talent
include a recital for soloists and for
Chamber music. February means prepara-
tion for the Illinois High School Associa-
tion Solo and Ensemble contests in
March. There are also plans to stage an
all-school musical in the Spring.
The program is growing, and will soon
become an even more significant element
of the academic experience. "Our next big
project is of an interdisciplinary nature,"
says Running. Working in conjunction
with the English department, students
will begin to explore parallels between
musical periods and literature periods.
The faculty hopes to develop studies to
allow students to understand Romanti-
cism, Classicism, Expressionism, and
other historical periods to find the points
of connection between the arts, culture
and history.
EQUINOX (continued from page 13)
guage is the metaphor, which in turn is
essential to poetry. But broader and
deeper than that, he says, is the practice
of imagination. Creativity and the use of
imagination are among the many desired
outcomes of all courses at IMSA.
"There is a level of abstraction that is
common and underlies all the disciplines.
If you can make that point apparent, then
you can begin to see how the things
separate and this also occurred
historically."
Clark says he found it a challenge to
find a point of commonality that would be
old enough, common enough, deep
enough and broad enough to underlie all
of the disciplines, and also a fact that
would be graspable in history.
"The one most apparent to me was the
fact of change. All things change. It's easy
to see the change of seasons, summer to
fall and the change of cycles."
The observations of planets, their
movements and the seasonal cycles
became a common point that could serve
as a bridge for the various disciplines,
since most of the sciences and studies
originated from those early observances.
History and culture are also closely
linked, according to Clark, since these
evolved from the earliest agricultural prac-
tices of all peoples.
"In social sciences, for example, they
study artifacts of the ancient civilizations,
and they learn how to study artifacts'"
says Clark. "Mathematics also evolved
from the study of the movement of heav-
enly bodies as man tried to calculate the
patterns and movements, and cycles." He
adds that the studies of ancient man and
his cosmological stories of the creation of
the universe are closely linked to today's
science, as physicists and scientists
attempt to find answers to the age-old
question of creation through the study of
atoms and sub-atomic particles. Clark
explains that, for most people, extensive
knowledge means the erosion of values, a
misconception that is opposite to the
learning experience and at the center of
the "equinox" theme.
"The implicit message of values in the
'Equinox to Solstice' program, is that
knowledge ultimately does not threaten
our values. What we're trying to do from a
literary point of view, is to provide a con-
text in which the scientific investigations
make sense, so we can see how the sciences
came about and where they came from."
Artist-in-Residence Julie Salk (right I and student Jody Yates work on masks as part of the
"Equinox to Solstice" program.
15
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Mathematics: Adding New Achievements
The IMSA math team is once again on
the road to a year of high marks in several
competitions, now with a year of expe-
rience under its calculator belt and with
new competitors from the sophomore
class. IMSA is in second place out of 40
schools in the North Suburban Math
league, one of the strongest math leagues
in the state, and possibly, the country.
The first test for 54 participating stu-
dents came in the fall with the Atlantic
Pacific Contest. The contest consists of
six questions, with IMSA sending the top
ten scorers and tabulating the scores as a
team score. Several IMSA students had
perfect scores, giving the team a perfect
score of 60, tying the Academy with six
other schools in the country for first place
after the first round of six tests. An esti-
mated 200 schools participate in the
contest.
In the North Suburban Math League,
many of IMSA's sophomores scored per-
fect papers with many more achieving
high marks in two contests. The first
event at Downers Grove North placed
IMSA in third. IMSA placed first in each of
the individual meets against the five local
schools competing.
After two rounds, with cumulative
scores at the senior level, Peter Gast
(Naperville) tied for first place. One of the
top scorers included a student from
another school who represented the U.S.
at the Math Olympiads. Paul Ivsin scored
in the top 20, only five points behind.
At the junior level, two students - Sam
Choi (Lisle) and Laura Kozlevcar (Peoria)
- tied for first place. Mehmet Guler (Anna)
placed 1 7th out of all students competing.
Among sophomore level participants,
Steve Collins (Waukegan) is tied for first
place, with Matt Hausken (Lombard) tied
for 20th.
Two IMSA students participate in what
Hamberg believes may be the most diffi-
cult area of mathematics — Oral competi-
tion. David Joerg (Batavia) and Jordan
Koss (Northbrook), placed first and
second, respectively, in the first contest.
A new area of competition was piloted
this year offering students even more pos-
sibilities to test their talents. Results for
this new experimental program are not
available yet, but Hamberg is optimistic
that IMSA will do well. Peter Gast
(Naperville), was the only student partici-
pating in the new event.
In the first event of the Illinois Math
League, 65 students participated with
seven students receiving perfect scores,
including: Andrew Chen (Charleston,
Steve Collins (Waukegan), Peter Gast
(Naperville), Todd Groner (Marion),
David Joerg (Batavia), Lillian Kao (Elm-
hurst) and Laura Kozlevcar (Peoria).
According to sponsor Charles Ham-
berg, there will not be an IMSA team in
the Illinois Math League. "We are not
officially participating as a team, but we
are competing as individual competitors."
For the second Math League event, 58
students participated with one perfect
paper and several top finishers. A total of
six events will take place during the
school year with about 150 to 200 high
schools participating.
According to Hamberg, participation in
the math activities is competitive starting!
at the Academy level where students
attend review sessions prior to each meet.
He says placement on the teams is by
examinations to determine who will
represent the Academy for each
competition.
Some individual events and top scorers
in each competition were:
ATLANTIC PACIFIC MATH LEAGUE - CONTEST #1
*Marc Booth (Alhambra)
*Sam Choi (Lisle)
*Steve Collins (Waukegan)
"Amy Courtin (West Chicago)
*Mehmet Giiler (Anna)
ILLINOIS MATH LEAGUE
•Paul Ivsin (Elk Grove Village)
Steve Collins (Waukegan)
Amy Courtin (West Chicago)
Gabriel Demombynes (Hinsdale)
Peter Gast (Naperville)
Saunders Hsu (Charleston)
Ray Jan (Chicago)
David Joerg (Batavia)
Stanley Kim (Addison)
Jong Ho Kim (Hoffman Estates)
'Saunders Hsu (Charleston)
*Paul Ivsin (Elk Grove Village)
'Lillian Kao (Elmhurst)
♦Jong Ho Kim (Hoffman Estates)
CONTEST #2
Jordan Koss (Northbrook)
Laura Kozlevcar (Peoria)
David Lockhart (Rockford)
James Murdoch (Brookfield)
Joseph Oh (Hoopeston)
Sendhil Revuluri (Palatine)
Gail Tulchinsky (Chicago)
Wayming Wu (Downers Grove)
David Yung (Arlington Heights)
PERFECT PAPERS
Members of the 1986-87 Math Team hold up trophies after winning honors in the ICTM Exam.
16
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
TRMLBLAZERS. . .
Dr. Stephanie Marshall, IMSA Director,
las been appointed to serve on the Execu-
tive Board of the Commissioning Commit-
tee for the USS Abraham Lincoln. Gover-
nor James Thompson asked Dr. Marshall
to serve on the committee which will plan
:he event scheduled for late 1989. The
USS Lincoln is currently under construc-
tion at Newport News Shipbuilding and
Drydock Company, Virginia.
* * *
Dr. Marshall was also listed among the
38 people to watch in '88 by the Chicago
Tribune. The paper published short biog-
■aphies of 88 people who are expected to
make news this year in the Style section
jf its January 6th issue. Other illustrious
people include the Rev. Jesse Jackson,
gymnast Diane Simpson, DuPage County
Board Chairman Jack Kneupfer, and Chi-
cago Mayor Eugene Sawyer.
PHYSICS
In April, the IMSA physics department
will be hosting a meeting on holography
for Physics West. Physics West is an
arganization of physics teachers from the
Chicago west suburban region.
***
Three IMSA students placed in the top
four in two categories as part of the JETS
Engineering Design competition this fall.
The students competed against more than
200 other students from the South Chi-
ago area for the honors.
Sue Wu (Batavia), placed the highest,
taking second place in the "Braided
Strength" category. Students competing
had to design the strongest possible
braided rope structure using only 24
strands of human hair. The many entries
were "daisy-chained" end to end and
removed as each failed with an increase of
applied force. Wu's entry was one of the
final two braids — losing only to last
year's repeat winner. Dave Yung (Arling-
ton Heights), placed third in the same
competition.
Fourth Place in the "Four-Meter Mouse
Trap Car" went to Wayming Wu (Downers
Grove). Students were required to design
a car using only a mouse trap for power.
Entries are judged on their ability to
travel exactly four meters (about 13 feet)
to a goal line. The first six places were all
within an inch of the goal.
This was the first year of competition
for the Academy. IMSA students, unlike
many of the other competitors, had only a
few days of preparation time. Other IMSA
participants included: Frank Borras
(Rosemont), Robert Chang (Wadsworth),
Bill Grambley (Elburn), Doug Turnbull
(Urbana) and Terri Willard (Lake
Zurich).
Physics instructor Pat LaMaster works with
sophomores in his class as they learn to use
air tracks linked to computers to gather data
on velocity.
Physics instructor Pat LaMaster is one
of five people writing resource materials
through a National Science Foundation
(NSF) grant for Friends of Fermilab. Top-
ics in Modern Physics: Teacher Resource
Materials includes writings on accelera-
tors, cosmology, detectors, elementary
particles, general relativity and symmetry-
The NSF grant also includes a three-week
workshop for 20 area teachers to use the
materials. According to LaMaster the pro-
gram is aimed at introducing modern
physics topics into the traditional physics
curriculum.
LaMaster, and physics instructor, Joe
Meyer, made presentations to members of
the American Association of Physics
Teachers during their annual meeting in
Washington at the end of January.
FERMILAB SPONSORS SERIES
The Physics Department and Fermilab
are sponsoring a series of public lectures
for IMSA students. A series of 10 lectures
on current topics in physics are given on
Fridays from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. The speak-
ers include theorists and experimentalists
from Fermilab who are experts in their
fields. Students who attend 7 of the 10
lectures receive a certificate from Fermilab
and are eligible for a behind-the-scenes
tour of the accelerator and some research
areas. A special "graduation" ceremony is
planned for these students at the end of
the series.
Speakers:
Ernie Malamud, Physicist
Dan Green, Chairman Physics Dept.
Gordon Kerns,
Engineer of Accelerator Physics
Tom Nash,
Head of Advanced Computers Croup
Halsey Reno, Theoretical Physics
Stephen Prodes, Physicist
Drasko Jovanovic, Physicist
Petros Rapidis, Physicist
Mike Turner, Astrophysicist
Rocky Kolb, Astrophysicist
Rodger Dixon, Physicist
All of the IMSA Mathematics faculty
attended the 39th Annual Meeting of the
Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathemat-
ics in the fall, with some of them partici-
pating as presenters. Charles Hamberg
presented a session on "Preparing Alge-
bra Students for Mathematics Competi-
tions." Ron Vavrinek offered tips to math
team sponsors in his workshop on
"Coaching Clinic: ICTM Math Contest."
Sue Eddins and Hamberg gave a compre-
hensive overview of the mathematics pro-
gram at IMSA for the "What's Happening
in Mathematics at IMSA." Jean Kaminski
offered recommendations for a high
school to college transitional math course
to high school and college teachers in
"Implementing a Transition to College
Mathematics Curriculum".
Gail Digate, Executive Director for the
Corridor Partnership for Excellence in
Education (CPEE), also participated in
the conference with a workshop entitled
"School/Business Partnerships: Creating
A New Social Architecture for Mathemat-
ics Education." Digate highlighted major
reasons for renewed interest in public
education by the business sector and
offered recommendations for initiating
partnerships with schools. Dr. Stephanie
Marshall was the conference keynote
speaker.
Michael Sloan, teacher of physics and
computer science at the Illinois Mathe-
continued on page 18
17
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
TRAILBLAZERS. . .
matics and Science Academy, recently fin-
ished writing and editing a 400-page
manual which was published in late
November by Progressive Computing, Inc.
(PCI), Glen Ellyn. The LM1 Protocol Ana-
lyzer User's Guide is a comprehensive ref-
erence for use with PCI's highly success-
ful product, the Line Monitor 1 (LM1).
Sloan's previous version of the manual
was judged by an independent consulting
firm to be by far the best on the market
for a product of its type. The new version
is expected to be translated into French,
German, and Japanese next year.
An excerpt of Sloan's book Working
With Works: A Guide to Microsoft Works,
appeared in the December issue of Nibble
Mac magazine, a leading publication for
users of the Apple Macintosh computer.
Word Power, Sloan's comprehensive
guide to another popular software package
(Microsoft Word) will be published by
Scott, Foresman in 1988. His next book
for the same publisher is entitled Working
with PC Works. It will be a users' guide to
PC Works, Microsoft's version of Works
for IBM personal computers and
compatibles.
WHAT'S GO-GOING ON IN
CHEMISTRY?
First-year IMSA students found them-
selves learning to go-go dance as part of
their chemistry class. Additionally, many
found themselves explaining to their par-
ents that they needed to borrow the family
car over Thanksgiving week. "It was all
part of an optional investigation into the
properties of gases," says instructor Chris
Kawa.
In Molecule A-Go-Go, students learned
dance-like movements to simulate the
motions of some common gas molecules.
"In particular, the stretching mode is
significant," says Kawa, "since it is used
as the basis for identification of molecules
by spectroscopy." Students performed in
the academic pit to music popularized by
the go-go dance craze of the 60's. "The
idea came from an early 60's chemistry
project, during the post-sputnik era,"
added Kawa.
Another optional project challenged
students to weigh the family car using
only a tire gauge and a ruler. The assign-
ment was made over the Thanksgiving
break to give students an opportunity to
use the family car for observation. Stu-
dent's first gathered data on the car's tire
18~
Students put laboratory skills to work to develop concepts in Mary Vanverst's chemistry class.
prints and tire pressure. By using geome-
try and the data, students then attempted
to determine the weight of the car.
According to Kawa, students used many
unique and ingenious methods to com-
pute the area of contact between tire and
pavement. He says that in one case a stu-
dent made use of his father's computer-
ized drafting program for his calculations.
Some were finally able to verify their cal-
culated value by actually weighing the car
at a local grain elevator. All benefitted
from an enjoyable and educational
experience.
***
In Mary VanVerst's chemistry classes,
students synthesized aspirin in the labora-
tory. As part of their studies, Duane Ven-
ton of the University of Illinois - Chicago,
visited with the students in the fall on the
chemistry of aspirin in the body and some
of the biological effects as a result of that
chemistry. He also assisted the depart-
ment in coordinating a visit by IMSA stu-
dents to the University in January. Stu-
dents will be able to observe some of the
chemical research being conducted at the
University and to learn about the instru-
mentation currently available to chemists.
Students will also have an opportunity to
observe a graduate chemistry class.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES
IMSA is truly becoming a "school
without walls" as the different depart-
ments and students make contact with
foreign countries and visitors. Students ir
German III and IV classes, for example,
prepared a cassette and slide show that
was sent to IMSA's partner school, The
Rontgen Gymnasium in Wirzburg, Ger-
many. The slides introduced IMSA stu-
dents to the German students. The
department is awaiting a similar tape from
Germany.
***
The foreign language department
hosted almost 300 foreign language
teachers on February 6th. The teachers
met at IMSA as part of the winter confer-
ence of the Illinois Council of Teachers of
Foreign Languages (ICTFL). IMSA stu-
dents led tours and conducted them in a
foreign language for visitors.
Keynote speaker for the conference was
Woody Woodford, a member of the Educa-
tional Testing Service in Princeton, New
Jersey. Woodford is working with three
states (Illinois, Indiana and Virginia) in
preparation for the development of new
national language tests.
• * *
The department is also reaching out to
Illinois students through the German
Immersion Day held on February 20th as
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
IMSA served as a co-sponsor with the
American Association of Teachers of Ger-
man. Immersion days, usually weekends,
provide opportunities and activities for
students to practice the language of
study. A significant part of the program is
the taking of a pledge to speak no Eng-
lish, and to communicate only in the for-
eign language, in this case German. IMSA
students will host approximately 60 other
participants.
* * *
John Stark, IMSA's German instructor,
conducted a mini-presentation teaching
about the German Democratic Republic at
the German Studies Conference in St.
Louis, The main focus of the workshop
was the integration of social studies and
foreign languages.
* * *
The Foreign Language department is
active in the Illinois Foreign Language
Teacher's Association. During their fall
meeting in Peoria, the IMSA staff was
invited to present a workshop on the use
of foreign language and American adver-
tising as instructional tools. Lena Lucietto
(Spanish), Elia Lopez (Spanish & French)
and John Stark (German) participated in
the workshop. The teachers brought sam-
ples of IMSA students' work for the pres-
entation entitled "Advertising: A Key to
Oral Proficiency."
German II, III, IV students took the
National German exam in January. The
exam is sponsored by the American Asso-
ciation of Teachers of German. Other for-
eign language exams are scheduled for the
spring.
Club Pseudo, a monthly gathering of
student performers (poets, artists, musi-
cians, readers, dancers, etc.) was organ-
ized this year, and has met a few times on
. Friday evenings. It provides students an
outlet for their creativity while also enter-
taining peers. The idea for Club Pseudo is
based loosely on the coffeehouse idea.
According to its organizer, Steve Blunt,
IMSA Resident Counselor, attendance and
talent have been high and some major
events are being planned for later in the
year.
Five students explored a flooded mine
in Bridgeton, Missouri ( 1 hr. west of St.
Louis) during a weekend in December as
part of Scuba Club. The students had
been certified in a scuba class at IMSA last
year. The organization, under the spon-
sorship of Resident Counselor Steve
Blunt, will once again offer lessons this
year starting in January.
Jeff Truitt (Marion) took first and third
place, respectively, in the American
Legion Oratorial Contest in Aurora. Both
will go on to the county competition.
IMSA sophomore Michael Peil was
awarded the Eagle Scout rank and one of
scouting's highest honors last fall. Peil.
from Naperville. was presented with the
Ad Altare Dei Award, the highest scout-
ing award presented by the Catholic
Church. For his Eagle scout project, Peil
undertook the resurfacing and reseeding
of the playground area at St. Michael's
Park in Naperville by organizing scouts
from Troop 89. Michael spent more than
150 hours on the project.
IMSA's Four Future Problem-Solving
Bowl Teams placed among the top ten
statewide in the second competition prob-
lem. Sponsor Bernie Hollister (Downers
Grove) led the four teams to fourth, fifth,
seventh and tenth place against 120 other
schools competing across the state. The
teams face one more practice problem
before actual competition in the Regionals
in March and possible entry into the state
finals in May.
Dr. Ronald Pine, Macrobiology instruc-
tor, conducted a seminar on "The Classic
Evidences for Evolution" at Argonne
National Laboratory. The presentation was
one of a series often seminars in Biology
entitled "Topics in Evolution". The series
was sponsored by the Associate Colleges
of the Chicago Area. Pine also presented a
talk on "Mesozoic Mammals" for the Chi-
cago Area Paleontological Society at the
Jurica Museum of Natural Historv in Lisle.
American Studies students (juniors)
created newspapers as part of an assign-
ment for class. The students were required
to develop any part of the newspaper, but
the items had to reflect modern day scho-
larship on the issue of slavery. Social
science teacher Bernie Hollister said some
of the materials were of high quality, and
contained much in-depth research.
IMSA Orators
Juniors Jeffrey Young (Chicago) and
The 1986-87 State Champion IMSA
Chess Team was 8- 1 for the season in
class "A" competition, remaining first in
that category and third place overall in
the state. The team took second place at
continued on back page
Dr. Stephanie Marshall accepts a $2000 check from Aurora Dial Corporation 's Plant Manager
Peter Sobel. Sobel presented the contribution. Dial's second donation to the Fund, in the
presence of Larry and Sharon Bodley. IMSA parents. The Bodleg's were instrumental in obtaining
the contribution.
19
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
v t
H"" n
S'.'f aji H jgfii jft'fi
Soft Arganbright, Amoco Foundation Directo
(left) and John R. Laubenstein receive a plaq
of appreciation from I MSA Board of Trustees
President James Pearson and Director Dr.
Stephanie Pace Marshall. AMOCO FoundatU
presented the first installment of the $225.00 •
grant for the organic chemistry laboratory.
the prestigious Rockford-Boylan competi-
tion in January, losing only on a techni-
cality. Team sponsor, Resident Counselor
Krist Enstrom, is optimistic about the
team's chances to "go all the way again"
this year. Team member Jason Ribando
(Peoria), earned a medal and remains
undefeated at 4th board. Approximately
40 students take part in IMSA practices
and competitions, with the top players
entering the contests against other
schools. Other members of the team
include Ray Dames (Wilmington), John
Hoesley (Chicago), Jim Petrie (Oak
Forest) and Doug Turnbull (Urbana).
Social Science instructor Bill Stepien
developed a computer simulation program
for Illinois Bell. The Executive Challenge
is a microcomputer simulation designed
to introduce high school students to eco-
nomic concepts by participating in deci-
sions which are made in a telecommuni-
cations company. The program is
distributed through the Educational
resources department of Illinois Bell.
English instructor Dr. Riva Kuhl just
finished a book of poetry that will soon
released. "A Far Country", published by
Colonial Press, is described by Kuhl as a
book of exile poetry. The book is due out
in February. Kuhl also has some musical
writing to her credit. Last fall, a pre-
viously unpublished play "Old Fortuna-
tus" by Thomas Decker was edited and
published. The play, edited by Suzanne
Blow, is set to music written by Dr. Kuhl
who also wrote in choreography.
r^lMSA
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
1500 West Sullivan Road
Aurora. Illinois 60506-1039
NON PROFIT ORG.
BULK RATE
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
AURORA. IL
PERMIT NO. 129
newsletter from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
-^IMSA"
Volume 2 • No. 2
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
1500 West Sullivan Road
Aurora. Illinois 60506-1039
312/801-6000
Director
Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall
Board of Trustees
Dr. Larry Freeman
Dean of College of Education
Covemor's State University
Ms. Sheila Griffin
Marketing Executive
Motorola Incoporated
Mr. Gary D. Jewel
Superintendent of Schools
Aurora West School Dist. 129
! Dr. Leon Lederman
Director
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Dr. Walter Massey
Vice President for Research and for Argonne
National Laboratory. University of Chicago
Mr. John McEachern. Jr.
President
Wayne Circuits Incorporated
Dr. David Mintzer
Special Assistant to the President
Northwestern University
Mr. James D. Pearson
President
Aurora Industries
Dr. David R. Pierce
Executive Director
Illinois Community College Board
Dr. Ted Sanders
State Superintendent of Education
Ms. Barbara Schmulbach
Teacher of Mathematics
Carbondale Community High School
Mrs. Elise Scott
/ Teacher of Chemistry
Mattoon High School
Mr. Jesus Manual Sosa
Principal
Clemente High School. Chicago
Dr. Charles Thomas
Superintendent
North Chicago School *64
Dr. Richard D. Wagner
Executive Director
State Board of Higher Education
Editor
Naomi Geltner
NOVA is published five times a year by the
IMSA Communications Office.
"A Pioneering Educational Community
Special Teachers Add toThe"MAGIC
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Sophomore student h'ikki Hughes (Hazel Crest) hugs her fifth grade teacher James Jacobs
(Nielsen Middle School) as he receives the IMSA Award of Excellence.
M
I ore than 200 Illinois teachers were honored by the Academy as ex-
emplary educators. The teachers were recipients of the first "IMSA
J Award of Excellence" presented during a special program in April.
The award was created to recognize those individuals who are committed to
standards of academic excellence that foster student achievement and suc-
cess. Each teacher was nominated by a former student now at IMSA, for
having had the greatest impact on his or her academic career prior to com-
ing to the Academy.
The theme for the Recognition Ceremony - "Thank you for Contributing to
the Magic" - came from a letter sent by one of the honored teachers. In the
letter to Dr. Marshall the writer stated that the honor came at a time she felt
she needed it most:
"After 16 years in primary classrooms, I still have many days when I doubt my
abilities as a teacher and when I wonder if all the hard work and effort is worth
it. Last week 1 had a couple of 'black days ' like that and then, today I received
your letter. Several of my students suddenly understood about borrowing in two-
digit subtraction and were happy and standing tall when they left school today!
So today was one of those 'magic' days that keeps those of us in education com-
mitted to our profession. Thank you for contributing to the 'magic'. "
The letter, in its entirety, was read by IMSA Director Dr. Stephanie Marshall
continued on page 3
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
(Editor's Note: In lieu of the letter we normally run in this column, we thought
we would share excerpts from Dr. Marshall s speech delivered at the Teacher
Recognition Program on April 22, 1988. While it was dedicated to special teach-
ers honored at the program, we believe all teachers in Illinois are deserving of
recognition and gratitude.)
everal months ago, members of the Academy staff began talking
about how we could say "Thank you" to the teachers in Illinois,
who have contributed so dramatically to the intellectual growth,
and emotional nurturing of our students. While we take pride in knowing that
the empowering environment created at the Academy has contributed to our
students' intellectual and emotional growth, we are also aware that we have
only extended our students' development, and the teachers who have gone
before us have shaped our students' lives.
...Education and educators have come under much criticism in recent his-
tory. As educators, we often feel we have to apologize for being in
education-somehow our IQ is diminished, or at least our judgment impair-
ed because we chose education over law, medicine, or business. We
constantly have to remind ourselves that we are educators because we
choose to be-not because we have to be. We are engaged in one of the no-
blest of professions, and are at an incredible time in education. We have an
opportunity to engage in the most dynamic and intellectually provocative and
stimulating dialogue we have ever had, as we bring our resources to bear on
the issues of what's worth knowing, and what's the best way to learn it. I
don't think anyone would disagree with the fact that we have changed from
an industrial society, marked by an assembly line perspective, when the
product was power, to an information society, where process and knowledge
are power. Because of this, human capital has replaced equipment and mone-
tary capital as the strategic resource to be developed and nurtured. This is
having a profound impact on education. Our society now needs skilled, well-
educated people, who can reason, reflect, analyze, evaluate, and question, as
well as read, write, and compute.
This is not only sparking an unprecedented alliance between business and
schools, but is causing those of us in education to redesign, and restructure
education and schooling in this nation.
With an emphasis on recall and on the accumulation, not processing, of
information, we are preparing children for an industrial society that simply
no longer exists. Our information base is doubling every 20 months. There
is absolutely no way we can teach students all there is to know. Our job,
therefore, is to provide students with the tools for retrieval, analysis, and
evaluation. When we move into an age of information, we are preparing
children for their tomorrow and not ours-and that tomorrow demands
sophisticated reasoning and analytic skills.
We must continue to work toward becoming a profession of congruence,
by building the necessary intellectual connections for students between
learning and thinking. Unfortunately, those of us who try to bring change to
the educational system, are often told that is not practical. However, accord-
ing to Ted Sizer, 'practical' is really an euphemism for 'safe.' Practical
reforms are safe reforms, they challenge no basic assumptions, and they
question no significant parts of the schools traditional structure. Practical, in
educational circles, has come to mean something that "doesn't rock the
boat." This is enormously dangerous! We must persuade ourselves that the
most practical and realistic thing we can do is to challenge the basic meta-
phors and structure of the school as we know it, and as we went through it
ourselves. We must engage in active experimentation, and we must encour-
age diversity and playfulness.
For us to accomplish the changes that must be made in education will
take a brand of leadership that is focused on vision, commitment, trust, en-
thusiasm, passion, and even love.
There was quite a stir created in the American corporate sector from two
continued next page
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
DIRECTOR (continued from page2)
books, one of which is entitled, In
Search of Excellence, Lessons from
America s Best Run Companies, and
its sequel, published last year, called
A Passion for Excellence, The Leader-
ship Difference. I believe the message
of the books is critical for us. All
schools teach math, language, sci-
ence, social studies and spelling. The
generic product or content is the
same, but the offered product is de-
cidedly different from district to
district, from building to building,
and from classroom to classroom.
Maybe any teacher can instill the
love of learning, but you have.
I would like to thank you for
your time; for your energy; for the
thousands of papers you've graded,
the math problems you've cor-
rected, the punctuation marks
you've circled, the children you've
hugged, the tears you've wiped, and
the parents you've consoled; but
most importantly..
We thank you for the minds you
have opened, the intellect you have
nurtured, and the creativity you
have stimulated."
On behalf of the students and staff
at the Academy, we thank the teach-
ers of Illinois for their support and
continued commitment to excellence
in education.
More than 250 teachers attended the
special recognition program honoring
exemplary educators from across the
state.
PHYSICS TEAM -
THIRD IN NATION!
The IMSA Science Invitational Contest Physics Team placed third in a
national test. The team of 17 students coached by Dr. Charles Cannon
earned a Third Place plaque after taking the 1988 Foundation For Scho-
lastic Advancement Test.
Team members included:
Stephen Blessing
Daniel Frakes
Peter Gast
Bill Grambley
Todd Groner
Anil Guraney
Dave Joerg
Lillian Kao
Laura Kozlevcar
Carterville
Seneca
Naperville
Elburn
Marion
Bloomingdale
Batavia
Elmhurst
Peoria
David Lockhart
Sean Pritchard
Badrinath
Rengarajan
Sendhil Revuluri
Mark Spencer
Vijay Sukumaran
Erika Tracy
Quincy
North Aurora
South Barrington
Palatine
Windsor
Gumee
Lema
Steve Wilensky Tinley Park
MAGIC (continued from page I)
during the special program. "Our students have unique talents and gifts,"
says Dr. Marshall. "However, we do recognize that our special students
would not be where they are today without the caring, assistance and the
dedication of teachers in their home districts who nurtured and developed
those talents."
It was to recognize the contributions of outstanding teachers, that IMSA
students were asked to select the one teacher who inspired, challenged or
channeled their interests into new paths of growth.
"We are fortunate in Illinois to have so many unsung heroes in education."
said Dr. Marshall. "This is our way of thanking them for nurturing these gift-
ed students. I believe ours is the noblest of professions, because we touch
the future."
The teachers attended an Open House and an informal reception. The hon-
orees received their "Award of Excellence" certificate from their former
students and were asked to sign a large poster commemorating the occasion.
Among the comments were the following:
- 'A truly unique experience after 27 years of teaching ..."
- "This is a tremendous honor and makes the tough days worth it!"
- "Thank you for a most inspiring and unforgettable experience. The energy
aura that exists at this school is awesome and most positive. "
- "This is the first time that I'm sure I made the right decision in joining the ed-
ucational field. It's nice to know someone has benefitted from my efforts. "
- "Thanks for making this the most memorable day of my educational career. "
- "Thank you for adding so much magic' to my life too! You'll never know
how proud you have made me. "
- "After 17 years of teaching, this award gives me the magic to begin the next
17. Thank you. "
- "The magic you generated today will last me for a lifetime! Thank you for
touching me so deeply. "
- "It is so very rewarding to see our students succeed in such wonderful sur-
roundings...What a renewing experience this has been!"
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
IMSA Director, Dr. Stephanie Mar-
shall, will lead a newly established
organization of specialized schools
around the country as its founding
president. Dr. Marshall was elected
at a conference of the schools held
in Alexandria, Virginia in April.
Participants from ten states, Wash-
ington, D.C. and the U.S. Office of
Education, voted to establish the
National Consortium of Specialized
Schools in Mathematics, Science
and Technology. According to its
mission statement, the National Con-
sortium was formed to stimulate
excellence in mathematics, science,
and technology education. Its goal is
to foster, support, and advance ef-
forts of those specialized schools
whose purpose it is to attract and
prepare students for leadership in
science, mathematics, and
technology.
"I believe the establishment of
the consortium is a vital step in de-
veloping a formalized network for
specialized schools" stated Dr. Mar-
shall. "There has been growing
interest and concern in many states
over the need to develop our bright-
est minds to meet the demands of
science and technology in the 21st
century."
Approximately 100 administrators
and faculty members representing 27
specialized residential and commut-
ing schools, met at the Jefferson
High School for Science and Technol-
ogy to discuss areas of common
interest and concern. Numerous
schools were represented, including
the Bronx High School of Science,
Stuyvesant High School, and
Brooklyn Tech in New York. States
sending representatives from their
respective residential schools includ-
ed Illinois, North Carolina, Texas,
Mississippi and South Carolina.
Consortium Objectives
"The purpose of the specialized
schools," stated Dr. Marshall, "is to
provide programs for our most gifted
and talented students who will be
the leadership of the next genera-
tion. This consortium will enable us
to share ideas, exchange programs,
develop electronic communication
systems, and refocus the national
agenda in mathematics, science and
technology."
According to Dr. Marshall the ob-
jectives of the consortium are three-
fold:
1) to provide a forum for the ex-
change, development, and
evaluation of programs and
practices:
2) to promote and represent the
common interests of the indi-
vidual member institutions;
3) to serve in an advisory capacity
to its member schools and
other groups, seeking to stimu-
late excellence in mathematics,
science, and technology
education.
Dr. Marshall and the newly elected
Steering Committee will meet in the
next few months to draft bylaws, anq
to design the program for the seconc
annual conference. In addition, a
conference of students is planned foi
the fall.
"The formation of the National
Consortium of Specialized Schools
in Mathematics, Science and Tech-
nology is a critical step if our nation
is to regain its leadership role in
science education," said Dr. Mar-
shall. "We must be proactive in our
efforts to provide adequate pro-
gramming and resources to our
most talented youngsters."
Fund Board
Plans
Long-Range
Development
Effort
Board members and officers for
the IMSA Fund For Advancement of
Education are working on a long-
range development plan to ensure
philanthropic support from corpora-
tions throughout the state. The
Illinois Mathematics and Science
Academy Board of Trustees hired the
firm of Sheldon Garber & Associates,
Inc. to guide them in their planning.
The first year's objective is to recruit
a group of corporate leaders to enlist
support of other firms who are inter-
ested in and supportive of the
Academy's mission. The efforts of
this group will ultimately strengthen
the public/private partnership and
enhance the goals of the Academy
through ongoing corporate
contributions.
Joanne Lowery, the new Develop
ment Officer hired in May, will staff
the Fund office at the Academy.
Lowery, who has been in education
as a teacher, looks forward to the
challenge of a career change. "I think
IMSA is an exciting place!" she says.
"It is truly a pioneering community
and I look forward to being a part of
the efforts that will support its
programs."
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Admissions Office
Expands to
Chicago
he Admissions Office is in-
creasing recruitment efforts
in the city of Chicago with
the hiring of a new admissions coun-
selor and the opening of a new office
in the city. Carol Jamieson Brown is
the new Admissions Counselor as-
signed to Chicago area recruitment.
Mrs. Brown will be working out of
the new office at 322 S. Green Street
where IMSA shares space with the
University of Illinois' Principal Schol-
ars Program.
"IMSA and the Principal's Scholar
Program share similar goals," says
Dean of Admissions and Research,
Dr. LuAnn Smith. "The location is
also one of the best for our pur-
poses since it will give us more
flexibility in reaching students in all
parts of the city and give them easy
access to us." An Open House to
celebrate the opening of the IMSA
Admissions office branch was held
on June 13, 1988.
The strategies and plans for the
Chicago recruitment efforts have re-
ceived endorsement from the IMSA
Chicago Area Advisory Council
(CAAC), a group of Chicago civic and
educational leaders and IMSA staff.
Among its recommendations, the
CAAC also suggested distribution of
application materials through the
Chicago PTA. To date, the Chicago
PTA, with the assistance of past-pres-
ident Mrs. Florence Cox, distributed
more than 300 applications to stu-
dents citywide.
A recommendation to host infor-
mational meetings around the city
was implemented during the month
of March. Meetings were held at the
Chicago Urban League office, El Val-
or (a Pilsen community social
service agency) and Lane Technical
High School. In addition to open
public meetings, IMSA staff met with
representatives of various groups
and organizations including: ASPIRA
(a Puerto Rican community service
organization) and representatives of
New Chicago Admissions Recruiter
No Stranger to City
Carol Jamieson Brown, the new
IMSA Admissions Counselor is
quite at home, literally, in her po-
sition. Brown, a Chicago resident
and an Urban Education graduate
from Barat College, served as an
Education Specialist with the Chi-
cago Urban League from 1986
until this year. Much of her train-
ing and experience has been
working with youth and educa-
tional programs in Chicago and
the Midwest.
"I am excited to be part of
what I think will be one of the
most outstanding opportunities
available to young people
throughout the state of Illinois,"
says Brown. "The education cen-
ters in Chicago will be working
with us as well as community
leaders in the Chicagoland area.
After 16 years in admissions and
financial aid at the college level,
it will be interesting to now work
with these students and prepare
them for college entrance."
Prior to accepting the position
at IMSA, Brown administered
scholarship programs and work-
ed with placement of Chicago
students at the secondary and
post-secondary levels at the Ur-
ban League. Much of her work
also required the planning and
execution of advocacy programs
in support of quality education.
the Mexican-American community
and the Cuban American
community.
More than 40 participants of the
Math Counts program and 20 of their
teachers visited the Academy, initiat-
ing a series of similar Open House
sessions for students from the Chi-
cago area. Scheduled for June are
visits by approximately 900 sixth,
seventh, and eighth grade students
from nine elementary schools in the
city.
"Chicago's talented students have
many local options to meet their aca-
demic needs," says Dr. Smith. "There
Brown also worked with stu-
dents and families as the
Assistant Director of Financial
Aid at Northwestern University
and as the Director of Project Up-
ward Bound at Lewis University
in Romeoville. The latter position
required the development of ad-
missions criteria for the school.
She has served as a member of
the Association of Chicago Area
Catholic Colleges and Univer-
sities and the Illinois Association
of College Admissions Counsel-
ors, in addition to several other
professional organizations.
Carol Jamieson Brown
are a number of magnet schools and
private schools. Having an office and
an admissions counselor in the city
to support our recruitment efforts
should increase the applications
from qualified students in the city,
while also adding to our own visi-
bility in the educational community.
It will be the first step towards deve-
loping mutually beneficial programs."
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Hcademy officials are support-
ing newly introduced
legislation seeking the trans-
fer of IMSA from the auspices of the
State Board of Education to the
Board of Higher Education. The pro-
posed change is considered a
positive move by Academy leaders
who view the mission and goals of
the Academy as being closely
aligned with that of a university
system.
The legislation is jointly sponsored
by Senator Forest Etheredge (R-Au-
rora) and Representative Woods
Bowman (D-Evanston). "When the
Academy was first formed, we had
considered placing it under the
Board of Higher Education, but the
idea somehow got lost in the shuf-
fle," says Etheredge. He added the
change would not affect future bud-
geting for the Academy.
In a letter published by the Chi-
cago Tribune, Rep. Bowman states
that the Academy would gain by hav-
ing a long-term assurance of funding.
"This move will achieve both funding
stability for the Academy and orderly
oversight of its budget," he states.
According to Dr. Stephanie Mar-
shall, IMSA Director, the change is
also programmatically and pro-
cedurally congruent with the goals
"This move will achieve both
funding stability for the
Academy and orderly over-
sight of its budget. . . "
and objectives of the Academy. "The
Academy is presently teaching uni-
versity-level courses, and our staff is
under the State University Retire-
ment System," she explained. "We
have also forged partnerships with
the state colleges and universities
through our University Affiliates
Program."
Board of Trustees President James
Pearson says that while the move to
the Board of Higher Education is
more congruent, the Academy has
enjoyed a positive relationship with
the State Board of Education. "Our
Board has worked diligently to
achieve its mission under the guid-
ance of the State Board. It was Dr.
Ted Sanders who set in motion the
early charge which gave direction
and guidance to the then newly cre-
ated organization. Therefore, we
(Editor's note: As this issue went
to press, the legislation was sign*
into law by Governor Thompson
and presented to the IMSA Board
of Trustees)
want to thank Dr. Sanders and his
staff for their keen interest in the
Academy and for the supporting rol
the Academy plays within the state
quality educational system."
A designee from the State Board <
Education will continue to serve on
the Academy's Board of Trustees.
The bill proposing the change will t
considered during the upcoming leg
islative session.
Over 600 Students Apply
for Place at IMSA
More than 600 students from
across the state of Illinois submit-
ted applications for enrollment in
the fall. According to Dr. LuAnn
Smith, Dean of Admissions and Re-
search, the 636 applications reflect
a higher application pool ratio
than in previous years, while the
actual number is lower. Previous
application pools totaled 765 in
1986 and 865 in 1987.
"We were very emphatic about
the number of students who would
be invited for fall enrollment," she
said. "We were also very clear in
stating that the invitations would
be contingent on additional
funding."
Approximately 140 to 150 stu-
dents will receive an initial notice
of their acceptance to the Acade-
my in June, however, Dr. Smith
says official invitations will not be
made until July when the Acade-
my's appropriation is known. The
following is the geographic, ethnic
and grade distribution of the
applicants.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
(By Region)
Chicago
83
North Suburban
125
South Suburban
153
Kankakee
12
Rockford
34
Rock Island
18
La Salle
1
Galesburg
8
Peoria
11
Bloomington
7
GRADE LEVEL DISTRIBUTION
6th 1
7th 7
8th 132
9th 470
Incomplete 26
Champaign
Id
East St. Louis
46
Quincy
5
Effingham
6
Springfield
33
Centralia
7
Carbondale
9
Incomplete
65
ETHNIC DISTRIBUTION
Asian
116
Black
66
Hispanic
12
White
366
Other
2
Unknown
74
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
IMSA Students Take Top Prizes in Science Competition
Two Academy juniors took first
and second place in the INTECH '88
competition, with a total of five stu-
dents making the semi-finals. Rowan
Lockwood (Rockford) placed first
with her entry on "Evidences of Bi-
pedalism in Pterosaurs. Second place
went to Mehmet Guler (Anna) for
his study of "Ionic Interactions in the
Mechanism of the Na+/K+ Pump."
In addition to the $500 awarded
to the first place winner, Rowan
also received the American Nuclear
Society Award of $100, and 8100 as
a semi-finalist. By using applied
physical and engineering principles,
she calculated the energy required
for this reptile to take flight, and the
results strengthened the argument
for bipedalism.
Mehmet received $300 as the sec-
ond place winner and $100 as a
semi-finalist for his project on the
ionic interactions in the mechanism
of the sodium/potassium pump in
cells. His research lends a better un-
derstanding to how disorders in the
pump could cause irregular nerve im-
pulses, commonly known as epilepsy.
His research has also been submit-
ted for the Super Quest project,
where students will be allowed ac-
cess to the ETA Company's super
computer in Minneapolis, Minnesota
to continue their research.
Stephen Blessing (Carterville) and
Kevin Schraith (Eureka) were among
the semi-finalists with their research
into methods of fabricating high-
temperature superconductors.
Gina Martyn (Chicago Ridge) also
placed as a semi-finalist by building
a wind tunnel for her experiments
on the most efficient shapes for air-
plane wings.
INTECH is a science competition
aimed at high school students living
near the Illinois Research and Devel-
opment Corridor. It is co-sponsored
by the Corridor Partnership for Ex-
cellence in Education and Friends of
Fermilab. The INTECH '88 competi-
tion was held at AT&T Bell
Laboratories in Naperville.
Junior Rowan Lockwood (Rockford) with her award-winning project on Bipedalism in the
Pterosaurs.
Mehmet Guler demonstrates his sodium pump project that earned him the Second Place
award in the prestigious INTECH W Science competition.
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
summer of activities and programs is planned by the IMSA Out-
I reach Office. One of the major undertakings is the Summer
Ventures Program, a direct service program to gifted and talented
youth across the state of Illinois. The aim of the program is to serve as
an educational opportunity for talented non-IMSA students through a
three-week residential experience.
The first Summer Ventures in Mathematics, Science and Technology is
scheduled for July 10-29, 1988. The primary purpose of the program ac-
cording to Outreach Coordinator Gail Digate is to provide an accelerated
enriched course of study for students identified by each of the 18 Educa-
tional Service Centers and the 6 Chicago centers. The courses of study
for the incoming ninth and tenth graders will be in mathematics, science
and computer science.
The secondary goal of the program is to field test some of the curricu-
lum developed at IMSA before its packaged for dissemination to schools
across the state of Illinois. "It's an opportunity to test on the non-residen-
tial population what has been developed for the IMSA residential
students."
Faculty and Residential staff for the program include some IMSA faculty
or staff members, but there are also non-IMSA faculty identified through
the Presidential Award recipients, who will be working with approximately
200 students invited to participate.
In addition to the coursework, the students will have field experiences
that will take them into the laboratories and facilities in the High-Tech
Corridor. "They will have an opportunity to see the application of what
they're learning in the courses in the world of scientific research and de-
velopment," says Digate. There will also be field trips to many of the
museums and facilities in Chicago.
Funding for the program is from three sources - Title II money from the
Board of Higher Education, IMSA and a $75 registration fee paid by each
student. There are also in-kind contributions through the Corridor Partner-
ship for Excellence in Education and several corporations and laboratories
in the Corridor participation in Summer Ventures.
At the end of the session the faculty and residential counselors will be
involved in two intensive days of debriefing and evaluation. Coordinators
will be looking for ways to extend and improve the program to develop
two sessions for the summer of 1989. The '89 program would provide one
three week session for entering freshmen and sophomores and one five-
week program for entering juniors and seniors.
State Leadership Conference
Some of the other summer activities by the IMSA Outreach Program in-
clude a leadership conference for leaders of professional organizations
across the state. The Outreach Office is in the process of identifying par-
ticipants and developing the agenda and sponsors. Some of the
organizations targeted for participation include the Illinois Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, The Illinois Council of Teachers
of Mathematics, the Illinois Science Teacher Association, the Illinois Asso-
ciation of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators, and
other educational or professional groups.
The purpose of the first program is to get the leadership involved in
the implementation and evaluation of Outreach Programs with particular
emphasis on minorities recruitment and retention of minorities in math,
science and technology. The program is scheduled for a weekend in early
fall.
Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking in Mathematics
The Outreach Office will be working with over 350 teachers in grades
K-8 and their building principals starting this summer and for the entire
1988-89 school year. A group is being identified for the initial leadership
activities during the summer. The program is through the collaboration of
8
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
IMSA, the National Science Foundation and National College of Education.
Initial training is scheduled for June through August. Follow-up for the
program will be September, 1988 through March, 1989.
Summer Institute in Basic Economics for Elementary
and Secondary Teachers
The first of the summer institute programs starts this year with a focus
on economic literacy and advances in science and technology. To date 45
teachers and administrators have been targeted for the institute pro-
gram. They will be working in teams while in residence at the Academy,
August 1-12. A follow-up of the program will be carried out over the next
year.
Presidential Awards Program
IMSA is a major collaborator in the Presidential Awards for Excellence
in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Plans are underway for a banquet
and seminar for October 21-22, 1988. The annual program recognizes
twelve outstanding teachers and honorable mention recipients. Started in
1983 by the National Science Foundation, it is a way to identify the out-
standing educators and network the teachers together. In Illinois, the
Outreach Office works through the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathe-
matics and the Illinois Science Teachers Association in bringing the current and past award winners to develop mono-
graphs, and brought to IMSA for professional development activities throughout the year. There is currently interest
by several commercial publishers in the work of the Presidential Scholars.
Professional Development Calendar
The process of assembling dates of meetings and seminars across the state for professional organizations is under-
way this summer. The calendar is scheduled for publication during the summer for fall distribution. The calendar
includes all the major and regional mathematics, science and technology seminars, workshops and institutes given by
organizations, universities, Educational Service Centers or the State Board. Schools will be able to refer to one main
calendar for these professional activities.
Saturday Scholars
The Outstanding Lecture Series is one of the many educational opportunities provided by the Corridor Partnership
for Excellence in Education organization and the collaboration of IMSA and Illinois Bell. Talented high school students
in the Corridor area are invited to the series of lectures by professionals from the Corridor community. The program
was piloted at IMSA this past winter and will be extended to a northern and a central site for the 1988 school year.
Afternoon Scholars
Afternoon Scholars is a training project developed by
Aurora University, Corridor Partnership for Excellence in
Education and Waubonsee Community College to provide
hands-on science learning for elementary and high school
students. The two-part program calls for the training of
teachers and piloting of enrichment activities for the
classroom. Once the pilot is completed in December it
will be replicated through the IMSA Outreach Program
across the state of Illinois providing services directly to
school districts.
Proposals
The Outreach Office is also developing several major
proposals. A new proposal submitted to the National Sci-
ence Foundation this year is the "Program Solicitation:
PROGRAMS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE INSTRUC-
TION." The preliminary proposal seeks $3.5 million in
support from NSF to improve the content of science in-
struction in middle school science by developing, testing,
refining and disseminating a model which views the stu-
dent as an apprentice investigator. The proposal would
engender over 540 middle schools over a four year peri-
od. It represents the inter-institutional collaboration of
elementary and secondary schools, colleges and univer-
sities, business, industry, research, major educational
publishers and several professional organizations.
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Perfect Scores
For Music
Students!
Several IMSA musicians have been
making their mark in competitions
during the year. Most recently, seven
IMSA talented students achieved
perfect scores at the Class B compe-
tition at Coal City High School
against 15 other schools in the area.
Another 28 students achieved a Su-
perior rating for their individual or
ensemble efforts.
A perfect score of 40 was awarded
to the following students:
VOCALS
Greg Jun
Christa Puckett
Andrea Stonecipher
Rebecca Arnal and Young Lee - Duet
Jennifer Schwartz and Nancy Young -
Duet
Becky Hansen, Sharon Baker and
Greg Jun - Trio
INSTRUMENTAL
Brian Patterson - Euphonium
Several students scored between
35-40 points for a Superior rating,
including:
INDIVIDUAL
Steve Blessing - Alto Saxophone
Carolyn Choi - Piano
Melissa Clever - Trumpet
Becky Hansen - Vocal
Katie Hashimoto - Flute
Cheryl Heinz - Clarinet
Eleanore Kim - String
Sue Kim - String
James Kingery - Alto Saxophone
Joanna Lin - Timpani
G. Allen Mayer - French Horn
Sona Nadenichek - Flute
Dori Ratajczyk - Clarinet
Alvia Romious - Alto Saxophone
ENSEMBLES
Eleanore Kim, Eugene Huang,
Paul Lee - String
Diana Rios, Andrea Stonecipher,
Kelly Wojcik - Vocal
Greg Jun, Andrea Stonecipher - Vocal
Carrie Jordan, Kelly Wojcik - Vocal
Sona Nadenichek, Katie Hashimoto -
Flute
n.
"Potential for Greatness
The IMSA Art Collection
he Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is the new home for
approximately $100,000 worth of artwork from artists across the
state of Illinois. Through the Illinois Art in Architecture program,
the Academy is eligible to serve as a repository for the artwork. According
to Michael Dunbar, Coordinator of the "Illinois % For Art" program, the
state sets aside a percentage of the construction budget to acquire art-
work for new developments. "The program is in its tenth year," says
Dunbar. "It's designed to support the artists in Illinois and provide an in-
centive for them to continue staying in Illinois and adding to the culture of
the state."
The IMSA Collection is considered a major project among more than
120 projects the program has around Illinois, from cities like Chicago to
new construction in Carbondale. The "Illinois % For Art" program con-
sists of the purchase of existing work, rather than the commissioning of
new work. Legislation requires that the artworks be designated for new
buildings and that they come from Illinois artists.
A fine arts committee appointed by the Illinois Capital Development
Board, went through a specific selection process in acquiring the artwork.
The committee included IMSA Director Dr. Stephanie Marshall who sug-
gested "Potential For Greatness" as the title for the Academy collection.
The committee asked six recognized leaders in the visual arts field to
nominate 18 artists each. The artists were invited to submit slides and
prices of their work for consideration. The committee reviewed each of
the entries and purchased the final selections within the $100,000 budget.
"The interesting thing about the IMSA project," says Dunbar, " is that
when the committee requested the nominations, they stated that the
thrust of the selection would be 'potential for greatness'. He adds that the
nominators were looking for art depicting the theme and for emerging ar-
tists who, in 20 years may be very important in their particular field.
"We are in a starmaker situtation," says Dunbar. "The committee had
an opportunity to provide works by emerging artists that may one day
be invaluable. Some may one day be worth what we paid for the entire
collection. It's an exciting situation to be in."
continued next page
Student visitors view "Art as a Three Ring Circus " by Terrence Karpowicz on display
at IMSA.
10
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
26 Artworks Selected
Many of the artists submitting samples of their work were intrigued
by the concept of "Potential For Greatness" and by the Academy. Artist
Terrence Karpowicz first visited the Academy when he placed his oak
sculpture in the main hallway of the academic area. "I was impressed with
the process of selecting emerging artists from Chicago and across Illinois.
It is interesting to me that the value of the collection will grow as IMSA
also matures and grows."
Commenting on his own accepted work, "Art As A Three Ring Circus",
Karpowicz says, "it was designed with the idea of a nucleus and elec-
trons. There's a statement here about how the nucleus and the electrons
are interdependent and interconnected - it's the same with the school
and the community."
A total of 26 were selected for the "Potential For Greatness" Collection.
In addition to Karpowicz' entry some of the other artpieces and their cre-
ators include:
Mike Bauer, West Chicago "Camel's Gate" (Concrete
Sculpture)
Larry Bernstein, Carbondale "Broderick's Garden" (Oil)
David Bower, Chicago "Habitat for Satin Bowerbird"
(Acrylic on Wood)
Bill Boysen. School of Art "Shard Series: Vessel" (Glass
Southern Illinois University Sculpture)
James Butler, Chicago "Looking West from Albrecht"
(Pastel Drawing)
David Driesbach. DeKalb "A Message For the King" (Four
Panel- Etchings)
Frank Gunter, Champaign "Distraction" (Acrylic)
Martyl, Schaumburg "Islands" (Acrylic)
"Near Abiqui" (Acrylic)
Sandra McMorris Johnson, "Lapsus" (Fiber Sculpture)
Carbondale
Terrence Karpowicz, Chicago "Art as a Three Ring Circus" (White
Oak Sculpture)
Richard Loving, Chicago "Richochet" (Oil)
Edward McCullough, Cissna Park "Crossing #1" (Steel Sculpture)
Didier Nolet, Chicago "Les Grandes Arbres" (Oil)
Will Petersen, Evanston "Cloud Flute Moment" (Lithograph)
Frank Piatek, Chicago "Of Events in the Light Garden:
Eros and Psche - The Golden
Light" (Oil)
Robert L. Paulson, School of Art "El Sol y La Luna" (Oil)
Southern Illinois University
Hollis Sigler, Prairie View "She Still Dreams of Flying"
(Etching)
"There is Healing to Be Done"
(Etching)
Jeanette Pasin Sloan, River Forest "Bassano Stripes" (Lithograph)
Charles Swedlund, Carbondale "Blue Pool" (Dye Print)
Bob Thall, Chicago "Chicago" (Photography)
Steven Waldeck, Spring Grove "Beach House" (Kinetic
LightSculpture)
Building Bridges
to New
Achievements
An IMSA student finished in the
top 15 of the Regional Bridge Build-
ing competition. Dan DeUgarte
(Arlington Heights) placed 15th in
the contest that drew more than 120
students from the Chicago Metro-
politan area, including three other
IMSA students.
The four, which also included Jim
Day, Sue Wu and Brian Patterson,
represented the Academy after suc-
cessfully challenging other students
at the Academy in an in-house com-
petition coordinated by sponsor Pat
LaMaster. "We had a good showing,"
says LaMaster, "considering that this
is the first year our students com-
peted, while the other schools have
been to the contest several times."
Three students from the regional
contest in Chicago qualified for the
nationals.
Sophomore Jim Day (Carrollton) prepares
his bridge for additional weights in the
Regional Bridge Building contest.
The bridgebuilding competition re-
quires students to design a bridge
made of balsa wood. The object is to
design the bridge to span a specified
gap (30 cm) and for the total mass of
the bridge to be less than 15-25
grams. Participants were rated on
efficiency - how much weight the
bridge holds, divided by its weight.
The resulting quotient is then used
to rank the entries and their
designers.
"The rules change from place to
place and from year to year," says
LaMaster, who expects to have an
even better showing next year. But
adds that he is pleased with the ac-
complishments this year competing
with mostly sophomore students.
"We did very well."
;/
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
HONOR ROLL
Math Students
Take A.I.M.E
More than 40 Illinois Mathematics
and Science Academy students quali-
fied to take the American Invitational
Mathematics Exam (AIME). In order
to qualify for an invitation, students
must score over 100 points out of a
possible 150 on the American High
School Mathematics Exam. Approx-
imately one-half of 196 of all students
taking the AHSME each year qualify
for the special recognition.
Additionally, another 23 students
qualified for the Merit Roll by scor-
ing over 90 points. Students on the
Merit Roll are either ninth or tenth
graders who took the AHSME test.
A team score is determined by ad-
ding the top three scorers. For IMSA,
the top three and their scores for
the AHSME are: Steve Collins (Wau-
kegan) 130, Jordan Koss
(Northbrook) 130, and Peter Gast
(Naperville) 123.
The list of Honor Roll and Merit
Roll Students and their hometowns
is as follows:
Math instructor Sue Eddins supervises stu-
dents as they take the American High
School Mathematics Exam at IMSA.
City
Name
Home School
Addison
Stanley Kim
Addison Trail HS
Addison
Mark Smith
Addison Trail HS
Alhambra
Marc Booth
Gillespie Cmty HS
Anna
Mehmet Guler
Anna-Jonesboro Cmty HS
Aurora
Phillip Dunham
Aurora West HS
Aurora
Derek Wolfgram
Aurora West HS
Batavia
David Joerg
Batavia Jr. HS
Batavia
Sue Wu
Batavia Jr. HS
Bloomingdale
Anil Gurnaney
Lake Park HS
Bloomington
Adam Taylor
University HS
Brookfield
James Murdoch
Lyons Township HS
Charleston
Saunders Hsu
Charleston HS
Chicago
Jennifer Krasovec
Bogan HS
Elk Grove Village
Paul Ivsin
James B. Conant HS
Elk Grove Village
Frank Lai
F.Ik Grove US
Elmhurst
Lillian Kao
York Cmty HS
Flora
Ramez Naam
Flora HS
Fowler
Jody Yates
Quincy Sr. HS
Gurnee
Vijay Sukumaran
Woodland School Dist #50
Joliet
Young Lee
Joliet Township West HS
Lake Villa
Dean Bazata
Antioch Cmty HS
Lisle
Samuel Choi
Naperville Central HS
Marion
Todd Groner
Marion HS
Morrison
Andrew Huizenga
Morrison HS
Murphysboro
Katharine Rink
Carbondale Cmty HS
Naperville
Peter Gast
Naperville North HS
Naperville
Michael Peil
Thayer J. Hill Jr. HS
Northbrook
Jordan Koss
Maple Jr. HS
Oak Forest
James Petrie
Oak Forest HS
Palatine
Karen Kiener
William Fremd HS
Peoria
Laura Kozlevcar
Richwoods HS
Peoria
Paul Lee
Washington School
Rock Island
David Reed
Rock Island HS
Rockford
Brian Maier
Thomas Jefferson HS
Rockford
Eric Martell
Jane Addams Jr. HS
Sherman
Jay McDannell
Williamsville HS
South Holland
Michael Rodriguez
Mt. Carmel HS
Sparland
Rick Gimbel
Sparland HS
Springfield
Andrew Oh
Springfield HS
St. Anne
Paul Capriotti
Kankakee Jr. HS
Urbana
Douglas Turnbull
Urbana Jr. HS
Wads worth
Robert Chang
Warren Township HS
Waukegan
Steven Collins
Daniel Webster Jr. HS
Wilmington
Raymond Dames
Wilmington HS
12
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
MERIT ROLL
City
Name
Home School
Carbondale
David Kung
Carbondale Cmty HS
Carterville
Stephen Blessing
Carterville HS
Cary
Nancy Young
Cary-Grove HS
Charleston
Andrew Chen
Charleston HS
Chicago
Marie Reinke
Immaculate Heart of Mary HS
Chicago
Efstathia Saranteas
George Washington HS
Crescent City
John Dexter
Crescent-lroquois HS
Crete
Lori Buetow
Hubbard Trail Jr. HS
Decatur
Jeffrey Dodge
MacArthur HS
DeKalb
Korin Yang
DeKalb HS
Elburn
William Grambley
Kaneland Jr./Sr. HS
Elmhurse
Bowen Chung
York Cmty HS
Eureka
Kevin Schraith
University HS
Geneva
Kevin Narimatsu
Geneva Cmty HS
Hanover Park
Carol Willhelm
Streamwood HS
Harvard
Robert Kuhl
Harvard Cmty HS
Hinsdale
Gabriel Demombynes
Hinsdale Township Central HS
Hinsdale
Scott Pfister
Hinsdale Township Central HS
Joliet
Arthur Huang
Joliet Township West HS
Joliet
John Kwon
Joliet Catholic HS
Mahomet
Sharon Sundy
Mahomet-Seymour HS
Marion
Jeffrey Truitt
Marion HS
Mattoon
Mark Armantrout
Mattoon HS
Metamora
William Grebner
Acad of our Lady/Spalding Inst
Milan
Chris Dunlap
Rockridge HS
Moline
David Franklin
Bettendorf HS
Naperville
Andrew Harrison
Naperville Central HS
Palatine
Theodore Lizak
Palatine HS
Peoria
Erik Rothbaum
Richwoods HS
Poplar Grove
John Ellingson
North Boone HS
Rock Falls
Matthew Maddox
Rock Falls HS
Rockford
David Colclasure
Aurora West HS
Rockford
Rowan Lockwood
Rockford East HS
Schaumburg
Christopher Dargis
St. Viator HS
West Chicago
Amy Courtin
West Chicago Cmty HS
West Dundee
Denise Chatfield
Dundee-Crown HS
Wheaton
Ann Ashenfelder
Wheaton Nurth HS
Math All-Stars
Make Chicago
Team
Three Illinois Mathematics
and Science Academy students
will be able to represent the
area as members of a Chicago
All-Star team. The students,
however, will not be bouncing a
basketball or tossing a football.
Instead, they will be matching
their intellect against other re-
gional teams as members of the
1988 Chicago All-Star Math
Team. The students competed
against 200 other students from
the greater Chicago Metro-
politan area for a place on the
30-member team.
IMSA students making the
team include: Steve Collins
(Waukegan), Jong Ho Kim
(Hoffman Estates), Paul Ivsin
(Elk Grove Village) and Laura
Kozlevcar (Peoria).
More than 30 IMSA students
competed for the All-Star team,
with five other students qualify-
ing as alternates. They are:
Samuel Choi (Lisle), Peter Gast
(Naperville), Ray Jan (Chi-
cago), Jordan Koss
(Northbrook) and Wayming
Wu (Downers Grove).
The Chicago All-Star team
competed against other regional
teams at the American Regions
Math League (ARML) meet at
Duke University on June 4, 1988.
13
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
IMSA Math Team Top Finisher
in Three Leagues
Two Illinois Mathematics and Sci-
ence Academy students are in first
place in the North Suburban Math
league, while the IMSA team finished
in second place. The Academy also
currently ranks ninth nationally in
the Atlantic-Pacific Math League and
second in the Illinois Math League,
in only its second year of competi-
tion in both leagues.
"Illinois has some of the top
mathematics schools in the coun-
try," says one IMSA team coach,
Chuck Hamberg. "So, to do as well
as we have, in just a short period of
time is truly amazing."
After five meets during the course
of the year and with 40 schools
vying in what is considered one of
the toughest leagues in the state and
possibly the country, Steve Collins
(Waukegan) is in first place in the
sophomore category, while Michael
Peil (Naperville) finished first in the
Freshman category. The IMSA team
finished second overall in the North
Suburban Math League which is com-
prised of about 40 schools in the
Chicago Metropolitan area.
In the national Atlantic-Pacific
Math League, IMSA went into the
fifth contest in ninth place, a ranking
that is expected to improve with the
outstanding showing of several stu-
dents, including five who scored
perfect papers. Students turning in
perfect scores included: Steve Col-
lins, Peter Gast (Naperville), Jong
Ho Kim (Hoffman Estates), Jordan
Koss (Northbrook) and Paul Ivsin
(Elk Grove Village). The top five
IMSA students in the Atlantic Pacific
League after five contests are: Peter
Gast, Jordan Koss (Northbrook),
Saunders Hsu (Charleston), Laura
Kozlevcar (Peoria) and Jong Ho
Kim.
IMSA is in second place statewide
with 112 team points after five
rounds of the Illinois Math League
competition. The Academy missed a
three-way tie for first by only one
point behind Evanston and Naper-
ville North each with 113 points. In
addition to Collins, Kim and Gast,
other top scorers in the Illinois Math
League include: Lillian Kao
(Elmhurst), Paul Ivsin, and Way-
ming Wu (Downers Grove).
The IMSA math team and their sponsors surround the many trophies earned in the North
Suburban Math League and the Illinois Math League.
IMSA Chess Team
Wins Second
State Title!
The Illinois Mathematics and Sci-
ence Academy Chess team is once
again the state Class A Champion,
for the second year in a row. Four
of the team's members also quali-
fied for the individual State Chess
Tournament.
The team defended its state title at
the state tournament at Evergreen
Park High School (Chicago). The
team went 6-0 overall defeating Wa-
verly in the first round, then winning
over Georgetown Rich Farms, Quig-
ley North, Stillan Valley, Hales
Franciscan and Rockford Christian
Life.
The tournament caps a winning
season for the team that finished
with a 21-2 record. IMSA lost only
two meets during the season. One
loss went to the team that took sec-
ond place in the state in the Class
AA. The second loss came when
IMSA entered only its junior varsity
players.
John Hoesley and Jason Ribando
dominated their respective boards,
going undefeated in the six round
tournament. Ray Dames and Doug
Turnbull each went 5-1.
The players and their positions at
the tournament were:
1st Board John Hoesley
(Chicago), 6-0
2nd Board Jim Petrie
(Oak Forest), 2-2-2
3rd Board Doug Turnbull
(Urbana), 5-1
4th Board Jason Ribando
(Peoria), 6-0
5th Board Ray Dames
(Wilmington), 5-1
According to coach Krist Enstrom
(Delavan, Wise), the team domi-
nated the tournament, although at
the second board position, Petrie
faced stiff competition. "I think many
of the schools sacrificed the first
board to try to win at the second
board position, so Petrie probably
had the toughest position to play."
Anil Gurnaney (Bloomingdale), Jos-
eph Oh (Hoopeston) and Karl
Koschnitzke (Aurora) were
alternates.
14
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
'Industrial Archaeology' -
Theme for New History Group
A new organization emerged this
year from the social science depart-
ment. Under the direction of
instructor Jerry Balin, the Living
History Interest Group focused on
"industrial archaeology" as a theme
to study the tangible evidence of our
technological and industrial past.
Some of the activities included an
on-site investigation, by bicycle, of
the Fox River industrial and trans-
portation corridor from Aurora to
Elgin. The trip concluded with a visit
to the Relic Trolley Museum.
On another trip to a winter festi-
val, students gained first-hand
experience with early refrigeration
techniques by scoring ice behind a
horsepowered ice cutter and cutting
ice with ice saws at Lake Blackwell.
In March, the group conducted
oral history interviews for their roles
as six railroad workers, circa. 1920 in
their unique presentation of the
"IMSA Time Machine". The presenta-
tion was part of the Grand Opening
of the new Aurora Transportation
Center, formerly the 1855 Burlington
railroad Roundhouse.
The group ended the year with an
on-site visit to existing canal build-
ings and locks, which included an
inspection by canoe of one the can-
als still holding water.
"It's been an exciting year," says
Balin, "in which students have been
able to see connections between
concepts and ideas of history, and
the physical remnants of our techno-
logical past."
An IMSA student cuts the ice, the old-
fashioned way. during a recent trip to Lake
Blackwell as they learned about early re-
frigeration methods.
IMSA students and members of the
Social Science Department are mak-
ing plans for the placement of a
historical marker they developed to
commemorate victims of a major
Chicago disaster. The Illinois Histori-
cal Society unanimously approved
the proposal for a Historical marker
to commemorate the Eastland ferry
disaster of 1915. Society officials say
the unanimous vote is extraordinary
since it has been years that commit-
tee voted completely in favor of any
proposal.
The Social Science Department, un-
der the leadership of Bernard
Hollister and Bill Stepien, began the
academic year studying the disaster
by having students research news ar-
ticles, court testimony, insurance
documents and gravesites. Several
students developed a deeper interest
in the tragedy when they realized
that few people were aware of the
event that cost the lives of 812 peo-
ple. The students and teachers were
then inspired to propose a commem-
orative plaque to be placed at the
site where the Eastland ferry sud-
denly overturned, taking the lives of
most of its passengers, including wo-
men and children.
"The significance is that many
can't believe the greatest tragedy in
the history of Illinois has gone with-
out some commemoration to the
victims," says Hollister. "The unani-
mous vote is exceptional and brings
a good closure to this year of inten-
sive study. We are delighted that
after 73 years, the victims of such an
enormous tragedy may finally be
remembered."
IMSA and the Historical Society
will each cover half of the cost for
manufacture of the marker. The IMSA
students and staff members will now
be working with Chicago city officials
for placement of the marker and to
plan a date for presentation.
Several students researched the
event in more depth through history
projects for the Chicago Metro Histo-
ry Fair. Banita Butcher (Clinton) and
Pninit Varol (Carbondale) developed
a display project based on the trag-
edy. Four other students developed a
video presentation, taking on roles of
survivors of the disaster. Mbuyi Ka-
zadi and Sanza Kazadi (Boling-
brook), Nikki Hughes (Hazel Crest)
and Melissa Clever (Coal Valley)
presented their video at the Chicago
History finals.
Additionally, the faculty and stu-
dents are attempting to contact
survivors or relatives of the Eastland
disaster. Anyone with information
may call (312) 801-6000 and ask for
the Social Science department or the
Communications Office.
IS
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Eighteen Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy students advanced
to the finals of the Chicago Metro History Fair. The students and their pro-
jects competed at the Morton West Regional competition in March.
The projects include three written essays, four display projects and two
performance presentations. "I'm really proud of the advance by the stu-
dents," says coach and instructor Bernard Hollister. "We've had an
increase in the number and types of projects advancing into the finals.
The students and their projects are:
ESSAYS
David Franklin (Moline) "The Woodlawn Health Center: A Micro-
cosm of Public Health Care Policy
1967-1987"
Portia Blume (Utica) "Bryan and the Campaign of 1896"
Paul Capriotti (St. Anne) "The Growth of Chicago Through Its
Maritime Trade"
DISPLAYS
Robert Larson "The Carson Pirie Scott Building"
(South Holland)
Andrea Christman "The Day It Rained Hell In Chicago: The
(Crystal Lake) Crash of the Wingfoot Air Express
(July 7, 1919)"
Joanna Lin "Carson Pirie Scott: Evolution of a Chain
(Glendale Heights) Store 1854-1980"
Cheryl Heinz (Westchester) "Circus Wreck Ends at Showman's Rest"
Steve Blessing (Carterville) "The Chicago Connection: The Illinois
Central Railroad and Its Effect on
Population"
Phil Kim (Hoffman Estates) & "Labor Movement at Waldheim
Rajan Lukose (Forest Park) Cemetery"
PERFORMANCE
Sanza Kazadi (Naperville) "The Eastland Disaster" (Videotape)
Mbuyi Kazadi (Naperville)
Missy Clever (Coal Valley)
Nikki Hughes (Hazel Crest)
Tom McHugh (Oak Lawn) "Ghosts in Graceland: Boxer,
Chad Wohlrab (Kevvanee) Industrialist, Entrepreneur"
Harlan Stallings
(East St. Louis)
Pat Forman (MerrionettePark)
Rajan Lukose (Forest Park) explored the history of labor leaders and radicals buried at
Waldheim Cemetery in his award-winning history project.
16
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
IMSA Future Problem Solvers Go To State
Three IMSA teams went to the
>tate finals for the Future Problem
solving Bowl. The teams consisting
af a total of 14 students, led by social
science instructor Bernard Hollister,
oarticipated in either written or the
Dral presentations at local and re-
gional levels on their way to the
iinals.
The Future Problem Solving Bowl
presents students with issues of con-
cern or potential concern to the
future of mankind. Students use the
written or oral format to present
possible solutions. A total time of
one hour is given to students to
make oral presentations and two
hours are allotted for written essays.
Participants are given a general re-
search topic prior to competition
with the issue or problem presented
at the time of the Bowl. The topic for
the regional competition was "chang-
ing family relations." The stated
problem for the written essay was -
"The changing family structure with-
in the community in the year 2020."
The first place team decided that
at the heart of the problem was a
loss of identity within a community.
To increase self-awareness they pro-
posed the erection of an art mural
wherein individuals of a given com-
munity could express themselves.
Placing first in the written essay
were: Kris Gerhard (Freeburg), Kelly
Cahill (Aurora), Erin Roche (Elgin),
Chris Bullinger and Nick Bullinger
(Sleepy Hollow).
The same team placed third in the
Oral competition with their portrayal
of Cinderella to show how harmony
can come to a family with different
backgrounds. The students brought
the characters together in an art mu-
ral and ended up going to the ball
together.
Members of the IMSA team placing
second were: David Kung (Carbon-
dale), Phillip Dunham and Richard
Dunham (Aurora), Steve Moore
(Bloomington) and Doug Tumbull
(Springfield).
Members of the fourth place team
at the regionals were: Mitch Gordon
(Peoria), Karen Kiener (Palatine),
Lisa Green (Bolingbrook) and David
Franklin (Moline).
The students researched and pre-
pared the topic of the ozone layer
for the state finals. May 13th and
14th at Illinois State University in
Bloomington.
Other teams in the orals competi-
tion and their placings were:
FOURTH PLACE
Portia Blume, Utica
Sophia Davenport, Macomb
Andy Chen, Charleston
Amy Downey, Ohio
Sarah Yates, Dekalb
FIFTH PLACE
Robert Chang, Wadsworth
Johnee Kwon, Joliet
Stanley Kim, Addison
Maggie Taylor, Peoria
SIXTH PLACE
Chris Caruso, E. Peoria
Paul Capriotti, St. Anne
Shirley Ho, Peoria
T.J. Harrington, Monee
Dawn VanDekreke, Joliet
Scholastic Team First
in State and Nation!
The Scholastic Bowl Team finished
first in the state in the Knowledge
Master Open in April competing
against 78 Illinois teams. The IMSA
team of 20 students also placed first
in the nation for schools of its size.
The students scored 1668 points out
of a possible 2000.
The team topped 278 schools in
the same size category for first place
and earned a fifth place finish overall
against 1350 teams participating. The
impressive finish qualifies the team
for entry into other national invita-
tionals including one at Lake Forest
at the end of May and one in Orlan-
do June 10-14.
The national victories cap an im-
pressive year for the team which
earlier earned three first-place Bowl
trophies. A team of sophomore stu-
dents competed against 34 high
school teams from across the state
meeting at St. Bede Academy earlier
in the year. Team coach, Ellen Bum-
ba (Amboy) expected her team to do
well, but was pleasantly surprised at
the results. "This was our first year
in competitions," she said. "Because
of the youth of the team and not
having any experienced seniors, the
students had to put in extra time re-
searching and doing a lot of good
hard work on most nights and week-
ends to succeed."
The team proved its solidity and
commitment at an earlier meet in
Bradley-Bourbonnais, as most of the
juniors were unable to compete. "All
of our junior team members had
stayed to take their SAT exams," stat-
ed Bumba, "so, we really didn't
expect as good a showing as we had
in past competitions. We were up
against some tough competition."
The team took the first place trophy
against 31 schools competing.
Earlier this year, the team
brought home the first place trophy
from a competition at Maine East
High School and also placed first in
the state in the National Knowledge
Bowl competition against 54 Illinois
schools.
Junior members of the team in-
clude: Team Captain - Portia Blume
(Utica), Alternate Captain - Steve
Scott (East Peoria), Mark Annan-
trout (Mattoon), Steve Blessing
(Carterville), Brian Butler (Ingle-
side), Lori Buetow (Crete), Dave
Franklin (Moline), Jill Mitchell
(DeKalb), Krista Rakers (Aledo),
Badri Rengarajan (South Bar-
rington) and Anthony Stuckey
(Montrose).
The sophomore team members
are: Team Captain - David Lockhart
(Quincy), Jay Brieler (Lane), Anil
Gumaney (Bloomingdale), Jong Ho
Kim (Hoffman Estates), Michelle
Markey (Dallas City), Jennifer
Rawlings (Bridgeview), Sendhil Re-
vuluri (Palatine), Lucinda Roberts
(Liberty), and Anant Setlur
(Naperville).
17
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
In-Step With
the IMSA
Dance Corps
group of IMSA dancers and
dance "devotees" has co-
alesced as the IMSA Dance
Corps. The energetic tappers have
popped up on campus with im-
promptu performances as well as in
formal presentations.
The Corps is a spin-off of the
dance group that met under the di-
rection of artist-in-residence Julie
Salk last fall, which was sponsored
by an Illinois Arts Council grant.
Salk introduced the idea that dance
can be a part of the interdisciplin-
ary effort. The grant for the theme
"Equinox to Solstice was only for
the fall, but the initial surge of in-
terest gained momentum to form
the present organization. Salk was
assisted by Resident Counselor Ter-
ry Slaney, who is now the group's
sponsor.
"I've really enjoyed working with
the students," says Slaney. "They
have a lot of technical talent and a
lot of motivation and willingness to
learn."
Most recently, they participated
in a special workshop by the Jos-
eph Holmes Dance Company in
April. Under a special grant by CBS,
the Chicago-based company ex-
panded its role to develop an
outreach dance program. The spe-
cial funds coupled with the
company's desire to work with
youth brought the illustrious troupe
and their artistic director Randy
Duncan, to IMSA prior to a perfor-
mance at the Paramount Arts
Theatre in Aurora.
"It was really a unique experi-
ence for our students to talk to
and learn from this nationally rek-
nowned company," says Slaney.
"We were very fortunate to bring
the dancers here and we expect to
develop more of this kind of expe-
rience for next year."
IMSA Dance Corps tapped their way into the heart of Aurorans on hand for the "Arms
Across Aurora " charih' fundraiser.
The IMSA students consider
themselves devotees of all dance
and are interested in developing a
broader understanding of styles
and dancers. Their interest has led
them to performances by the Na-
tional Ballet of Canada at Fermilab
and to Dekalb's Egyptian Theater
for a performance by the Margaret
Jenkins Modern Dance Company.
In addition to their activities and
performances, the group's future
goals include the challenge of learn-
ing more about the body's make-up
and how it moves. They will also be
studying more about kinesiology
and working to broaden their range
of movement and movement
vocabulary.
Student Makes All USA Team
An IMSA junior is a member of one
of the top three teams of aca-
demically talented students chosen
from across the nation as members
of the 1988 All USA Academic Team.
David Joerg (Batavia) was selected
for the Second Team honor in the
contest sponsored by USA Today
newspaper. The three teams repre-
sent the top 60 students in the
country nominated for the honor,
with another 88 students named in
the Honorable Mention category.
Joerg was selected for his 3.9
grade point average and for having
co-authored, produced and directed
the musical comedy "Omelet" pre-
sented at IMSA in February.
According to an article naming the
winners, students are selected pri-
marily on achievements beyond the
classroom. Grades count for about Id
percent of the score with another 10
percent based on the rigor of the
curriculum. Extracurricular activities
count for 20 percent, but the type
makes a difference with points given |
for leadership.
Nomination forms are sent every
January to the principal of every USA
High School. The nominations are
then screened by a panel of 10
judges. After the selection of the top
20 finalists, judges use the same cri-
teria to determine the top three
teams and the students for Honor-
able Mention recognition.
18
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Student Attends Presidential Classroom Conference
IMSA student Badri Rengarajan
(Barrington) was one of more than
400 students from across the country
attending the Presidential Classroom,
conference for students to learn
tabout the U.S. Government and the
roles of political leaders.
Students may attend any of about
ja dozen seminars during their stay in
the nation's capitol. The seminars
are presented by government offi-
cials and leaders such as the Chief
,Staff Officer of the Army or various
departmental leaders and legislators,
as well as an opportunity to hear
from newspaper editors or journal-
ists. During this particular week in
March, some students even had con-
tact with demonstrators protesting
aid to the Contra rebels in
i Nicaragua. "We did get to see more
than just the public relations side of
Washington," says Badri. "I got to
talk to people who took a strong
stand on one particular issue."
Scheduled seminars included
such topics as - The Reagan Presi-
dency," "U.S. Foreign Policy
Initiatives," and "National Defense
Strategies." Some of the most inter-
esting sessions, according to Badri,
were the "Cross-fire" sessions in
which groups of about 20 students
discuss issues of international or na-
tional importance. "One of the issues
disussed on a domestic level was
'Should the press be able to publi-
cize everything?'. Those debates can
get very interesting because we hear
1 from both sides," says Badri. "Gov-
ernment officials argued that certain
items should be sensitive." Accord-
ing to Badri, students also have a lot
of contact with the professional ad-
visors who lead the discussions
allowing them to further explore
some of the issues. Another session
involved the issue of relations with
the Soviet Union and the Intermedi-
ate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
An experience that is new for most
of the students at the conference is
that of living with peers and talking
to them at breakfast, lunch, dinner,
and bedtime. For Badri sharing a
room with classmates is familiar ter-
ritory except that this time he was
sharing with three other students,
one from Virginia, one from a military
school in New York and one student
from Puerto Rico. "We talked from
six in the morning to midnight. We
learned a lot from each other."
Badri believes his academic experi-
ence at IMSA helped him to get the
most of of the Presidential Class-
room program. "I was worried that I
might not be able to do as well as
other students who I thought would
have a strong humanities back-
ground," says Badri. "But I found
that even though I am a math and
science student, I took a lot of what
I learned at IMSA in the social sci-
ence classes, with me - the way to
speak, the way to debate, the way
to read something and interpret the
different perspectives."
In summing up the value of the
Presidential Classroom experience,
Badri says his own awareness and
understanding of the different politi-
cal attitudes and issues increased. "I
learned more there in that one
week than I would have in a course
on government."
Junior Badri Rengarajan and students from other states learned as much from each other
as they did from speakers at the Presidential Classroom Conference. Students visited with
their respective legislative leaders while in the nation 's capital.
19
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Debate Team -
A Stated Success!
A group of 12 students formed
a new school organization this
year as members of the IMSA De-
bate team. The season record of
10 wins and only 5 losses is a
tribute to the students efforts, in-
terest and hard work, says team
coach Angela Chiles.
The students participated in
five tournaments, with three of
the teams going on to sectionals.
Sophomore Rajan Lukose (For-
est Park) took the Best Speaker
award at the Illinois State Uni-
versity Tournament, as well as
Second Place at the Augustana
Tournament. Two other students
also took individual honors at
the Augustana Tournament.
Keith Burgard (Bradley) placed
third and Gina Martyn (Chicago
Ridge) placed ninth.
Five students went on to sec-
tionals, including: Chris Caruso
(East Peoria), Todd Groner
(Marion), Chris Hage (Dixon),
Rajan Lukose and Maggie Taylor
(Peoria). The students debated
on whether the U.S. should
adopt a policy to increase stabil-
ity in Latin America.
Other members of the debate
team include:
Portia Blume (Utica)
Robert Chang (Wadsworth)
Geeta Gumaney
(Bloomingdale)
Aerin Hyun (Orland Park)
Adam Taylor (Bloomington)
First Gala
A Success
The First Annual IMSA Fund Gala
attracted over 400 guests and raised
over $23,000. The Gala is the first
dinner dance fundraising event
aimed at supporting the Academy's
program through the IMSA Fund For
Advancement of Education.
The evening of fun, dancing,
candlelight and prizes included en-
tertainment by the Brian Patti
Orchestra, dinner, and a silent auc-
tion. Dinner music was provided by
members of the IMSA String Ense-
mble who strolled around tables for
some of the musical selections. Gov-
ernor James Thompson served as
Honorary Chairman for the Gala.
All proceeds from the $60 per
plate dinner went to the IMSA Fund
for Advancement of Education which
supports the Academy's program
and statewide programs for Illinois'
brightest minds through the IMSA
Outreach program.
Silver and blue balloons lend to the festive
mood during the first annual IMSA Fund
Gala
IMSA Director, Dr. Stephanie
Pace Marshall, published an article >'
in "The Gifted Child Today" maga-
zine. The article entitled "Investment^
in the Future: The Illinois Mathema
tics and Science Academy" ran in thel*
March/April 1988 issue of the
magazine.
Eight IMSA junior students pre- II
sented mathematical discussions to ji
participants of the Illinois Section
Mathematical Association of Ameri- j
ca, 1988 Meeting. The session by the]
students - "Are these the Polyas of
the Future?" - was one of several
during the three-day meeting at
Bradley University in Peoria. Under
the guidance of math instructor
Chuck Hamberg, the presenters and
their topics were:
Solving The
"Typewriter
Problem" (from
the AIME Exam)
Generating Pat-
terns Using The
3-4-5 Pythag-
orean Triple
Two Proofs of
Stewart's Theo-
rem
Finding Integer
Solutions for a
Rational Func-
tion
Using Trigo-
nometric
Relationships To
Derive The Area
Formula of Heron
Mathematics of
the Lazy Man:
Using Ideas of
Limits
Small Problem +
Extension = Con-
test
Using Number
Theory Ideas in
Problem-Solving
Peter Gast
(Naperville)
Amy Courtin
(West Chicago)
Sam Choi
(Lisle)
Laura Kozlevcar
(Peoria)
Jordan Koss
(Northbrook)
Paul Ivsin
(Elk Grove
Village)
Lillian Kao
(Elmhurst)
Steven Collins
(Waukegan)
20
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
TRAILBLAZERS
Jean Kaminski, mathematics in-
structor, challenged her geometry
Classes to design bridges using
itraws, pins and a specified size of
josterboard. The winning bridge
vould be decided by the amount of
veight it would hold. While many of
he bridges were able to hold as
nuch as 2 grams of weight, two stu-
lents outdistanced everyone with a
)ridge that withstood 4.6 grams,
iophomores Chad Wohlrab and Har-
an Stallings designed the winning
structure.
Two IMSA students received the
"American Legion School Award".
Amy Courtin (West Chicago) and
Steve Moore (Bloomington) were se-
lected from among several students
vying for the honor. The award is giv-
en to high school students who live
up to and possess high ideals of
courage, honor, leadership, patrio-
tism, scholarship and service to the
community, state and nation. The cri-
teria for the award is seen as
necessary for the preservation and
protection of the fundamental institu-
tions of our society.
Gina Martyn (Chicago Ridge) and Katy Hashimoto (Peoria) place weights on their straw
bridge for their geometry class project.
An Illinois Mathematics and Sci-
ence Academy student will be one of
two students to represent Illinois at
the Colonial Dames Constitutional
Essay finals in Washington, D.C. Eric
Wang, a sophomore IMSA student
from Hanover Park made the final
cut from among 4,000 students com-
peting for the all-expenses paid trip
to the nation's capital.
Wang is one of more than 30 stu-
dents selected nationally for the
finals competition that includes a
one-week extensive seminar on
Congress. "This is a most unusual
accomplishment," says Wang's IMSA
coach Bernard Hollister. "I think it
reflects on the strength of the hu-
manities program at the Academy as
a complement to the strong math
and science curriculum."
Wang will be making the trip to
Washington in June.
Dr. Neil Clark, English instructor,
has been awarded a National Endow-
ment of Humanities Fellowship to
study in Florence, Italy. The NEH
Summer Seminar for Secondary
School Teachers will focus on "Gal-
ileo: Religion and Science" led by
Professor William Carroll, Cornell
College. Dr. Clark will leave for Flo-
rence on July 5 and return August
9th. He will prepare for a course to
be offered at IMSA next year.
In the meantime, Dr. Clark is finish-
ing work with his students as they
study dramatic forms. He obtained a
copy of an episode script for the TV
program "Frank's Place" before it ac-
tually aired on CBS. Students have
been studying the Elizabethan form
of drama and Greek tragedy in prepa-
ration for study of modern forms. By
reading a script prior to airing, stu-
dents are able to discuss formal
differences and later test the thesis
that the particular show is a form of
a short story rather than a situation
comedy.
continued on page 22
21
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Dr. Ron Pine, Biology instructor,
had an article published on the
Black- Shouldered Opossum, Cal-
uromysiops irrupta, in the
Fieldiana: Zoology, new series, num-
ber 39. It appeared in the festshrift
"Studies in Neotropical Mammology:
Essays in Honor of Philip Her-
schkovitz." He co-authored the
article with Dr. Robert J. Izor. The re-
search was aimed at making some
physical distinctions between this
particular species and three other
species of Caluromys. The article
concludes that the species has often
been erroneously or incompletely
characterized in scientific literature.
Dr. Pine is a Research Associate in
the division of mammals at the Chi-
cago Field Museum. He is also a
Field Collaborator and Former Asso-
ciate Curator of Mammals at the
Smithsonian Institute.
Two IMSA teachers and five stu-
dents participated in Globalfest '88,
a festival for students and teacher of
foreign languages and social studies.
Jerry Balin, social science instructor,
and Sandra Bodini, Spanish instruc-
tor accompanied Anne Allen
(Minooka), Debbie Finfrock (Alta-
mont), Nikki Hughes (Hazel Crest),
Supranee Nopachai (Centralia) and
Harlan Stallings (East St. Louis) to
the festival. Over 1500 students at-
tended the festival held at University
High School at Normal, Illinois. The
students participated in activities
that included language immersion
rooms, an international academic
bowl, and skits and dances with an
international flavor.
Scott Pfister (Hinsdale), an IMSA
junior, will be attending a special
summer program at Oxford Univer-
sity, England. Scott will be taking a
concentrated course on Shakespeare.
It was "un bon jour" recently at
IMSA, as some 21 students from
Beauvais, France visited with their
American peers. The students vis-
ited classes, dined on hot dogs and
hamburgers and ended the day with
an Ice Cream and Cookie Party. They
were sent on their way with a sing-
a-long by IMSA's students of French
who entertained the visitors with
several popular American songs.
Several IMSA students served in
principal music positions for the Fox
Valley Festival in April. Over 600 stu-
dents from Chicago area high
schools participated in the festival.
Approximately 300 boys formed the
choir, with another 200 students
playing in the band. About 150 stu-
dents played in the orchestra. IMSA
students serving in principal posi-
tions in the string section were:
Sue Kim (Lindenhurst) - Concert
Mistress
Eugene Huang (Bourbonnais) - Prin-
cipal 2nd Violin
Paul Lee (Peoria) - Principal
Violinist
Steve Scott (East Peoria) - Choral
Accompanist
Chemistry instructor, Mary Van-
Verst was one of three speakers for a
meeting of chemistry teachers spon-
sored by the American Chemical
Society. The meeting at Buffalo
Grove High School focused on the
state of laboratory experiments in
the chemistry curriculum. Vanverst
gave a presentation of experimental
procedures and policies at IMSA.
Michael Sloan, physics instructor
and author of several computer
user's guides, has now set-up a Bul-
letin Board System (BBS) for on-line
assistance. Now readers of his user's
guide to Microsoft Works can upload
and download messages and files,
following exercises in his book. One
of the features of the Illinois-based
BBS is the public message section
where users can leave questions and
get answers on Works. Working With
Works operates 24 hours a day,
seven days a week and is free. The
number is (312) 260-9660.
Physics and computer instructor Michael Sloan has set up his own bulletin board system
For computer assistance.
22
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
TR/
*°°A
Sue Eddins, mathematics instruc-
tor, is President-Elect of the Metro
Math Club, the first charter affiliate
of the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics (NCTM). Sue will
oversee the program developments
for the 1988-89 activity year. The
Metro Math Club observes its 75th
anniversary this year!
She is also among other educators
who will form an Illinois delegation
to Japan in the fall. The delegation
will be sharing information about
teaching techniques in the U.S., while
gathering information about Japa-
nese math teaching techniques.
Eddins and the other teachers will
spend two weeks visiting Japan.
An Academy sophomore is a na-
tional winner in the 1988 National
French contest. Kim Dilley (Roscoe)
placed fifth nationally in the 53rd
Annual National French Contest.
Kim placed in the top one percent
nationally against more than 80,000
students nationwide and abroad who
competed in the exam. Regionally
she placed 5th, and in fourth place in
the Chicago Region Chapter. Kim and
the other winning students were hon-
ored at an awards ceremony at
Maine East Township High School on
May 21st.
Bernard Hollister, social science
instructor, has been accepted to the
Harvard University-NEH Summer In-
stitute on Russian/Soviet History
and Culture. Teachers for the pro-
gram are selected by
recommendation and on the basis of
submitted essays. Participants in the
Institute are encouraged to give pre-
sentations at any of the meetings
scheduled during the session.
TRAILBLAZERS . . .
TOP OF THE CLASS -
Alan Schriesheim (right), director of
Argonne National Laboratory, congratulates
students from the Illinois Math and Science
Academy, who finished fourth in the sec-
ond annual Argonne Science Bowl Team
members are (standing) faculty advisor
Chris Kawa, Stephen Blessing, Bill Gram-
bley, Tony Stuckey, (seated) Badrinath
Rengarajan and Mehmet L. Giiler. Teams
from 30 Chicago-area high schools com-
peted in the April 23 event. Argonne
National Laboratory photo.
Chemistry instructor Chris Kawa
was one of nine Outstanding High
School Science Teachers honored by
Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois.
Kawa, an alumni of Knox, and the
other honorees were nominated by
students and teachers for excellence
in teaching and commitment to
learning. The convocation held ear-
lier this year was in conjunction with
the college's 150th anniversary.
IMSA physics instructor Pat
LaMaster and physicists from Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory
served as presenters for a seminar
on "Contemporary Physics at Fer-
milab" at the Florida Institute of
Technology. The seminars for high
school physics and chemistry teach-
ers was sponsored by the American
Association of Physics Teachers
(AAPT), Physics Department of Flori-
da Institute of Technology, Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory,
Friends of Fermilab and the Space
Coast Science Center.
LaMaster presented labs and dem-
onstrations based on his training at
Fermilab under an AAPT grant from
the National Science Foundation. He
was one of two teachers to receive
the special training and selected for
the conference held in May.
continued on back page
23
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
AZERS
Jerome Balin, social science in-
structor, has been awarded two
summer fellowships. Balin will be
touring Indonesia and Singapore in
June-July as a Fulbright Fellow. The
seminar will include on-site explora-
tions of museums, factories, and
schools, with an emphasis on the
history, language and ethnic diversity
of each country.
In August, Balin will be working
with Jessie Ball duPont Religious,
Charitable and Educational Founda-
tion as a Stratford Fellow. Mr. Balin
will use Stratford Hall Plantation and
the surrounding areas of Virginia as a
resource to develop educational ma-
terials for teachers.
IMSA junior student, Kevin Munoz
(Moline) is one of 22 Illinois stu-
dents selected as young
Ambassadors to the Soviet Union.
More than 900 American students
were selected as part of the "Initia-
tive for Understanding: American
Soviet Ambassador Exchange." The
"People to People" organization so-
licited recommendations from
government employees. Recom-
•J
■> 11
iiuuHOismcA
rfij
jf YOUTH
1 AND (
1 GOVERNMENT |
IMSA junior Jeff Truitt (Carbondale) takes
the podium at the Youth in Government
meeting in Springfield. Jeff also took the
top position as President of Senate.
mended students were invited to
apply for a place in the exchange, by
submitting essays. The candidates
were then interviewed by a panel of
three judges to form the final nation-
al group. The students will be
meeting with Governor Jim
Thompson and later the national
group will meet with President
Ronald Reagan at the White House.
The students will meet with their
Soviet counterparts July 3 through
July 30. They will discuss issues of
mutual concern and each will submit
the result of their "summit" meeting
to American and Soviet leadership.
Chicago Students Visit IMSA
More than 900 elementary school
students from the city of Chicago got
a first-hand look at the state's only
residential high school for the gifted
when students from 9 Chicago public
schools visited the Illinois Mathema-
tics and Science Academy on
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday,
June 1-3.
According to Carol Jamieson
Brown, IMSA Admissions Counselor
for Chicago, the visit was one of the
largest from one region in the two-
year history of the school. "Our ef-
forts in Chicago are geared toward
increasing awareness of IMSA as an
option or alternative for gifted stu-
dents," says Brown. "Chicago offers
a variety of educational oppor-
tunities for these talented students,
and we want them to know what
IMSA can offer.
"Project School Visit", as the pro-
gram is called, is part of IMSA's
efforts to expand its recruitment in
Chicago. During the 1988-89 aca-
demic year, other schools within
Chicago and collar suburbs will be
invited to participate in "Project
School Visit." The efforts will be co-
ordinated from the new Chicago
Admissions Office located at 322
S. Green St.
The student toured the IMSA facili-
ty and heard from faculty and
students about the Academy.
J
More than 30 IMSA students in
Springfield, Illinois got down to the
"nuts and bolts" of state governmei
in March. Students who had pre-
pared all year as lobbyists were
buttonholing student legislators to
convince them of the merits of up-
coming legislation. Student attorney
put the final touches on their Su
preme Court presentations or refine
their opinions for cases they had
tried as judges. And IMSA legislator
raced from committee meetings to
the House or Senate floor to join de
bate and cast their votes on
upcoming legislation.
The 39th Youth Legislature and
14th Model Court, sponsored by the
YMCA in Illinois and the Aurora
YMCA for IMSA students saw legisla
tion from the Academy passed by
the student legislature and spirited
courtroom presentations by IMSA at,
torney teams. Special recognition
must be given to Jeff Truitt and the
IMSA delegation who worked so han
for his candidacy as President of the
Youth and Government Senate. Jeff
won a close election for the position
and served admirably as the chief of
ficer of the Senate during the entire
week-end. A complete list of IMSA
students participating in this year's
Youth and Government program is
attached.
Visiting Chicago students pictured through
concrete sculpture at entrance to IMSA;
IMSA dormitories in the background.
The schools visiting in June were:
Alexander Graham Bell Annie Keller
Luther Burbank A. N. Pritzker
Thomas Edison Inter-American Magnet
Ted Lenert Regional William H. Ray
Gifted Center Albert Sabin
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11