Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section may contain original research or unattributed claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the talk page for details.

This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page.

The Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS) is a two-year residential early college entrance program serving approximately 380 students at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. It is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology.

Each year TAMS admits approximately 200 new students following their 10th grade year of high school. These students are entered into full-time college studies and proceed to earn two years of college credit that is transferable in some situations while at the same time earning a high school diploma. Typical TAMS students receive both a high school diploma and more than 60 college credits, allowing them to enter university with enough credit to qualify as a junior.

Contents 1 Academics 1.1 Tuition and fees 1.2 Scholarships and awards 1.3 Research 2 Student life 2.1 Clubs and Organizations 2.2 McConnell Hall 2.2.1 Mac Café 2.3 Defense of the Ancients 3 Disciplinary system 4 Pranks and Other Things 5 Notable Alumni 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Academics

Core subjects required for graduation with a TAMS diploma are Biology, Chemistry, Physics (mechanics and electromagnetism), mathematics (including at least Precalculus through Calculus II), English literature, American history, and Political Science.

In addition, a seminar course must be attended regularly. The seminar includes presentations by speakers, covering topics such as research opportunities and etiquette.

All core courses must be taken at TAMS/UNT during the Fall and Spring semesters. All courses, including electives, must be taken in standard format — that is, none can be taken on-line or by correspondence. The minimum cumulative GPA required for graduation is 3.0. Students who fail to keep up their grades are disallowed from returning to the Academy the following semester. 15 students were dismissed at the end of Fall 2006.

The number of elective courses that a student may take in a given semester is dependent upon his or her GPA.

[edit] Tuition and fees

TAMS students are responsible for paying for room and board in McConnell Hall and a TAMS "program charge" (which amounted to $1,300 during the 2005-2006 academic year). Tuition and all other fees are paid for by the TAMS program. Textbooks are lent to the student for free for the duration of the relevant course. In earlier years the program was free of charge.

[edit] Scholarships and awards

Approximately 93% of TAMS graduates have pursued careers in mathematics and science. Many of the recent graduates are still in school. The total amount of scholarship money offered to TAMS graduates annually is generally eight to nine million dollars, two to three million of which is accepted.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Research

Students at TAMS are encouraged to take the opportunity of conducting research under the guidance of a professor either on or off-campus during the school year as well as the summer. The TAMS Summer Research Scholarship is offered to about 60 students per year to fund these research pursuits. In the past, amounts up to $4000 have been granted, though due to recent budget cuts the scholarship for the '05-'06 summer was reduced to $3000. Many students dedicate a great deal of time into their research and are recognised for their effort through professors granting the student authorship of papers published in journals or through awards at competitions such as Siemens Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition and the Intel Science Talent Search Competition. A number of students also compete for the highly prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

[edit] Student life

TAMS students actively participate in the UNT community through activities such as community service projects and tutoring.

[edit] Clubs and Organizations

TAMS has a very active community, with numerous clubs ranging from Mu Alpha Theta to Academy Players (theatre). There are also many community service activities available in which students can participate.

A few examples of the clubs at TAMS include:

• Ambassadors
• TFLA (TAMS Forensics and Leadership Assoc.)
• Mu Alpha Theta (Math Club)
• FACES
• Dull Roar
• TAMS Medical Society
• JETS (Eengineering Club)
• MOE (Masters of Entertainment)
• TAMS Research Organization (RO)
• Student Council
• McConnell Hall Association (MHA)

A full list of the clubs at TAMS may be found at the TAMS Student Life Page.

In addition to these TAMS clubs, the McConnell Hall Association functions as a part of the UNT Residential Hall Association. Also, one student is voted to represent TAMS in the UNT Student Government Association each year.

[edit] McConnell Hall

All TAMS students live in McConnell Hall. The hall consists of three floors, separated by gender.

The hall is furnished with two common rooms (the Smitty Study and Mac Café), a kitchenette, and multiple meeting rooms (Conference Room, Bewley, TV Room, Student Activities Center).

The Smitty Study serves as a public recreation room. It features ping-pong, pool and foosball which can be played in non-quiet hours. It is also a popular place for students to study.

[edit] Mac Café

The Mac Café is one of the common rooms in McConnell, housing various club functions as well as serving as a hangout and study area. The room houses a culture in and of itself built by the students who spend a majority of time there. These students have adopted the name "Mac rats."

Over the years Mac Cafe has undergone several renovations. Before the start of the 2004-2005 school year, Mac Cafe was refitted with blue carpet replacing the old green. Of recent concern to the Mac rats is the replacement of Mac couches. Before the 2006-2007 school year started, the large comfortable, yet ugly couches were replaced with uncomfortable yet more stylish couches from a nearby dorm.

[edit] Defense of the Ancients

In recent years, a subculture has emerged at TAMS centered around the popular Warcraft 3 custom map, DotA Allstars. An estimate of 20 students participate in this game nightly, though more students play on a less regular basis. This has caused development of game-related mannerisms such as "gg", "pwnt", and "wonta", and humor (the Basshunter hit "Vi sitter i Ventrilo och spelar DotA") to propogate throughout the TAMS community. In the competitive arena of DotA, TAMS has fielded teams in the DotA division of the Cyberathlete Amateur League as well as the Cyberathlete Professional League Winter Finals of 2006, where they placed 5th behind top teams such as x6 and Verge.

[edit] Disciplinary system

TAMS administration has a system of discipline and an organization (the Judicial Board or "J-Board) to dispute common and minor issues with the system. Many rules, including a curfew, are imposed to protect the students. Some areas of Denton and Dallas are restricted at night, while others are completely off-limits at any time.

Students often complain about the TAMS administration's power. For example, it is speculated that there exist loopholes in TAMS policies which would give any resident assistant the power to throw a student out of TAMS. This is countermanded, however, by an extensive system of checks and balances built into the disciplinary policy of both the housing system and the TAMS program. It also should be noted that Resident Assistants, Hall Directors, and Desk Clerks are not technically classified as administration in the UNT system, they are instead "staff" members with limited authority assigned to their position.

The TAMS staff administers documentations, each worth a varying amount of "points." The points go on record and are accumulated by the student over his or her career at TAMS. Violations such as quiet hour disturbance are not given any leniency, but three documentations for the same offense must be recorded in thirty days before any actual points are accumulated. More serious violations, however, such as the use of illegal or restricted substances are strictly enforced due to the high standard that TAMS students are expected to uphold.

[edit] Pranks and Other Things

In the past, an ongoing tradition at TAMS was for the senior class each year to burn the sign in front of McConnell Hall, the dormitory housing the TAMS students. Each time this occurred the sign was replaced by the TAMS or UNT administration, but several times the new sign was misspelled or mislabeled.

Stealing the sign, although certainly illegal, is a relatively tame prank. Since the Academy was founded, the rule book has continuously grown, as each new class discovered new diversions that met with the disapproval of the administration and were subsequently forbidden. Additionally, illegal pranks also seem to have declined greatly. Early years saw numerous visits from the FBI and the Secret Service due to various technological shenanigans as TAMS has been in the past been a major hub of data piracy, and dangerous activities such as dropping broken CRT monitors from windows or rappelling out of the building after curfew were observed. Many other pranks, such as vadding through the tunnels beneath McConnell, or using bathtubs to cook ramen are much more harmless.

It should be noted that most pranks are playing on typical themes of protest much like those observed in typical high schools. Much danger exists, as pranks are concerned with matters that violate laws designed to protect minors, as which most of the members of TAMS are technically classified.

Setting off the fire alarms on the night before the first Biology exam has become increasingly popular in recent years. In 2005 and 2006, the TAMS administration had to put the dormitory into "lock-down" three times, where students are confined to their rooms after curfew and not allowed to use the restrooms until the chosen period of punishment has ended. Lockdowns of the dormitory are generally met fiercely by the students.

[edit] Notable Alumni

• David Williams, 2^nd at the 2004 World Series of Poker
• Alice Ting, professor, Dept. of Chemistry, MIT
• Dustin Ho

[edit] References

• TAMS Student Life Staff, (2006). TAMS Student Life Site Retrieved Jan. 9, 2006
• TAMS (2006). TAMS Student Handbook 06-07 (pdf) Retrieved Jan. 9, 2006
• TAMS Student Life Staff, (2006). Costs to Attend TAMS Retrieved Jan. 9, 2006
• TAMS Student Life Staff, (2005). TAMS Research Opportunities Retrieved Dec. 28, 2005
• TAMS Student Life Staff, (2005). TAMS Academic Program Retrieved Dec. 28, 2005
• TAMS (2001). TAMS Academic Program Retrieved Dec. 28, 2005

[edit] External links

• Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science
• TAMS Alumni Association
• Early Entrance College Programs