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Statistics competition at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech’s School of Industrial and Systems Engineering is accepting entries for its annual Olympiad of Probability and Statistics. The competition, which began in 2022, gives high-school students the chance to compete for cash prizes and scholarships to Georgia Tech’s Mission Possible summer camp.
When I posted about this competition in its inaugural year, I wrote that students needed to have taken AP Statistics to qualify. One of the directors recently reached out to me to say that’s not correct. Although the exam the competitors take is based on what’s covered in the College Board AP Statistics exam, students can compete whether or not they have taken the class.
The first round of the competition will be held online on April 3, 2026. Those who advance will compete in a second round on the Georgia Tech campus on April 24, 2026.
The registration deadline is January 21, 2026.
You’re invited to a science fair this Thursday
Lighthouse Prep, an independent school in Stone Mountain, welcomes the public to attend the Metro Atlanta Science Fair this Thursday, Nov. 13, from noon to 2 p.m.
Principal Mikala Streeter wrote that the school’s mission is to “make science fair opportunities accessible to all gifted and curious students across metro Atlanta, including those whose schools or homeschool groups don’t currently offer one.” Winners at the Lighthouse Prep fair will advance to the Gwinnett County Science Fair, which can lead on to higher levels of competition in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair system.
If you want to see what the students have put together, either because you’re curious or to see if this open fair might be a good opportunity for your child in the future, you’ll need to request tickets through the Eventbrite page.
A merit-based scholarship for high-school tuition
Applications are now open for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, a merit-based, need-blind scholarship that pays high-school tuition for outstanding students.
Students apply when they are in seventh grade, which means the application is now open for students in the high school graduating class of 2029.
Selections are announced when the students begin eighth grade. During the eighth-grade year, the selected scholars will research and apply to schools that will best suit them, with support from the scholarship team.
Established in 2002, the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship can be used for private schools, boarding schools, parochial schools, homeschool hybrids, early college, and other types of schools. Students who currently attend a private school that continues beyond eighth grade may apply; however, the scholarship administrators will ask that they research and consider other schools besides the one they’re enrolled in.
Applications are due on April 10, 2024. The application requires letters of recommendation and essays, so it’s best to get an early start. A good first step is to watch a recording of an application information session held last month.
American Mathematics Competition coming to Emory next month
Emory University will offer the AMC 8 math competition exam to students in 8th grade or below next month.
The exam, according to the American Mathematics Competition, is “a 40-minute multiple choice exam covering subjects such as counting and probability, estimation, proportional reasoning, elementary geometry including the Pythagorean Theorem, spatial visualization, everyday applications, and reading and interpreting graphs and tables. In addition, some of the later questions may involve linear or quadratic functions and equations, coordinate geometry, and other topics traditionally covered in a beginning algebra course.” The exam is meant to be a fun, friendly competition. Students who score well may earn recognition, but there are no prizes.
Emory will host the exam on Thursday, January 18, in the evening. To register, complete the interest form, and Emory will send you a registration link. There is no fee to take the exam at Emory.
If Emory isn’t a convenient location for you, you can look for other schools hosting the exam by using AMC’s competition locations page. Note that host schools can decide whether to allow children who don’t attend their school to take the exam.
Problem-solving competition for grades 5-9
Future Problem Solving Program International has announced a two-week problem-solving competition for students in grades 5-9.
The World Solutions Challenge will first introduce students to FPS’s six-step problem-solving process. It will then give teams a real-world problem and ask them to develop a solution, which they will describe in an “action plan.”
Judges will review the action plans and select winners, who will receive up to $500 cash and a paid team registration for a Future Problem Solving program in their area.
Regardless of whether they win a prize, participants will get an introduction to the Future Problem Solving experience. I’ve been intrigued by FPS, but I don’t have any direct experience with it. If you have a student who is curious about how community problems can be tackled with innovation and teamwork, give it a look, either by trying out this two-week challenge or by visiting the Georgia FPS affiliate, which operates year-long competitions for students in grades 4-12.
Registration for the World Solutions Challenge is open through September 12. Students can compete as individuals or in teams of up to four people. The registration fee is $25 per team member.
(Note: After I published this post, I heard from someone whose kids have done FPS. She offered to talk with anyone who wants to know more about the program. If you want me to put you in touch, reach out to me via the Contact page and I’ll connect you.)
Full scholarships to elite colleges for low-income, high-achieving students
Applications are open for the QuestBridge National College Match program, which offers full, four-year scholarships to some of the nation’s most prestigious universities.
To qualify for a National College Match scholarship, a student must have outstanding academic credentials and come from a family with limited income. QuestBridge doesn’t specify a cutoff for income, but says most of its recipients have an annual household income of $65,000 or less (based on a family of four).
They also don’t give specific academic requirements for scholars, but students must be able to earn admission to one of the 50 College Match partner schools, all of which are elite, competitive colleges and universities.
Applicants are asked to rank the partner schools, selecting those that would be their top choices to attend. The colleges then review the applicants who chose them and “match” with those they want to grant admission via early decision.
Students who don’t participate in the ranking process or don’t match with a school can continue to apply to partner colleges through the QuestBridge regular decision process, which may connect them with significant financial aid packages.
The application deadline for this year is September 26, 2023. The application is extensive, requiring transcripts, letters of recommendation, and financial records, so it will take some time to complete.
VOX ATL taking applications for summer multimedia program and youth poet laureate
VOX ATL, a non-profit organization that calls itself “Atlanta’s home for uncensored teen publishing and self-expression” and has a mission to uplift the voices of young people, has two opportunities for area teens.
This summer, VOX will host two sessions of its long-running Media Cafe. a two-week program that introduces teens to multimedia production, journalism and public speaking. Media Cafe includes hands-on experience with writing, video editing, podcasting, graphic design and more, as well as field trips and the chance to meet creative professionals who work in Atlanta. The program is open to ages 13-19. The application deadline is April 15, but spaces will be filled on a rolling basis, and each session has a limit of 12 participants, so it’s best to apply as soon as possible. To learn more, visit the Media Cafe page.
VOX ATL also has joined forces with Urban Word NYC to select an Atlanta Youth Poet Laureate. Teens ages 13-18 are invited to apply for the honor. The Youth Poet Laureate will have their writing published, be eligible to compete in regional and national Youth Poet Laureate competitions, and receive their choice of either $500 or the resources needed to publish their own poetry chapbook. Deadline to submit the online application is April 15.
A scholarship that pays high-school tuition
Applications are now open for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, a merit-based, need-blind scholarship that pays high-school tuition for outstanding students.
Students apply when they are in seventh grade, which means the application is now open for students in the high school graduating class of 2028.
Selections are announced when the students begin eighth grade. During the eighth-grade year, the selected scholars will research and apply to schools that will best suit them, with support from the scholarship team.
Established in 2002, the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship can be used for private schools, boarding schools, parochial schools, homeschool hybrids, early college, and other types of schools. Students who currently attend a private school that continues beyond eighth grade may apply; however, the scholarship administrators will ask that they research and consider other high-school options.
You can learn more about the scholarship and the application process by attending an online webinar on February 6 or March 13. See the scholarship’s How to Apply page for details.
Applications are due on April 17, 2023. The application requires letters of recommendation and essays, so it’s best to get an early start.
Georgia Tech invites high-school students to enter statistics competition
Georgia Tech’s School of Industrial and Systems Engineering is holding a probability and statistics competition for high-school students. Prizes will include formal recognition and scholarships to Georgia Tech’s Mission Possible Camp.
To qualify, students must have completed AP Statistics.
The first round of the competition will be held online on December 9, 2022. The registration deadline is December 1.
For those who advance, the second round will be March 17, 2023, at Georgia Tech.
For students interested generally in industrial engineering, the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering has other outreach programs for K-12 students, including the opportunity to attend a class, tour the campus, and meet current students. Like the competition, the campus visit program is open to students who have completed AP Statistics.
New talent identification programs offer above-grade testing
When Duke University shut down its Duke TIP program in 2020, it left a worrisome hole in the available resources for gifted children and their parents. Fortunately, leaders in gifted education immediately began working on new programs to fill this gap, and two talent identification programs are now up and operating.
Baylor University
Baylor University, in Texas, recently launched Baylor TIP, which has begun offering above-grade testing for students in grades 4 through 8 who meet certain academic qualifications. Students in grades 7 or 8 can take a college-readiness exam that is designed for high-school juniors and seniors. Students in grades 4, 5 and 6 can take a different version of that exam, which has been modified for students in grades 8 and 9.
The exam can be taken online at any time. A paper version is also available. Parents can sign their children up individually, or schools can arrange to administer a test to multiple students. An informational session for school administrators will be held via Zoom this Friday, April 29.
Participating TIP students will receive a score report with educational recommendations. Those who participate will automatically qualify for enrichment programs offered through the Baylor Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. Baylor TIP also will host an awards program for those with exceptionally high scores.
Western Kentucky University
The TIP-KY program is currently focused on testing students within the state of Kentucky, but the program director said they will try to assist students in other states who don’t have another option.
Why take an above-grade test?
Above-grade testing is valuable for gifted students, who often peg the meter on the standardized tests they’re administered in school. Taking a standardized test that was designed for an older student can help a student’s parents understand just how far ahead their child is, which can be useful in advocating for advanced learning in school.
In the now shuttered Duke TIP Talent Search, 7th-grade students took the SAT or ACT right alongside high-school juniors and seniors. That option seems to be off the table for now, as both the ACT and College Board now limit test registration to students who are 13 or older.
Gifted Atlanta 