For High School Students || Southern High School Mathematics Class for the Gifted

• Website for Southern Mathematics Class for the Gifted, Department of Applied Mathematics in N.U.K.

The Department of Applied Mathematics in N.U.K. has been executing "National Science Council Initiative for Training the High School Gifted for Mathematics" program for the last 5 years. Since the project was launched, several students from the program have been awarded with prizes among domestic and international science competitions for mathematics, including the first place in mathematics competition in the Taiwan International Science Fair and the second place in group competition in the 55th Annual Intel International Science and Technology Fair). In additions, students were elected to compete in the International Mathematics Olympiad. The outcome of the program is very rewarding and students are very involved. The department is one of the few departments chosen to set up the "High School Math Class for the Talented", an initiative by the National Science Council.

The program by National Science Council recruits highly reputable faculty members in both academic and research areas from our department and the graduate school of statistics. Powered by advanced hardware and software, the joint faculty team spends their summer and winter breaks to advise gifted students for mathematics in southern Taiwan. As a result, their talent can be applied under experts' advise and gifted students can further pursue their interest in mathematics.

For those gifted students, our intent is to:

1. Raise their awareness in mathematics without unreasonable expectation.
   Though complexities in learning materials enhance students' skills in mathematics, course objectives must be designed within appropriate boundaries.
2. Keep an open mind in increasing learning complexity but with precautions.
   A broader vision is beneficial for increasing one's knowledge base. However, basic math skills pave ways for future knowledge and cannot be ignored.
3. An increase in the complexity of curriculum design must be applied within reason.
   It is necessary to evaluate results and progress on a regular basis. However, the maturity and ability to digest requires adequate time. Therefore, basic expectations for students must be reasonable while students are encouraged to strive for outstanding performance. Students are advised not to rush to completion of their works without thorough preparation.

The math class for the gifted is not another super cram school program preparing for science competitions or college entrance exams nor the accelerated class for college courses. We believe that students trained by the gifted class will have broader visions in the world of learning and acquire better understanding in mathematics. We expect those students to become fresh faces in our national research for basic science based on the skills they have learned during the course of study. Even if they enter a different field of study, we also expect them to analyze problems from a mathematical angle and utilize mathematics as a tool in problem solving.