about pcmi

The Institute for Advanced Study/IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI) is designed for mathematics educators at the secondary and post-secondary level, as well as mathematics researchers and students at the post-secondary level. These groups find at PCMI an intensive mathematical experience geared to their individual needs. Moreover, the interaction among groups with different backgrounds and professional needs increases each participant’s appreciation of the mathematical community as a whole as well as the work of participants in different areas.

PCMI programming consists of the following:

  • Three-week residential Summer Session
  • Year-round program of Professional Development and Outreach groups for Secondary school teachers
  • Lecture Publication Series

The flagship program of PCMI is the three-week Summer Session. At the annual Summer Session all six of PCMI’s groups

  • secondary school teachers
  • mathematics education researchers
  • undergraduate college faculty
  • undergraduate students
  • graduate students
  • mathematics researchers

meet simultaneously, pursuing both individual courses of study and a meaningful amount of interaction. The rich mathematical experience combined with interaction among all participants results in greatly increased understanding and awareness of the issues confronting mathematics and mathematics education today.

The Research in Mathematics consists of seminars and informal working groups. It offers advanced scholars the opportunity to do research, collaborate with their peers, meet outstanding students, and explore new teaching methods with professional educators. The organizers envision a strong interaction between the Research Program and the Graduate Summer School and will encourage participants in each program to actively participate in as many of each program’s activities as desired.

Centered around lectures by leading computer scientists, the Graduate Summer School gives students the opportunity to interact with advanced researchers as well as professional educators, other graduate students, and undergraduate students. Activities are designed to promote personal contact, facilitate collaborative work, advance careers, and demonstrate the complementary aspects of research and education.

The Undergraduate Summer School immerses undergraduate students in a multi-level, intensive research environment and in the educational, cultural, and social issues that characterize the broader mathematics community.  Strong interaction with the Undergraduate Faculty Program is fostered.

Resources for PCMI Program Participants offer opportunities for PCMI participants to interact with outstanding professionals who study the teaching and learning of mathematics .

Collegiate mathematicians with a strong interest in undergraduate education are encouraged to apply to the Undergraduate Faculty Program. Seminars and activities are designed to give these participants the opportunity to advance their mathematical knowledge and hone their teaching skills in an environment where both research and educational goals are being pursued.

The Secondary School Teachers Program is designed to deepen teachers' knowledge of mathematics and to explore new methods of teaching with the goal of realizing mathematics education reform. For Secondary school teachers, the Summer Session is one of two opportunities available for professional development. The second opportunity is involvement in a year-long program of Professional Development and Outreach (PDO) groups based at cooperating universities around the country. Within their PDO groups, the participating Secondary school teachers work in collaboration with university faculty to become leaders of education reform in their schools, their school districts, and the larger community.

The defining feature of PCMI is the interaction among participants from all programs. All program lectures and seminars at the Summer Session are open to all participants. In addition to the lectures and courses developed specifically for each group, there are daily activities and lectures of general interest. These are designed to foster communication among the participants and deepen insight into mathematics at all levels. Many opportunities for informal and social interaction are available, ranging from organized Cross Program activities to casual conversations over breakfast or lunch. In addition, the PCMI environment facilitates cross-program mentoring to encourage a sense of community among participants.

More information on the current Summer Session and Secondary School Teachers Program »

Affiliated Programs

  • PROMYS for TEACHERS, a program sponsored by Boston University, is designed to support current efforts nationwide to enhance problem-solving and open-ended exploration in Secondary school mathematics classrooms. PROMYS engages high school teachers and students in an experience of mathematical exploration within a supportive community of their peers enriched by undergraduates, graduate students, and research faculty, all actively developing their own research careers in mathematics and science. Alumni of PROMYS are encouraged to attend PCMI in subsequent years.
  • The Ross Summer Mathematics Program at the Ohio State University established a new, three-week program for high school mathematics teachers in the summer of 2001. The participants are surrounded with interesting mathematical questions, enabling them to discover why various mathematical techniques work and how they can be generalized. The core of this program is a challenging course in number theory. Alumni of Ross are encouraged to attend PCMI in subsequent years.
  • The Northwest Mathematics Interaction (NWMI) at the University of Washington offers a one-week residential geometry program for secondary and middle-school teachers, plus several workshops around the State of Washington. NWMI, established in 1994, began as an outreach activity of the PCMI Professional Development and Outreach group at the University of Washington. Now in its 8th year, this peer-led program offers a limited number of slots to teachers outside of the Pacific Northwest region.
  • Mentoring Program for Women in Mathematics: From 1994 to 2001, PCMI sponsored an annual 10-day residential Mentoring Program for Women in Mathematics. Now known as the Program for Women in Mathematics, it is co-sponsored by the the Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton University.
THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY

The Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, exists to encourage and support fundamental scholarship, the original and often speculative thinking that is at the source of new knowledge. Founded in 1930 as an independent nonprofit institution, the Institute fulfills a unique role in postgraduate education and scientific and scholarly research. As "the university to universities" the Institute serves all colleges and universities by providing a place where scholars can do their best work, thereby adding substantially to their ability to contribute as both teachers and scholars to the academic institutions where they will base their careers. The Institute is organized in four schools: Historical Studies, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science. The broad range of scholarly interests within each school transcends the usual divisions of academic subjects. This breadth of coverage and the opportunity it provides for independent, self-directed scholarship distinguish the Institute from most other centers for research and scholarship, as does its permanent faculty, composed of twenty-two eminent scholars who guide the work of the Schools and each year award fellowships to about 180 visiting Members.

The IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute is an outreach program of the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study.

 

PCMI Steering Committee:

Director: C. Herbert Clemens, The Ohio State University

Director-Designate: Robert Bryant, Duke University

William Barker, Bowdoin College
Aaron Bertram, University of Utah

Gail Burrill, Michigan State University

Daniel Goroff, Harvey Mudd College

Carol Hattan, Skyview High School, Vancouver, WA

Roger Howe, Yale University

James King, Universtiy of Washington

John Morgan, Columbia University

John Polking, Rice University

Karl Rubin, University of California Irvine

Ronald Stern, University of California Irvine

Nathaniel Whitaker, University of Massachusetts Amherst

PCMI Oversight Board:

Chair: Phillip Griffiths, Institute for Advanced Study

Hyman Bass, University of Michigan

Peter Goddard, Institute for Advanced Study

Ronald Graham, University of California San Diego

Robert MacPherson, Institute for Advanced Study

Elaine Wolfensohn, Wolfensohn Family Foundation