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About the Team
Team Photo   Jared A. Bass
Great Neck South High School, Great Neck, NY


Activities
I have always enjoyed teaching others, including activities such as tutoring during school and leading problem solving sessions at math practice. Playing my flute

Clubs
N/A

Experience
Ross Program, Research Science Institute at MIT, Member of 2002 O.S. Physics Team

Biography
My earliest, deepest, and most influential introduction to lateral thinking in mathematics was the two-week Summer Research Institute before my eighth grade school year, where I studied alone with three Russian mathematicians to learn numerous theorems and areas of mathematics (which I now generally and lovingly refer to as contest math). When I returned to school (Great Neck South Middle) I enrolled in the New York State Regents Sequential Course II while completing the next Regents course (appropriately named Sequential Course III) on my own. The following summer I studied the full pre-calculus curriculum on my own in four weeks (in the four weeks after that I completed the 12-week AP-based C++ curriculum of the American Computer Experience) and was thus prepared for my ninth grade math course (at Great Neck South High): AP Calculus BC. Since tenth grade, having exhausted the normal high school mathematics curriculum, I have been lucky to be able to participate in district-sponsored post-calculus courses held at my school in the evening. A professor of mathematics from a local college taught multi-variable calculus and linear algebra in my sophomore and junior years, and this year a teacher from my school is leading an abstract algebra course. For two years I participated in Columbia’s Science Honors Program on Saturday mornings, completing courses in Chaos and Fractals, Calculus in the Complex Plane, and Programming in Java. Over the summers of 2000 and 2001 I attended the intense and extremely rigorous Ross Program at Ohio State University. In addition to completing the extensive number theory/abstract algebra course for students, in 2001 as a junior counselor I completed a college-level probability course and attended a series of lectures on logic and computability. I have been invited back to the Ross Program as a full counselor, and plan to attend as one this summer. Last summer I attended the Research Science Institute at MIT and pursued a computer science research project. I will be continuing my education next year at Harvard. I routinely participate in math competitions, and have always been a member of my school’s math team. Below are some of my mathematical accomplishments: $ Nassau Math Tournament: top scorer in grade 2000-2003, first place in division 2001-2003 $ 1st or 2nd place in Nassau County Interscholastic Math League 2000-2003 (and first place in Nassau County Junior Math League in 1999) $ Member of Nassau County All-Star team 2000-2003 (participates in New York State Math League, NYSML; and American Regions Math League, ARML); team high scorer at ARML 2001-2002 $ High Scorer at NYSML 2000-2003; 2nd place individual in 2002, 3rd place individual in 2003 $ Mandelbrot competition: 4th place, 2002; 9th place, 2001 $ Participated in: AHSME/AMC 1999-2003; AIME 1999-2003; USAMO 2002 $ 1st place in New York State Mathcounts, captain of State Team at national competition, 1999 In addition, I participate in various other competitions and have been a board member of my school’s math team for the past two years. Math is not, however, my sole priority. Beginning in eighth grade, I have pursued various yearly research projects. My research has included studying job scheduling on parallel processor systems, a genetic algorithm to study the evolution of altruism, a study of the time development of the energy eigenfunctions of Landau Levels, and the effects of varying diets on spiders’ webs. This year I have received a National Merit scholarship, been selected as a semifinalist for the Presidential Scholars Program, and been named salutatorian of my school. Last year I was named a national AP scholar. For the past two years I have participated (and was a semifinalist) in the United States National Chemistry Olympiad. Two years ago I was a semifinalist for the Unites States Physics Team, and for the past two years I have been a finalist (as you might already know). This year my school is participating in the National Science Bowl, and after earning first place at our regional competition we will be attending the national competition in May. For the past five years I have also received gold medals on the National Latin Exam, earning their traditional Oxford Classical Dictionary. Since fourth grade I have participated in NYSSMA, a state music competition. For the past four years, playing my flute at level 6 (professional), I have received a grade of A. For the past two years, my school’s chess team (of which I am the president/treasurer) took first place in the county. Through my school’s computer team (of which I am vice president), I have participated in the American Computer Science League (ACSL) for the past four years, last year earning a perfect score. As a member of my school’s Science Olympiad team, I have won various medals at both regional and state events since eighth grade. Even more rewarding than learning is teaching. I have always enjoyed teaching others, including activities such as tutoring during school and leading problem solving sessions at math practice. For the past two years, I have helped others on a more formal basis: I have found it very fulfilling to help students in math and science at my school’s Study Center, where I have shared with them some of the various tricks of the trade I have picked up along the way. I am totally committed to a future of learning, exploring, growing, and wholeheartedly contributing to our existing vast base of mathematical and scientific knowledge.