UTSA hosts Texas Math and Science Coaches Association State Meet

By Kris Rodriguez
Public Affairs Specialist

(April 3, 2013) -- For the 25th consecutive year, The University of Texas at San Antonio will welcome 2,500 of the state’s best middle school math and science students to compete in the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association (TMSCA) State Meet. The competition runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 6 on the second floor of the McKinney Humanities Building on the UTSA Main Campus.

Competition categories include:

• Number Sense involves a 10-minute, 80-question mental math test covering all high school mathematics courses.
• Science competition challenges students to do a wide range of reading in biology, chemistry and physics to gain an understanding of the significance of experiments rather than to recall details.
• Calculator Applications contest includes calculations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, roots, powers, exponential, logarithms, trigonometric functions and inverse trigonometric functions.
• Mathematics competition is designed to test knowledge and understanding in the areas of algebra I and algebra II, geometry, trigonometry, math analysis, analytic geometry, pre-calculus and elementary calculus

UTSA mathematics professor Greg Wene says the event adds more than $250,000 to the San Antonio economy annually and exposes students from small towns and big cities to a university environment.

"This competition rewards students and directly supports programs designed to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM fields," said Wene. "In football, sports and band, the students get recognition, but in mathematics the students do not. I feel this provides one of the real positive reinforcements so students can continue the hard work that they are doing preparing for these UIL competitions."

Additionally, Wene believes the United States is a predominant world power and needs to maintain its lead in manufacturing, research and engineering.

"Mathematics is fundamental in biology; government and industry use mathematics, even Hollywood uses mathematics when creating special effects," said Wene. "Students that can't do 10th grade mathematics are shutting themselves out of many career opportunities in the future."

The competition also provides the 30-40 students in Wene's classes assisting with the logistics, the opportunity to meet some of the state's brightest students and network with mathematics educators that may be able to assist them after they graduate.

For more information, contact Greg Wene, UTSA mathematics professor, at 210-288-0444.

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About the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association

Established in 1981, TMSCA is an organization formed by Texas math and science teachers to promote excellence in math and science through competition. The organization promotes uniformity in practice meets to prepare students for University Interscholastic League (UIL) competition.

About UTSA

The University of Texas at San Antonio is one of the largest of nine academic universities and six health institutions in the UT System. As a multicultural institution, UTSA aims to be a national research university providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA serves nearly 31,000 students in 139 degree programs in the colleges of Architecture, Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, Honors, Liberal and Fine Arts, Public Policy, Sciences and the Graduate School. Founded in 1969, UTSA is an intellectual and creative resource center and socioeconomic development catalyst for Texas and beyond.