On Friday October 19th, 2001 the PFMF group met with Professor Bustoz director of the SUMS
Institute at Arizona State University. SUMS stands for Strengthening Underrepresented Math and
Science Students . SUMS was initiated by Dr. Bustoz in 1985 with a $4000 grant from private
institutions. It is now funded by grants from the state, the National Science Foundation, 
the National Institute of Health and private institutions totaling millions of dollars.. 

By founding the SUMS Institute, Dr. Bustoz was hoping to increase the number of Native 
American students majoring in mathematics and science. SUMS is not part of ASU's Math 
Department, its program runs from the Provost's Office.  

The primary purpose of SUMS is to recruit and retain low-income students to math and science.
Since 1985, 1500 students have participated in the math-science program. Each summer 100-200
Arizona high school students attend a 5-week residential summer session on the ASU campus
where they take college level math and science classes. A high school student has the
opportunity to start this program in the summer after their sophomore year and continue for
the next 2 summers. A student who successfully finishes the summer program receives college 
credits for the classes taken. This is a very rigorous program, the students are doing math 
and science from 9-5 every day for 5 weeks. The level of classes range from MAT 106 - MAT 362.  
Well known ASU Math professors are teaching the students and graduate students are hired for 
tutoring sessions. 

The meeting with Dr. Bustoz was a unique experience for our group, it was a nice way to get 
acquainted with a faculty member. 


Quote of the day:


"Have you noticed, too, how people with a talent for calculation are
naturally quick at learning almost any other subject; and how training in
it makes a slow mind quicker, even if it does no other good. 

I have.
            
Also, it would not be easy to find many branches of study that require
more effort from the learner.  For all these reasons we cannot do without
this form of training for the most gifted natures.
            
I agree."
                                 
Plato, The Republic, Book VII