Do Thi Thu Thao (first right) and MaSSP's members

“My parents cannot afford my study in the US. I almost gave up the dream. It is MaSSP (Math and Science Summer Program) that fueled my aspirations. Thanks to you, studying in the US is not a far-away dream,” a member of the program wrote to Thao.

Thao said feedback like this gives her motivation to continue planning to become a teacher.

In 2010, with a silver medal at the International Math Olympiad and outstanding learning records, Thao won a scholarship for studying math at Stony Brook University in the US after finishing the math major class at the Hai Duong High School for the Gifted. Four years later, she became a PhD student at MIT.

Thao not only spends time on studying math, but also on summer programs. At MIT, she once worked as a guide for REU program at University of Michigan, and PRIMES and RSI programs for high school students. Her students won high prizes at science competitions in the US such as Siemmens and Regeneron TST.

The idea of setting up a math & science camp in Vietnam was raised at a meeting of VAS, the association of Vietnamese students at MIT, in February 2016. Thao, together with some members of VAS established MaSSP a couple of weeks later, that aims to help Vietnamese students hve more opportunities to do scientific research, develop independent thinking, and learn how to present their research.

The first camp took place in June 2016 with the participation of 22 students in math and IT majors. One year later, the program was extended with more members in physics, chemistry, biology and environmental sciences.

Thao and her co-workers experiences difficulties running the program because the members live and study in many countries, while the management board overseas and the logistics board in Vietnam needed to be contacted regularly.

However, they have overcame the difficulties and the summer camps gained initial results with the sponsor and support from benefactors in the US, from the Math Institute in Vietnam, the Hanoi University of Education and the Hanoi University of Science & Technology.

The 2008 IMO silver medalist believes that general school students need to be introduced with more applications of math in life.

“Applied math is a potential discipline. With good math knowledge, young people can pursue studies in computer science, economics, finance. However, many students do not see the potential. I hope MaSSP can help improve that,” she said.

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