Dean of CMU-Q teaches high school students at QF Math Circle 

Michael Trick, the dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), shared his passion for scheduling and optimization at the Math Circle program for high school students, a Qatar Foundation multiversity initiative. 

Trick, who is a researcher and educator in the field of operations research, will teach a session on the topic of sport tournament scheduling. For years, Trick and his research colleagues created the schedule for Major League Baseball in the United States.

Now in its second year, Math Circle has expanded and now offers more than 50 students a weekly, after-school exploration of math concepts. The sessions are taught by faculty members from CMU-Q, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Texas A&M University at Qatar, VCUarts Qatar, and Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. 

“Math Circle is a great example of how the multiversity shines,” said Trick, who is also the chair of Qatar Foundation’s Next GenEd committee to increase cooperation among the partner universities for general education courses. “In each of the participating universities, we have talented faculty members who wish to inspire a love of math in students.” 

The program targets students in grades 10 and 11 in Qatar, and they are selected based on their innate curiosity about mathematics. Students explore advanced mathematical concepts and develop their problem-solving skills. 

Anthony Weston, associate teaching professor of mathematics at CMU-Q, is one of the main organizers of Math Circle. “Mathematics is fundamental to the STEM fields, and we want to inspire a curiosity in these students,” he said. “Math requires creative thinking and problem solving, and the students tell us that it is a very rewarding experience.”

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar offers undergraduate degree programs in biological sciences, business administration, computer science, and information systems. All four programs have a significant mathematics component in the first year.