We are currently planning the 2012 MIST Academy Summer Institute (MASI).  Please check back with us in late January for details.


Click here for a PDF copy of the 2011 schedule, including information about all our MASI programs.


MASI is an enjoyable two week half-day summer camp designed for avid young learners grades 3-12.  Once again the Summer Institute will be held in Birmingham, Alabama.   We will also hold four classes in Huntsville, Alabama. Over the past couple of years we made the decision not to run a boarding program so that our staff can focus entirely on providing the best possible program for MIST Academy students.

Each camp (with the exception of Math Explorers A which is a one week program) runs for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, for two weeks. This year's programs include math camps for students entering grades 3-12. As with MASI 2010, we may add additional course offerings to our schedule if classes fill up (subject to instructor availability). Tuition for most courses is $600, though the Explorers A program tuition is $300 and tuition.

Newcomers to the MIST Academy program should note that all MIST Academy students are already advanced students. This means that course work is already designed to challenge fast learners within these recommended age groups. Additional acceleration is usually not necessary and must be approved by an instructor.

Click each link below to learn more about our programs:







Math Explorers

The MIST Academy Math Explorers program is aimed at gifted elementary school students in grades three and above who enjoy math, logic, games, and puzzles.

In the Math Explorers program, students develop skills in enjoyable ways that they might not otherwise develop until long after they are already useful. Curriculum will aim students toward the fundamentals of algebra, counting techniques, geometry, number theory, pattern hunting, probability, statistics, and topology.

The MIST Academy Math Explorers course is recommended for gifted math students entering grades 3, 4 and 5, but MIST Academy places students in classes by ability, not age or grade. Problems and lessons in this class will include some from the Math Olympiads (MOEMS) program.

  • Session I: Math Explorers C (primarily rising fifth graders) from 9 AM to noon Mon-Fri for two weeks: June 6-10 and June 13-17.
  • Session III: Math Explorers B (primarily rising fourth graders) from 9 AM to noon Mon-Fri for two weeks: July 11-15 and July 18-22.
  • Session IV: Math Explorers A (primarily rising third graders) from 9 AM to noon Mon-Fri for one week: July 25-29.
Click here for a sample of the problems from the MIST Academy Math Explorers course.

Tuition for this two week program is $600 per student.  Tuition for the one week Explorers A program is $300. To enroll a student in this program, please contact us.


Introductory Problem Solving A

Of all the levels of mathematics taught at MIST Academy, the Introductory Problem Solving course is almost surely the most important. Covering the basics of algebra, counting techniques, geometry, number theory, probability, and statistics, this class builds the foundation that almost every student of math, science, medicine, and technology will use down the road. This course gives students an excellent jump on the SAT and ACT. More importantly, it gives students a chance to dig deeper into the most useful concepts in mathematics.

The Introductory A Summer Program takes place during Session II from 9 AM to Noon Mon-Fri for two weeks: June 20-24/June 27-July 1.  Click here for the complete MASI schedule .

The Introductory A program is taught by Dr. Julie Ryle and is for students who wish to begin building their foundation in basic algebra, counting methods, number theory, and geometry.

Click here for a sample of the problems from the MIST Academy Introductory Problem Solving course. (This sample covers all the Introductory classes. A more specific guide will replace this one soon.)

Tuition for this two week program is $600 per student. To enroll a student in this program, please contact us.


Introductory Problem Solving B

Of all the levels of mathematics taught at MIST Academy, the Introductory Problem Solving course is almost surely the most important. Covering the basics of algebra, counting techniques, geometry, number theory, probability, and statistics, this class builds the foundation that almost every student of math, science, medicine, and technology will use down the road. This course gives students an excellent jump on the SAT and ACT. More importantly, it gives students a chance to dig deeper into the most useful concepts in mathematics.

The Introductory B Summer Program (Birmingham) will focus on basic algebra (Honors PreAlgebra) and will be taught by MIST Academy instructor Dr. Julie Ryle. This course takes place during either of two time slots:

  • Session I from 9 AM to noon Mon-Fri for two weeks: June 6-10 and June 13-17.
  • Session III from 9 AM to noon Mon-Fri for two weeks: July 11-15/18-22.
Click here for the complete MASI schedule.

The Introductory B Summer Program (Huntsville) will focus on basic algebra (Honors PreAlgebra) and will be taught by MIST Academy instructor Sergey Sarkisov in room 050 in the Shelby Center at the UAH campus. The course takes place during Session IV from 9 AM to Noon Mon-Fri for two weeks: July 25-29/August 1-5. Click here for the complete MASI schedule.

Click here for a sample of the problems from the MIST Academy Introductory Problem Solving course. (This sample covers all the Introductory classes. A more specific guide will replace this one in the future.)

Tuition for this two week program is $600 per student. To enroll a student in this program, please contact us.


Introductory Problem Solving C

Of all the levels of mathematics taught at MIST Academy, the Introductory Problem Solving course is almost surely the most important. Covering the basics of algebra, counting techniques, geometry, number theory, probability, and statistics, this class builds the foundation that almost every student of math, science, medicine, and technology will use down the road. This course gives students an excellent jump on the SAT and ACT. More importantly, it gives students a chance to dig deeper into the most useful concepts in mathematics.

The Introductory C (Birmingham) Summer Program will focus on algebra at an Honors Algebra I level and will be taught by MIST Academy Executive Director Mathew Crawford. This course takes place during either of two time slots:

  • Session I from 1 PM to 4 PM Mon-Fri for two weeks: June 6-10 and June 13-17.
  • Session III from 1 PM to 4 PM Mon-Fri for two weeks: July 11-15/18-22.
Click here for the complete MASI schedule.

The Introductory C (Huntsville) Summer Program will focus on algebra at an Honors Algebra I level and will be taught by MIST Academy instructor Sergey Sarkisov in room 050 in the Shelby center at UAH. This Intro C program will take place during Session III from 9 AM to noon Mon-Fri for two weeks: July 11-15/18-22. Click here for the complete MASI schedule .

Click here for a sample of the problems from the MIST Academy Introductory Problem Solving course. (This sample covers all the Introductory classes. A more specific guide will replace this one in the future.)

Tuition for this two week program is $600 per student. To enroll a student in this program, please contact us.


Intermediate A Honors Geometry

MIST Academy's Intermediate Problem Solving Summer Institute is aimed at students with a solid foundation in algebra, counting techniques, geometry, number theory, probability, and statistics. From this foundation, the Intermediate Problem Solving courses extend the depth of these topics, explore their intersections, develop creative problem solving principles, and help students learn to write basic proofs.

The Intermediate Problem Solving course is listed for grades 7 through 10, but MIST Academy actually places students in classes by ability, not age or grade. The grade range has more to do with the competitions that make up some of the focus of this course. Problems and lessons are taken from many sources including the AMC 10, AMC 12, the Mandelbrot competition, Mu Alpha Theta, and even the AIME.

The Intermediate A (Birmingham) Summer Program will be taught by MIST Academy Executive Director Mathew Crawford and takes place during either of two time slots:

  • Session II from 1 PM to 4 PM Mon-Fri for two weeks: June 20-24 and June 27-July 1.
  • Session IV from 9 AM to noon Mon-Fri for two weeks: July 25-29/August 1-5.

The Intermediate A (Huntsville) Summer Program will be taught by MIST Academy instructor Sergey Sarkisov in room 050 in the Shelby Center at UAH. This course takes place during Session I from 9 AM to noon for two weeks: June 6-10/13-17

Click here for the complete MASI schedule.

Click here for a sample of the problems from the MIST Academy Intermediate Problem Solving course.

Tuition for this two week program is $600 per student. To enroll a student in this program, please contact us.

Intermediate B Complex #s and Algebraic Techniques

MIST Academy's Intermediate Problem Solving Summer Institute is aimed at students with a solid foundation in algebra, counting techniques, geometry, number theory, probability, and statistics. From this foundation, the Intermediate Problem Solving class extends the depth of these topics, explores their intersections, develops creative problem solving principles, and helps students learn to write basic proofs.

The Intermediate Problem Solving course is listed for grades 7 through 10, but MIST Academy actually places students in classes by ability, not age or grade. The grade range has more to do with the competitions that make up some of the focus of this course. Problems and lessons are taken from many sources including the AMC 10, AMC 12, the Mandelbrot competition, ARML, and even the AIME.

The Intermediate B Summer Program covers algebraic techniques and complex numbers (including the geometry of complex numbers).

The Intermediate B (Birmingham) course instructor will be a co-author of the course text, Mathew Crawford, and takes place during either of two time slots:

  • Session II from 6 PM to 9 PM Mon-Fri for two weeks: June 20-24 and June 27-July 1.
  • Session IV from 1 PM to 4 PM Mon-Fri for two weeks: July 25-29/August 1-5.

The Intermediate B (Huntsville) Summer Program will be taught by MIST Academy instructor Sergey Sarkisov in room 050 in the Shelby Center at UAH. This course takes place during Session II from 9 AM to noon for two weeks: June 20-24 and June 27-July 1

Click here for the complete MASI schedule.

Click here for a sample of the problems from the MIST Academy Intermediate Problem Solving course.

Tuition for this two week program is $600 per student. To enroll a student in this program, please contact us.

Advanced Number Theory

MIST Academy's Advanced Problem Solving Summer Institute is aimed at students with well developed skills in algebra, counting techniques, geometry, number theory, probability, and statistics. From this foundation, the Advanced Problem Solving class takes a rigorous look at mathematics, developing new insights in parallel with proof writing skills.

The Advanced Problem Solving course is listed for grades 10 through 12, but MIST Academy actually places students in classes by ability, not age or grade. The grade range has more to do with the competitions that make up some of the focus of this course. Problems and lessons are taken from many sources including the AMC 10, AMC 12, the Mandelbrot competition, Mu Alpha Theta, the AIME, and math olympiads from around the world.

The Advanced Summer Program will be taught by Mathew Crawford and takes place during Session I from 6 PM to 9 PM Mon-Fri for two weeks: June 6-10 and 13-17. Click here for the complete MASI schedule.

Click here for a sample of the problems from the MIST Academy Intermediate Problem Solving course .

Tuition for this two week program is $600 per student. To enroll a student in this program, please contact us.