Maurer, Stephen B.

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Swarthmore College 
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Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Works Mathematics & Statistics 
1-1-1986 
CAMC Examines America 
Stephen B. Maurer 
Swarthmore College, smaurer1@swarthmore.edu 
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 Part of the Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics Commons 
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Recommended Citation 
Stephen B. Maurer. (1986). "CAMC Examines America". FOCUS. Volume 6, Issue 1. i-ii, v. 
https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-math-stat/122 
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CAMC Examines America
FOCUS Center Sections to Feature
MAA Activities
Starting with this issue, each issue of FOCUS will contain
a center section featuring the people and programs of the
MAA. This FOCUS on MAA Committees contains articles
about the important work done by four MAA committees,
each of which has broad responsibilities and a long tradition
within the MAA. These committees represent only a small
portion of the MAA committee structure, which includes over
75 committees and subcommittees with a total of more than
600 members.
The March-April 1986 FOCUS center section will feature
the 1986 International Congress of Mathematicians, which
will be held at the University of California-Berkeley, from
Sunday, August 3 through Monday, August 11. (For additional
information see page 5 of the news section of this issue.)
The usual MAA Summer Meeting is not being held in order
to give MAA members the opportunity to participate in the
Congress. In future years, the March-April issue of FOCUS
will contain the MAA Summer Meeting program.
The May-June issue will contain an annual report describ-
ing the status of the major activities of the MAA, and any
important developments of the past year.
The September issue will feature a FOCUS on MAA Sec-
tions, reporting on the activities of the 29 MAA Sections.
The October FOCUS will contain the program for the MAA
Annual Meeting.
The November-December issue will feature a FOCUS on
MAA Publications and will bring readers inside stories about
the people who write MAA books, edit its journals, or help
in other ways to make the MAA a successful publisher in the
field of mathematics. Book lovers should also watch this
center section for information about up-coming books.
Employment Ads
To serve the needs of the mathematical community, each
center section will also contain Employment Ads listing posi-
tions available in the mathematical sciences. Information
about rates and how to submit an ad may be found on page
vi of this issue.
Stephen B. Maurer
Each year you read in FOCUS about the results in the USA
and International Mathematical Olympiads (USAMOand IMO),
and about the top scores in the earlier American exams which
lead up to these. Responsibility for these American exams,
taken by over 500,000 students yearly, and for United States
preparation for the IMO, rests with the Committee on the
American Mathematics Competitions (CAMC). The work of
this committee involves over 120 people and a yearly budget
of $350,000.Sponsored by 7 mathematics societies, the CAMC
is administratively part of the MAA. It is one of the MAA's
largest activities.
Structure and Activities
CAMC activity has three aspects: policy making, exami-
nation construction, and administration. Policy is the con-
cern of the CAMC itself. Examination construction is dele-
gated to subcommittees, aided by an Advisory Panel. Admin-
istration is handled by the office of the CAMC Executive
Director, Professor Walter E. Mientka, in Lincoln, Nebraska,
and some 80 Regional Examination Coordinators. In what
follows, we elaborate this structure.
(continued on page ii)
Members of CAMC hard at work at the Toronto meetings in
August 1982. From left to right: Stanley Rabinowitz, Stephen
Maurer, Michael Ecker, Richard Pieters, Nura Turner, and
Melvin Woodard.
ii FOCUS January-February 1986
CAMC (continued from page i)
The CAMC itself has 12 members: 1 or 2 representatives
from each sponsor, the Chairman and the Executive Director,
and the Chairmen of the subcommittees. The sort of policy
issues which must be considered range from big ones-shall
we undertake a junior high exam (Yes!)-to small ones which
nonetheless set a tone to the work- should partially sighted
students be allowed to use reading machines, and should
they be given extra time?
As for subcommittees, there is one for each exam: the
American Junior High School Mathematics Examination
(AJHSME), chaired by Thomas R. Butts of the University of
Texas-Dallas, the American High School Mathematics Exam-
ination (AHSME), chaired by this author, the American Invi-
tational Mathematics Examination (AIME), chaired by George
Berzsenyi of Lamar University, and the USA Mathematical
Olympiad (USAMO), chaired by Ian Richards of the University
of Minnesota. Each subcommittee has 8 to 10 members.
The primary responsibility of each subcommittee is to pro-
duce the examinations. This is easier said than done. Exam-
ination problems must be fresh, interesting, instructive, at
varying levels of difficulty from moderate to extremely hard,
and completely unambiguous. Furthermore, solutions are
produced which are meant to instruct in problem-solving
techniques and illustrate good writing style. All of this means
that many problems and solutions must be collected and
repeatedly critiqued by people with both creative and edi-
torial talents. To accomplish this, most of the exams are two
years in the making and require many hours of each sub-
committee member's time each year.
Subcommittees consider policy, too-how hard its exam
should be, what awards should be given, etc. While the CAMC
has final say on such matters, obviously these issues cannot
be separated from examination construction. rn the case of
the USAMO, the Subcommittee has many such issues to
consider, and a sub-subcommittee writes the examination.
The Advisory Panel, consisting of 10 to 15 people, has
several purposes. First, it provides more input on problems.
(Panel members contribute by mail, while subcommittee
members work by mail and through meetings at national
MAA conventions.) Second, since the talents and commit-
ment needed for CAMC work are unusual and hard to eval-
uate except through experience, the Panel is used as a trial
ground. As openings arise, people who have expressed an
interest in CAMC work, or who have been identified through
the Sponsors, are appointed to the panel on a yearly basis.
In time those who do very well are appointed to the CAMC
or a subcommittee. As with other MAA committees, terms
are for 3 years, with one renewal common.
Finally, in addition to the subcommittees the CAMC has 3
special posts: Director and Assistant Director of the Training
Session for the IMO, and Editor of our problem-solving jour-
nal, the Arbelos.
Administration
The Executive Director, with the help of an administrative
aide, one-and-one-half secretaries, part-time help and
(recently) a VAX 11/750, carries out a vast number of duties.
Just answering correspondence, from a great number of
people around the world, is a major job. This year, we have
taken a major step towards centralization: the AJHSME, first
given on December 10,1985, will be ourfirst large-enrollment
exam to be scored centrally. Formulating the procedures for
(continued on page v)
Invitation to Participation
All of the committees featured here, and all other
MAA committees welcome input from MAA members
and others on matters within their charge. Individuals
who wish to express their opinions, bring information
to the attention of a committee, or otherwise assist a
committee in its work, are invited to contact any mem-
ber of the committee.
Most MAA committees meet at one or both of the
national meetings, and many of these meetings are
open to any MAA member who wishes to attend. For
information about committee meetings, contact the
committee chair.
Interested In Serving on an MAA Committee?
The Officers of the MAA are always looking for people
with the special talents needed by committees. Inter-
ested individuals should write to the MAA Secretary
indicating their particular areas of interest and provid-
ing information about their background. Write to: Pro-
fessor Kenneth A. Ross, Department of Mathematics,
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403.
CUPM Tackles Issues in
Undergraduate Curriculum
Jerome A. Goldstein
During the 1950's and 1960's, the Committee on the Under-
graduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM) was a major activ-
ity of the MAA supported by a seccession of NSF grants.
Then, after a period of relative inactivity, CUPM was revital-
ized with a very intense meeting in Berkeley, California, in
the summer of 1976. Three CUPM panels were created at
this meeting. In the early 1980's these panels published reports
concerned with a mathematical sciences major, mathematics
appreciation courses, and minimal competence in mathe-
matics for college graduates.
In recent years, several new CUPM panels have been cre-
ated. Some remain as subcommittees of CUPM while others
have been transformed into independent MAA activities.
Subcommittee on the Continuing Mathematical Education
of Teachers. The Teacher Training Panel published its final
report several years ago. The Panel was replaced by COMET,
the Subcommittee on the Continuing Mathematical Educa-
tion of Teachers. COMET has been extremely energetic and
influential. A report on its activities by Bruce E. Meserve and
Calvin 1. Long appears elsewhere in this center section.
COMET will break off from CUPM and become a standing
committee of the MAA in January 1986.
Subcommittee on Calculus Articulation. This subcommit-
tee, which consists of four high school teachers and three
college teachers and is chaired by Donald B. Small of Colby
College, has studied the nature of and problems associated
with calculus in the secondary schools. It has just completed
a draft of its final report.
January-February 1986 FOCUS v
Steen Forms New MAA Committees
In response to changing needs for MAA activity, President
Lynn Arthur Steen has established several new committees
to explore issues of current concern. Many of these com-
mittees are ad hoc and will investigate possible future activ-
ities of the MAA. Some may become standing committees in
the future if their tasks appear to have continuing benefit to
the Association.
Howard Anton of Drexel University is chairing an ad hoc
Committee on Student Chapters to explore means (clubs,
chapters) by which MAA could attract undergraduate stu-
dents to mathematics and to membership in MAA. Attracting
students to careers in mathematics is one of the most impor-
tant priorities of the Association; this committee will explore
various options for accomplishing this, and will report to the
Board of Governors with its recommendations.
David P. Rosselle of Virginia Polytechnic Institute is chair-
ing an ad hoc Committee on Accreditation to explore whether
MAA should undertake any special activity that would help
establish standards for quality in undergraduate mathemat-
ics departments. Many department chairmen have been
seeking assistance from the Association in strengthening
their hands vis a vis other programs in their institutions.
Accreditation is just one of several ways of doing this. The
Committee will explore many possible ways of achieving
these objectives, and will report its recommendations to the
Board of Governors.
Bernard Madison of the University of Arkansas is chairing
an ad hoc Planning Committee for a National Study of
Resources for Collegiate Mathematics. The aim of this com-
mittee is to submit a proposal to the National Research Coun-
cil for a major national study to be undertaken jointly by the
Board on Mathematical Sciences (chaired by Michael Artin
of MIT) and the Mathematical Sciences Education Board
(chaired by Shirley A. Hill of the Universityof Missouri-Kansas
City).
A standing Committee on Membership has been estab-
lished under the chairmanship of Will Hahn of South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology. Currently only about half
of the persons teaching college and university mathematics
are members of the Association. The charge to the Com-
mittee on membership is to work with the Washington staff
and the officers to develop new approaches to recruiting
and retaining members.
President Steen has also appointed several other com-
mittees for reasons of internal review of MAA activities, and
may establish several joint committees with other mathe-
matical societies. Among the latter are an NCTM/MAA com-
mittee to review college entrance requirements in mathe-
matics, a proposed ACM/MAA committee on computer sci-
ence education in college mathematics departments, a pos-
sible AMS/MANNCTM task force on remediation, and a
possible CBMS/MANAMS committee on opportunities for
handicapped individuals. Joint work with our sister societies
is a high priority for the MM, since the mathematical com-
munity is strengthened by every example of cooperative
activity.
CAMC (continued from page ii)
administering and grading the AJHSME, and getting the
computer up and ready, has been the Executive Director's
major activity for the past year.
Every year, the Executive Director manages the prepara-
tion of all brochures and manuals, the printing of all exams,
and the mailing of these items plus orders for back exams
and MAA problem books. He directs the computer scoring
of the (lower participation) AIME, compiles the national results
and awards for the AHSME, convenes a team of graders for
the USAMO (essay questions), and extends invitations to the
USAMO and IMO Training Session. He also does all the bud-
geting and accounting.
For the AHSME, which long predates modern computer
power, much of the administration is decentralized. Each
state has one or more Regional Examination Coordinators
(REC), who invite schools to participate, handle the fees,
compile results in the region (usually after the schools have
scored their own papers), and make sure that students get
the appropriate local awards. In some cases REC's have
arranged for special awards and scholarships from busi-
nesses and colleges in their areas. Many are active in visiting
schools and improving the quality of education. The 65 REC's
in the U.S. and Canada are appointed by the Governors of
their MAA Sections; there are 15 more overseas.
The administrative organization is not complete without
mention of MAA Headquarters, West Point, and Annapolis.
Arrangements for the elaborate USAMO Awards Ceremony
each June, which is funded primarily by IBM, take a good
deal of time at Headquarters in the late spring. The IMO
Training Sessions, directed byCecil C. Rousseau of Memphis
State University and Gregg N. Patruno of Princeton Univer-
sity, would not be possible without grants from the Army and
Navy and without the superb organization of staffs at the
service academies, where the Training Sessions are held.
Finally, some administration for all the exams is handled by
the CAMC Chairman, notably personnel recommendations
and investigations of questionable scores.
History
The American Mathematics Competitions have come a
long way since 1950, when the AHSME began as a local
examination of the Metropolitan New York MAA Section.
Participation rapidly grew beyond New York, and in 1955 the
national MAA agreed to provide sponsorship and adminis-
trative support. At the same time, the Society of Actuaries
became the first co-sponsor. The next co-sponsor, Mu Alpha
Theta, joined in 1965, and the second exam, the USAMO,
commenced in 1972. Expansion has I)een very rapid in the
last few years. Sponsors now include 1e MAA, the Society
of Actuaries, Mu Alpha Theta, the National Council of Teach-
ers of Mathematics, the Casualty Actuarial Society, the Amer-
ican Statistical Association, and the American Mathematical
Association of Two-Year Colleges.
For more history, more details about how the CAMC oper-
ates, and information about the philosophy of the various
exams, see Maurer & Mientka, "AHSME, AIME, USAMO: The
Examinations of the Committee on High School Contests,"
Mathematics Teacher, 75 (October 1982) 548-557. (The article
is out-of-date on the number of exams and the name of the
committee.)
Stephen B. Maurer is a Professor of Mathematics at
Swarthmore College and is the Chairman of CAMC.


CAMC Examines America

Swarthmore College Works Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Works Mathematics & Statistics 1-1-1986 CAMC Examines America Stephen B. Maurer Swarthmore College, smaurer1@swarthmore.edu This work is brought to you for free and open access by . It has been accepted for inclusion in Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact myworks@swarthmore.edu. Follow this and additional works at: https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-math-stat  Part of the Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics Commons Let us know how access to these works benefits you  Recommended Citation Stephen B. Maurer. (1986). "CAMC Examines America". FOCUS. Volume 6, Issue 1. i-ii, v. https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-math-stat/122 CAMC Examines AmericaFOCUS Center Sections to FeatureMAA ActivitiesStarting with this issue, each issue of FOCUS will containa center section featuring the people and programs of theMAA. This FOCUS on MAA Committees contains articlesabout the important work done by four MAA committees,each of which has broad responsibilities and a long traditionwithin the MAA. These committees represent only a smallportion of the MAA committee structure, which includes over75 committees and subcommittees with a total of more than600 members.The March-April 1986 FOCUS center section will featurethe 1986 International Congress of Mathematicians, whichwill be held at the University of California-Berkeley, fromSunday, August 3 through Monday, August 11. (For additionalinformation see page 5 of the news section of this issue.)The usual MAA Summer Meeting is not being held in orderto give MAA members the opportunity to participate in theCongress. In future years, the March-April issue of FOCUSwill contain the MAA Summer Meeting program.The May-June issue will contain an annual report describ-ing the status of the major activities of the MAA, and anyimportant developments of the past year.The September issue will feature a FOCUS on MAA Sec-tions, reporting on the activities of the 29 MAA Sections.The October FOCUS will contain the program for the MAAAnnual Meeting.The November-December issue will feature a FOCUS onMAA Publications and will bring readers inside stories aboutthe people who write MAA books, edit its journals, or helpin other ways to make the MAA a successful publisher in thefield of mathematics. Book lovers should also watch thiscenter section for information about up-coming books.Employment AdsTo serve the needs of the mathematical community, eachcenter section will also contain Employment Ads listing posi-tions available in the mathematical sciences. Informationabout rates and how to submit an ad may be found on pagevi of this issue.Stephen B. MaurerEach year you read in FOCUS about the results in the USAand International Mathematical Olympiads (USAMOand IMO),and about the top scores in the earlier American exams whichlead up to these. Responsibility for these American exams,taken by over 500,000 students yearly, and for United Statespreparation for the IMO, rests with the Committee on theAmerican Mathematics Competitions (CAMC). The work ofthis committee involves over 120 people and a yearly budgetof $350,000.Sponsored by 7 mathematics societies, the CAMCis administratively part of the MAA. It is one of the MAA'slargest activities.Structure and ActivitiesCAMC activity has three aspects: policy making, exami-nation construction, and administration. Policy is the con-cern of the CAMC itself. Examination construction is dele-gated to subcommittees, aided by an Advisory Panel. Admin-istration is handled by the office of the CAMC ExecutiveDirector, Professor Walter E. Mientka, in Lincoln, Nebraska,and some 80 Regional Examination Coordinators. In whatfollows, we elaborate this structure.(continued on page ii)Members of CAMC hard at work at the Toronto meetings inAugust 1982. From left to right: Stanley Rabinowitz, StephenMaurer, Michael Ecker, Richard Pieters, Nura Turner, andMelvin Woodard.ii FOCUS January-February 1986CAMC (continued from page i)The CAMC itself has 12 members: 1 or 2 representativesfrom each sponsor, the Chairman and the Executive Director,and the Chairmen of the subcommittees. The sort of policyissues which must be considered range from big ones-shallwe undertake a junior high exam (Yes!)-to small ones whichnonetheless set a tone to the work- should partially sightedstudents be allowed to use reading machines, and shouldthey be given extra time?As for subcommittees, there is one for each exam: theAmerican Junior High School Mathematics Examination(AJHSME), chaired by Thomas R. Butts of the University ofTexas-Dallas, the American High School Mathematics Exam-ination (AHSME), chaired by this author, the American Invi-tational Mathematics Examination (AIME), chaired by GeorgeBerzsenyi of Lamar University, and the USA MathematicalOlympiad (USAMO), chaired by Ian Richards of the Universityof Minnesota. Each subcommittee has 8 to 10 members.The primary responsibility of each subcommittee is to pro-duce the examinations. This is easier said than done. Exam-ination problems must be fresh, interesting, instructive, atvarying levels of difficulty from moderate to extremely hard,and completely unambiguous. Furthermore, solutions areproduced which are meant to instruct in problem-solvingtechniques and illustrate good writing style. All of this meansthat many problems and solutions must be collected andrepeatedly critiqued by people with both creative and edi-torial talents. To accomplish this, most of the exams are twoyears in the making and require many hours of each sub-committee member's time each year.Subcommittees consider policy, too-how hard its examshould be, what awards should be given, etc. While the CAMChas final say on such matters, obviously these issues cannotbe separated from examination construction. rn the case ofthe USAMO, the Subcommittee has many such issues toconsider, and a sub-subcommittee writes the examination.The Advisory Panel, consisting of 10 to 15 people, hasseveral purposes. First, it provides more input on problems.(Panel members contribute by mail, while subcommitteemembers work by mail and through meetings at nationalMAA conventions.) Second, since the talents and commit-ment needed for CAMC work are unusual and hard to eval-uate except through experience, the Panel is used as a trialground. As openings arise, people who have expressed aninterest in CAMC work, or who have been identified throughthe Sponsors, are appointed to the panel on a yearly basis.In time those who do very well are appointed to the CAMCor a subcommittee. As with other MAA committees, termsare for 3 years, with one renewal common.Finally, in addition to the subcommittees the CAMC has 3special posts: Director and Assistant Director of the TrainingSession for the IMO, and Editor of our problem-solving jour-nal, the Arbelos.AdministrationThe Executive Director, with the help of an administrativeaide, one-and-one-half secretaries, part-time help and(recently) a VAX 11/750, carries out a vast number of duties.Just answering correspondence, from a great number ofpeople around the world, is a major job. This year, we havetaken a major step towards centralization: the AJHSME, firstgiven on December 10,1985, will be ourfirst large-enrollmentexam to be scored centrally. Formulating the procedures for(continued on page v)Invitation to ParticipationAll of the committees featured here, and all otherMAA committees welcome input from MAA membersand others on matters within their charge. Individualswho wish to express their opinions, bring informationto the attention of a committee, or otherwise assist acommittee in its work, are invited to contact any mem-ber of the committee.Most MAA committees meet at one or both of thenational meetings, and many of these meetings areopen to any MAA member who wishes to attend. Forinformation about committee meetings, contact thecommittee chair.Interested In Serving on an MAA Committee?The Officers of the MAA are always looking for peoplewith the special talents needed by committees. Inter-ested individuals should write to the MAA Secretaryindicating their particular areas of interest and provid-ing information about their background. Write to: Pro-fessor Kenneth A. Ross, Department of Mathematics,University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403.CUPM Tackles Issues inUndergraduate CurriculumJerome A. GoldsteinDuring the 1950's and 1960's, the Committee on the Under-graduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM) was a major activ-ity of the MAA supported by a seccession of NSF grants.Then, after a period of relative inactivity, CUPM was revital-ized with a very intense meeting in Berkeley, California, inthe summer of 1976. Three CUPM panels were created atthis meeting. In the early 1980's these panels published reportsconcerned with a mathematical sciences major, mathematicsappreciation courses, and minimal competence in mathe-matics for college graduates.In recent years, several new CUPM panels have been cre-ated. Some remain as subcommittees of CUPM while othershave been transformed into independent MAA activities.Subcommittee on the Continuing Mathematical Educationof Teachers. The Teacher Training Panel published its finalreport several years ago. The Panel was replaced by COMET,the Subcommittee on the Continuing Mathematical Educa-tion of Teachers. COMET has been extremely energetic andinfluential. A report on its activities by Bruce E. Meserve andCalvin 1. Long appears elsewhere in this center section.COMET will break off from CUPM and become a standingcommittee of the MAA in January 1986.Subcommittee on Calculus Articulation. This subcommit-tee, which consists of four high school teachers and threecollege teachers and is chaired by Donald B. Small of ColbyCollege, has studied the nature of and problems associatedwith calculus in the secondary schools. It has just completeda draft of its final report.January-February 1986 FOCUS vSteen Forms New MAA CommitteesIn response to changing needs for MAA activity, PresidentLynn Arthur Steen has established several new committeesto explore issues of current concern. Many of these com-mittees are ad hoc and will investigate possible future activ-ities of the MAA. Some may become standing committees inthe future if their tasks appear to have continuing benefit tothe Association.Howard Anton of Drexel University is chairing an ad hocCommittee on Student Chapters to explore means (clubs,chapters) by which MAA could attract undergraduate stu-dents to mathematics and to membership in MAA. Attractingstudents to careers in mathematics is one of the most impor-tant priorities of the Association; this committee will explorevarious options for accomplishing this, and will report to theBoard of Governors with its recommendations.David P. Rosselle of Virginia Polytechnic Institute is chair-ing an ad hoc Committee on Accreditation to explore whetherMAA should undertake any special activity that would helpestablish standards for quality in undergraduate mathemat-ics departments. Many department chairmen have beenseeking assistance from the Association in strengtheningtheir hands vis a vis other programs in their institutions.Accreditation is just one of several ways of doing this. TheCommittee will explore many possible ways of achievingthese objectives, and will report its recommendations to theBoard of Governors.Bernard Madison of the University of Arkansas is chairingan ad hoc Planning Committee for a National Study ofResources for Collegiate Mathematics. The aim of this com-mittee is to submit a proposal to the National Research Coun-cil for a major national study to be undertaken jointly by theBoard on Mathematical Sciences (chaired by Michael Artinof MIT) and the Mathematical Sciences Education Board(chaired by Shirley A. Hill of the Universityof Missouri-KansasCity).A standing Committee on Membership has been estab-lished under the chairmanship of Will Hahn of South DakotaSchool of Mines and Technology. Currently only about halfof the persons teaching college and university mathematicsare members of the Association. The charge to the Com-mittee on membership is to work with the Washington staffand the officers to develop new approaches to recruitingand retaining members.President Steen has also appointed several other com-mittees for reasons of internal review of MAA activities, andmay establish several joint committees with other mathe-matical societies. Among the latter are an NCTM/MAA com-mittee to review college entrance requirements in mathe-matics, a proposed ACM/MAA committee on computer sci-ence education in college mathematics departments, a pos-sible AMS/MANNCTM task force on remediation, and apossible CBMS/MANAMS committee on opportunities forhandicapped individuals. Joint work with our sister societiesis a high priority for the MM, since the mathematical com-munity is strengthened by every example of cooperativeactivity.CAMC (continued from page ii)administering and grading the AJHSME, and getting thecomputer up and ready, has been the Executive Director'smajor activity for the past year.Every year, the Executive Director manages the prepara-tion of all brochures and manuals, the printing of all exams,and the mailing of these items plus orders for back examsand MAA problem books. He directs the computer scoringof the (lower participation) AIME, compiles the national resultsand awards for the AHSME, convenes a team of graders forthe USAMO (essay questions), and extends invitations to theUSAMO and IMO Training Session. He also does all the bud-geting and accounting.For the AHSME, which long predates modern computerpower, much of the administration is decentralized. Eachstate has one or more Regional Examination Coordinators(REC), who invite schools to participate, handle the fees,compile results in the region (usually after the schools havescored their own papers), and make sure that students getthe appropriate local awards. In some cases REC's havearranged for special awards and scholarships from busi-nesses and colleges in their areas. Many are active in visitingschools and improving the quality of education. The 65 REC'sin the U.S. and Canada are appointed by the Governors oftheir MAA Sections; there are 15 more overseas.The administrative organization is not complete withoutmention of MAA Headquarters, West Point, and Annapolis.Arrangements for the elaborate USAMO Awards Ceremonyeach June, which is funded primarily by IBM, take a gooddeal of time at Headquarters in the late spring. The IMOTraining Sessions, directed byCecil C. Rousseau of MemphisState University and Gregg N. Patruno of Princeton Univer-sity, would not be possible without grants from the Army andNavy and without the superb organization of staffs at theservice academies, where the Training Sessions are held.Finally, some administration for all the exams is handled bythe CAMC Chairman, notably personnel recommendationsand investigations of questionable scores.HistoryThe American Mathematics Competitions have come along way since 1950, when the AHSME began as a localexamination of the Metropolitan New York MAA Section.Participation rapidly grew beyond New York, and in 1955 thenational MAA agreed to provide sponsorship and adminis-trative support. At the same time, the Society of Actuariesbecame the first co-sponsor. The next co-sponsor, Mu AlphaTheta, joined in 1965, and the second exam, the USAMO,commenced in 1972. Expansion has I)een very rapid in thelast few years. Sponsors now include 1e MAA, the Societyof Actuaries, Mu Alpha Theta, the National Council of Teach-ers of Mathematics, the Casualty Actuarial Society, the Amer-ican Statistical Association, and the American MathematicalAssociation of Two-Year Colleges.For more history, more details about how the CAMC oper-ates, and information about the philosophy of the variousexams, see Maurer & Mientka, "AHSME, AIME, USAMO: TheExaminations of the Committee on High School Contests,"Mathematics Teacher, 75 (October 1982) 548-557. (The articleis out-of-date on the number of exams and the name of thecommittee.)Stephen B. Maurer is a Professor of Mathematics atSwarthmore College and is the Chairman of CAMC.

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CAMC Examines America

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