Math Whiz Kid Part of Growing Trend
of High Schoolers Tackling University Work

By Ioana Patringenaru I December 19, 2005

Michael Viscardi

Michael Viscardi started taking math classes at UCSD when he was in eighth grade. Four years later, his decision paid off, helping him win a $100,000 college scholarship — the top prize in the premier high school science competition in the nation.

Michael is exceptional, but he also is a good example of how the university serves high-achieving high school students. While these students are a rarity in graduate and upper division math classes, they can be found more easily in lower division courses, especially calculus, said Linda Rothschild, a math professor. For example, in fall 2004, five high school students took differential equations classes through UCSD Extension, said spokeswoman Jackie Carr. Three other students were enrolled in calculus, advanced calculus and analytical geometry for science and engineering.

Who takes the classes and why
Students taking UCSD classes through Extension come from several campuses, including La Jolla Country Day School, the San Diego Jewish Academy and the San Dieguito Union High School District, said Carr. The district serves neighborhoods around the university, including Torrey Pines, Encinitas, Del Mar, Cardiff, Carmel Valley and Solana Beach. A handful of students at the Preuss School also take UCSD math classes, Principal Doris Alvarez said. The campus is a college-prep charter school that serves low-income students.

There are many reasons why high school students take the classes, said Bruce Arnold, a former high school teacher who now is the director of math testing and placement at UCSD. Some have exhausted all the offerings at their school. Others want to earn college credits faster. A one-year high school course will buy you only one quarter's worth of university credit, Arnold pointed out.

Viscardi at the Siemens Westinghouse competition.

Michael's story
Michael, now 16, outsmarted his school's curriculum by fifth grade, when he became home schooled. By eighth grade, he was ready for college calculus. To enroll in UCSD classes, Michael took a math placement test — and aced it. "So they figured I was qualified," he joked recently during a phone interview while on his way to filming a "Person of the Week" segment for ABC News.

Michael started out with the university's calculus sequence for students who already completed four years of high school math. He worked his way up to graduate courses, such as differential geometry and analytical number theory. Michael's skills went way beyond high school calculus classes, said Peter Ebenfelt, the math professor who first taught him at UCSD. As a home-schooled student, Michael already was used to learning on his own. He would come every week to Ebenfelt's office hours. They didn't talk about the class. Instead, they discussed solutions to math problems that Michael had worked out on his own.

"Michael Viscardi is an exceptionally gifted student," said Ebenfelt. "In addition to being an obvious raw talent, he also has an enthusiasm for mathematics unlike anybody I have ever met. "

Peter Ebenfelt, UCSD Math Professor

Last year, Michael told Ebenfelt that he wanted to write a paper on a research problem. For six months, he worked on a 19th century math problem formulated by the French mathematician Lejeune Dirichlet. Michael discussed his progress once a week with Ebenfelt. He would get very excited when he could find answers to the questions Ebenfelt asked, the professor recalls. Finally, Michael created a theorem to solve the problem that has potential applications in the fields of engineering and physics, including airplane wing design. That solution earned him the $100,000 Grand Prize scholarship in the individual category for mathematics research with real-world engineering implications in the Siemens Westinghouse competition.

Michael said UCSD's classes were a great help, as was Ebenfeld and the other math professors he met on campus.

"This is so important," he said. "I was able to learn so much and meet great people."

Linda Rothschild, UCSD Math Professor

Other students
Michael is not the first gifted student to use UCSD's resources. Karen Acquista, who now teaches math at Boston University, was a high school freshman when she enrolled in UCSD's calculus classes. She then went to Harvard and earned a doctorate from Brown University.

"I really love what I'm doing now and I honestly don't think I'd be here if it wasn't for my experience at UCSD," she said in an e-mail. "There were a number of nurturing professors (Linda Rothschild, Audrey Terras, Ruth Williams) who were real role models for me — these are hard to come by for a woman interested in mathematics (as I discovered in college), and I'm lucky to have met them."

Acquista remembers she actually looked forward to going to her college classes. "For smart kids, high school and middle school can be a real punishment — it's good for them to see that there's life afterwards," she wrote.

Doris Alvarez, Principal of the Preuss School

Christopher Khavarian, a senior at Preuss School, said he feels the calculus class he took this year at UCSD helped him understand expectations for college students. "I know that I have to get to know the professor, go to office hours, sit in the front row," he said. That's important for Christopher, 17, who plans to become a transplant surgeon and is looking at spending the next 14 years in college. At first, the course material seemed challenging, but Christopher said the skills he learned at Preuss helped him pull through. He formed a study group with other students and that helped him understand the subject better. Finally, he got an A in the class as did the six other Preuss students taking calculus this quarter. Preuss students who take UCSD classes all seem to be doing well, Principal Alvarez said. They have an opportunity to go beyond the curriculum the school offers, she said.

"It's another wonderful example of the relationship between the university and the school," said Alvarez. "I'm just delighted that we have this chance to get our students on the campus."