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How was everyone’s 2024? What are everyone’s resolutions? ( Do write down in the comment section! And you can come back 1 year later to see if you made them possible!).
A Better Mathematician
Well, technically a theoretical computer scientist.
I am so grateful to be allowed to study at CMI where I can interact with so many brilliant professors, access the beautiful library and obviously discuss mathematics ( sometimes non math too ) with the students.
And this year, I want to learn more mathematics and clear my fundamentals. I have become much worse in math actually. And hopefully, read some research papers too 🙂
And discuss a lot of mathematics with other people.
However, with that whole depressing 2024 year, I have lost a lot of my confidence in mathematics. And to be a better mathematician, I should gain the confidence that I can be a mathematician. And well, I am working on that. I absolutely love this subject ( hence the domain of the blog) and I do not think this love will ever go away.
A Better Explainer
In 2024 and the beginning of 2025, I had so many great opportunities to teach talented kids! I feel I could have done a much better job at explaining but I think that is something one learns from experiences only.
- Promys India 2024: I was grateful to be part of the Counselor ( teaching assistant) at PROMYS India 2024. I got to do number theory again and this time, shared my experience and intuition with a lot of other students! I would love to come back, teach a lot more and share my knowledge again!! And of course, IISC is a very place. The students were really curious about everything. It was a fun time there.
- EGMOTC 2023,2024: I was extremely grateful to be part of the European girls’ mathematical olympiad training camp. I got to meet the best female mathletes from this country.
- Algebra-1 Teaching Assistantship: my first teaching assistantship. I was so happy to TA linear algebra. I studied lie algebra under Professor Khare. That helped me develop a better understanding and familiarity with Linear algebra. Very grateful that Professor Karnataki could trust me for this position. I ended up taking a few tutorials, grading quizzes and clearing doubts. This also helped me become closer to the first years and have a chance to interact with them!
- MOTC 2024: I was so grateful to be invited to MOTC 2024 conducted at IIT Guwahati. I got to meet a lot of budding talents from all over the northeast. I wish we could have something like this every year! A great initiative.
- Assam INMOTC 2025: I was so grateful to be invited to INMOTC 2024, which was conducted at USTM Meghalaya. I got to meet a lot of students, and they were all so interactive. It was very fun to be part of the camp. All the best to the INMO awardees.
- Tamil Nadu INMOTC 2025: I was so grateful to be invited to Tamil Nadu’s INMOTC 2024. I took a class with my senior and friend Ananya Ranade. I enjoyed taking the class with her! A new experience.
Surprisingly, a lot of people knew me from before because of my blog! I am so grateful that you all decided to spend a few minutes of your life reading this blog. I hope it helps you all in some way or the other.
Moreover, from all these experiences, I learnt a few things:
- Whenever I am taking a class, I should not just do “Problem”, “proof” “problem”, and “proof” but rather motivate the intuition behind them and how to think about the problems.
- In a class, I should focus on the students who do not interact more because they usually get left behind and are not that comfortable asking questions.
- Should be well prepared with the material
- But it is okay if I get stuck in the proof or realise I was wrong while teaching. After all, I am a human too.
- Prepare problem sets from before and give them sets at least a day prior so that the students can get sufficient time to solve them.
And I will continue learning more…
It is pretty happy how this blog is now 4 + years old. You all have watched me from becoming an INMO awardee to EGMO medalist to graduating high school to starting my college and now, I have completed half of my degree already.. Time spends by pretty quickly..
A few pictures which contain memories!
Pankaj Sir clicked this photograph. My last class at MOTC 2024.
Professor Saikia clicked this photograph.
Chennai INMOTC 2024
I received an honorarium from the Director of IIT Guwahati!
Pretty diagrams. Who would not be proud.
Assam INMOTC. Thank you so much to Dr. Prabin Das for inviting me.
Haha, I was teaching Power of Point there….
Shout out to my Secret Santa for giving such a cute gift 🙂
Hope you all enjoyed reading this post 🙂
Sincerely
Sunaina Pati
