Happenings:

Parents of Class 2019 -2020 | Volunteer at least 2 time a year | Tons of opportunity to do from home | Please show your support -3-t's: Time | Talent | Treasure 

* 63.84 % received from pledge - For pledge form detail please contact our Treasury, Ms. Ming, email mingyu1005@yahoo.com

* Parents T-shirt - Last chance to order a t-Shirt. Parent volunteers you may need one. Please contact our Senior Delegate, Ms. Lisa Cheng, at llcheng@att.net

UPCOMING EVENTS:

* International Night - OCT 27th - Our Big Day | Your Culture | Get Involved -Cultural request to be included from parents so far: 

American ; German ; Okie (Oklahoma) ; Ghana; Chinese ; Kerala -South Indian ; Iceland ; Vietnamese; Tamilnadu -South Indian ; Italian ; Bulgarian; United Kingdom ; Denmark; Filipino ;Taiwanese; Korean; and France. Please contact our Vice President Dr. Padma Velury at velury2002@yahoo.com 

* Save The Date - Friday October 19th - Next PAOSSM meeting - Library Boardroom - All parents are PAOSSM members - Parents give your support and get involved. 

Ms. VanMathy Vaudevan
President 

PAOSSM 2018-19

Open Study

"Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics is a public, residential high school committed to helping each student make the most of their future—in the classroom, in the lab, on our campus in Oklahoma City, and wherever they go after graduation."   

The faculty and staff are committed to helping each student be successful, that is why each professor helps during evening support.  Professors are available Sunday through Thursday and times run anywhere from 7-9 or 8-10.  Posted evening support helps students plan their week and take advantage of meeting with a professor for additional academic support.

Meet Dr. Janet Neufeld

Dr. Janet Neufeld joined OSSM in July.   She is a career educator of over thirty years.  Dr. Neufeld is excited about joining the staff of the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics as the Vice President of Academic Services.  She has taken a special research interest in the STEM careers of the future and how educational technology may impact coursework, research, and development of these careers.  In addition, Dr. Neufeld has enjoyed the transition to working with some of the best and brightest students and faculty in the nation.  After meeting Dr. Wang and the faculty during the interview process, she became excited about the vision for students, working with academically gifted students, and being a part of leading and guiding in a STEM environment.  In her first year, she looks forward to building relationships with the faculty, staff, and students.  As a leader in education administration, she looks forward to the ongoing development and support of a strong infrastructure for academics and policy that adapts and aligns to the vision of the OSSM stakeholders.

You will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Neufeld on September 22 at Parents Day. 

Assembly Line Up

Wednesday Assembly at OSSM is an amazing experience most high school students in Oklahoma don't get. We have the unique opportunity of partnering with the OUHSC (OU Health and Science Center) and various business leaders who support OSSM and will come and share their experiences.  We have heard from NASA astronauts, forensic scientists, cancer specialists and mechanical engineers, many are OSSM graduates.  Each speaker tells a great story and provides insight into different fields of interest.  This year we have an outstanding line up of speakers. Parents are always welcome at Wednesday Assembly from 12:40 - 1:30.  

 Sept. 12 - Teresa Rule. Pres. RNT Prof. Services, Cybersecurity

Sept. 19 - Russell Rother, Ph.D. Molecular Immunology

Oct. 3 - Thomas Hill, President & CEO Kimray

P.E. News

OSSM crew gets underway this weekend with Sunday practices from 12:00-3:00 p.m. except on extended weekends.

The Riversport Youth League Regatta is Saturday, November 10. Time will be announced at a later date.

Contact Coach Dan Vossen for more details.  dan.vossen@ossm.edu

Ultimate Frisbee Floor Competition

The second annual Dan Little Residence Hall Ultimate Frisbee Floor Tournament is scheduled for the week of September 25-28 during the 5:15 P.E. class. The bracket will be released soon.

All male and female students are encouraged to participate. 

Dorm "Floor War" competition results

With a total score of 12 points, B1 earned first place in the female division.

Second Place - B2

Third Place - D1

Fourth Place - D2

In the male division A2 finished with 11 points to capture first place.

Second Place (tie) - C1 and C2 

Third Place - A1

From the President

Message to OSSM Community:

This past summer, I flew to San Francisco (then took the BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit, train and traveled across the San Francisco Bay) and visited chemistry professor Dr. Fazlur Rahman at the University of California at Berkeley, one of the world's top research universities.  There, in a sprawling lab, I met scientists from as far away as Thailand and France, some nearly half as young as Dr. Rahman working intensely and around the clock as part of a large research team looking for ways to create artificial photosynthesis - a system that would use renewable energy to convert carbon dioxide into stored chemical energy.  

To me, what Dr. Rahman was doing exemplified the spirit of lifelong learning and teaching.  He was willing to roll up his sleeves and work alongside young post doctoral students who are just launching their research careers.  And, upon return to OSSM, he works with our students on campus and shares the knowledge gleaned from his recent research experiences with students.  

Last year, one of his students George Wang made a remarkable discovery - that it is theoretically possible for carbon to form up to seven bonds.  Prior to this announcement, a group of German scientists had shown that up to six bonds were possible.  Beginning chemistry students are shown that carbon typically forms up to 4 bonds.  Read more about this here.

Nearby, at Stanford University, one of Dr. Rahman's former students Rhiju Das, OSSM Class of 1995, serves as associate professor of biochemistry.  In probably the best letter of recommendation I have ever read, nominating Dr. Rahman for the Oklahoma Chemist Award which Dr. Rahman was awarded in 2015, Dr. Das writes that he did not take a single chemistry course after OSSM, either as an undergraduate at Harvard or in graduate school at Cambridge, yet was later offered faculty positions in the biochemistry and chemistry departments at Stanford and Harvard, respectively. 

Dr. Rahman is continuing a long legacy of working with students on research and continues that by working with seniors Dhanasheel Muralidharan, William Wang, and Howard Zhong.  Dr. Rahman has posed to his students a big and thought-provoking question:  "Why is silicon not the basis of life, rather than carbon ?"  With William and Howard, he is working with them on continuing his research at Berkeley and with Dhanasheel, he is continuing work he has done at the Oklahoma Health Science Center on anti-cancer reagents.  

Dr. Rahman is just one example of a professor on campus who provides students with an unique learning opportunity unmatched anywhere else in Oklahoma or for that matter the nation.  In succeeding articles, I hope to provide additional stories of remarkable achievements of students and alumni and profiles of the professors who helped to launch their careers.

Sincerely, 

Frank Wang

Happenings 2:

It's not quite 11:20 - lunch time.

What's the Kind Society?

The Kind Society is an organization that is committed to making a positive difference in the culture and lives of others on the OSSM campus.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

All juniors need to sign up for the October 27th ACT and the December 1st SAT. These test dates fill up so please sign up as soon as possible. 

Any questions contact Ms. Berryman

405-410-6404

Tonight is Trivia Night!

Parents Day 2018

Saturday, September 22

12-4pm

Days Agenda Click Here