April 9, 2024

Well, almost a total eclipse! Students and staff took a break from classes to enjoy the beautiful weather and watch the rare astronomical event on Yare.

eSports

IMSA's eSports team competed in a Tournament at Roosevelt University over the weekend, and Will Reynolds '25 took First Place! This tournament served as a recruiting event, where players competed in front of collegiate recruiters to gain more eSports scholarship opportunities. Congratulations to the following IMSA competitors for their impressive performances in front of the college scouts: Joseph Urbin '25 (7th Place), Ibrahim Bah '25 (Tied for 11th), and Andrew Nelson '25 (Tied for 11th)

NIU Business Olympics

Congratulations to Juniors Shridhar Mehendale, Sohum Kashyap, and Ayan Trivedi for their first-place win at the  NIUIA Valuation Challenge at the NIU College of Business Olympics.

IMSA Interns

Five IMSA students spent the year interning with Representative Maura Hischauer's office. They completed their internship with a trip to the State Capitol in Springfield. The students will give the following presentations on their experiences at IMSAloquium next week:

• "Legislative Research at the Office of the State Representative Maura Hirschauer" by Sabriya Attia '24
• "Behind the Legislative Process" by Avyay Duggirala '24
• "Representative Internship for Rep. Hirschauer" by Evan Trone '25
• "Nuclear Energy Policy with Office of Illinois House Representative Maura Hirchauers Office" by Jacob Nendza '25
• "Legislation for After School Program to Improve Literacy Rates in Elementary Education" by Ellen Hsuan '25

All Sophomores and Juniors will take the SAT/PSAT on Wednesday, April 10, in the Main Gym. All students will need charged laptops, chargers, and IMSA IDs to take their respective tests. Please eat a healthy meal before testing and take a look at the specific reminders for each test below.

Juniors - SAT with Essay

• Please report to the Main Gym at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, with your IMSA ID, laptop, and charger.
• The cafeteria will be open early on Wednesday for breakfast before the test.
• Students with morning medications: On Tuesday night, the health office will send morning doses to the Hall RC office. Students should pick up their meds from the RC before the 10 Check.

Sophomores - PSAT 10

• Please report to the Main Gym with your IMSA ID, laptop, and charger on Wednesday, April 10, at 1:00 p.m.
• Make sure to eat a healthy lunch before the test!

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Kishor Kapale, Ph.D.

Dr. Kapale is a Physics Professor from Western Illinois University. He was an integral part of the Promise 2.0 pilot program last summer and is currently part of the IMSA parent community. His research interests include Theoretical Quantum Optics, Atom Optics, and Quantum Information Science.

On April 29-30, IMSA will have Virtual Engagement Days. This allows students to return home for a longer weekend while still having the opportunity to engage in their academics and academic support remotely.  

Additional Details:  

• Virtual Engagement Days will not be regular, full class days via Zoom. Each faculty member will have an appropriate plan for their course and students, which may or may not include some synchronous meeting times via Zoom.  
• Assignments and assessments can be given and/or due on the Virtual Engagement Days.
• For attendance, if a student cannot participate in any synchronous meetings during the Virtual Engagement Days, the family must notify the Attendance Office, just as they do on a normal day of classes. 
• The Student-Parent Handbook policies for attendance still apply. If a student has an unexcused absence from a required meeting during the Virtual Engagement Days, it will be marked as such in the attendance records.
• Faculty and Academic Support (CACs, Learning Strategies Coordinator, etc.) will communicate any synchronous meeting requirements or opportunities to students as early as possible but no later than Friday, April 26, 2024.
• The B-Day (Monday) and C-Day (Tuesday) schedules will remain in place so that faculty who want to schedule synchronous meetings have a designated time to do so without creating scheduling conflicts.
• Faculty may still host office hours or drop-in Zoom time outside their regularly scheduled class times, just as they do during normal class days.

Any questions about the Virtual Engagement Days can be directed to Paul Gaszak, Dean of Academics and Equity, at pgaszak@imsa.edu. 

This event is mandatory for all Sophomores and Juniors.

April 11, 2024

8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Main Gym

The Annual Brotherhood/Sister Circle Retreat is an event open to the entire IMSA community where students come together to learn about racial injustice and inequities faced by the Black and Latinx communities. During this event, students will have the opportunity to learn about Black and Latinx empowerment and hear from members of the Black and Latinx community. Speakers include alumni, diversity professionals, and activists advancing racial equity for these communities. 

Lexington will provide breakfast. If you are interested in attending, please complete the registration form below by April 11, 2024.

The Black Student Union (BSU) is proud to present Asante, the final cultural show of the year! Students have been working hard to prepare an amazing show for the IMSA community! *There will be a dinner reception following the Student Show.

Student Show

April 19, 2024

6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.*

Parent Show

April 20, 2024

4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

BSU is still looking for parent help. If you would like, please use the links below to donate, volunteer during the reception, or help transport catering orders.

College Day, sponsored by the College and Academic Counseling Office and Parent Association Committee, is held annually and consists of a keynote speaker and presentations from college representatives. Please note that this event is only for Juniors and their families.

Stay tuned for a complete list of colleges that will be in attendance!

All sophomore students are required to attend the Student Leadership Exchange (SLX) to complete the LEAD program. SLX is a day-long event where students will present their LEAD projects surrounding social entrepreneurship, activism, and data journalism in correspondence with the UN's Sustainability Development Goals. and network with evaluators from IMSA and the wider community.

Are you looking to relieve stress, have more energy, and improve your fitness level? Join the Group Fitness classes this month!

Full Body Workout - Wednesdays at 3:15 p.m.

Strength Class - April 11 and April 25 during S&E

Classes are in the Multipurpose Room (the room next to the gym with the mirrors) unless otherwise specified. If you have any questions, email Alex Pratt (apratt@imsa.edu).

At IMSA, we desire to transform lives by transcending educational boundaries through inquiry and innovation. That's noticed through our students' advanced projects and leadership in their student-led experiences. Later this month, we will celebrate students' research and internship projects at IMSAloquium on April 17 and UN Sustainable Development Goal projects at the Student Leadership Exchange on April 24. These advanced projects often require partnerships with higher education and industry. Parents/guardians, please let me know at eglazer@imsa.edu if you can support/mentor a student at your institution and in your lab/office in the future.

We also capture evidence of our impact by learning about the innovations and contributions of our alumni. Take a look at this recent alumni profile, which offers a snapshot of information about our alumni, and read a story about social entrepreneur Jessica Droste Yagan '95. We are proud of our alumni and excited to ignite and inspire their journey beyond IMSA so they may profoundly impact society as leaders and innovators. Make sure you ask your student about a project they are completing this year that captures their inspiration and how that might fuel their next challenge or discovery.

If you have thoughts on this topic or wish me to address others, please reach out to me at eglazer@imsa.edu.

IMSA Junior Shashi Salavath's SIR project, "CARENET–A Clinical Analysis and Reporting Enhancement Network," has been accepted at the 24th International Conference on Computational Science. 

Shashi will present his work in Málaga, Spain, in July, making him the youngest presenter in the conference's history. By incorporating cutting-edge elements of modern computing, including finely-tuned large language models, semantic analysis, and HIPAA-compliant discrete-time data processing techniques, his research presents a pioneering and scalable solution for enhancing clinical decision-making processes. This approach also yields actionable insights to support proactive patient care.

Please complete the Spotlight Submission Form if you have been recently recognized in your field, celebrated for your academic or professional achievements, or are working on a project you'd like to share. If you have any questions, please contact Alex Johnson at ajohnson2@imsa.edu.

Did you know...

Eliminating paper receipts could reduce over 12 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to emissions from one million cars on the road. Printing paper receipts also consumes over 3 million trees and nearly 9 billion gallons of water.

Beyond the environmental impact, paper receipts pose health risks. According to estimates by The Ecology Center, 93% of paper receipts are coated with Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Bisphenol-S (BPS), rendering them unrecyclable. Studies have also linked BPA exposure to adverse health effects such as fetal development issues, reproductive impairment, type 2 diabetes, thyroid conditions, and other health concerns.

So, skip the receipt and go digital next time you go shopping!

Check out the new search engine from the Illinois of Gifted Children for local STEM enrichment opportunities for all ages. This search engine was developed by IMSA Senior, Michael Meng '25!

Titan To Go is a resource for students to discreetly order basic toiletries when they cannot replace them before a trip home. Students may select from the following items:



• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Toothpaste and Toothbrushes 
• Dental Floss 
• Deodorant 
• Menstrual products
• Hand soap 
• Body lotion 
• Facial tissues
• Lip balm  
• Contact lens cases

Requests are confidential and can be made by clicking on the button above. Requests received by 8:00 a.m. will be processed daily, Monday through Friday. You will pick up your items in a Smart Locker once you receive a notification that your package has been scanned in.

For more information, contact Michelle Bemis, Volunteer Coordinator for Titan To Go at mbemis@imsa.edu.

Mark Your Calendars! 

April 10 - SAT/PSAT and IMSAloquium Practice

April 13 - ACT Testing

April 17 - IMSAloquium

April 20 - College Day

April 24 - SLX/Hollister Lecture

April 28 - Halls Close at 1:00 p.m.

April 29 - 30 - Virtual Engagement Days

May 1 - Halls Open at 1:00 p.m.

ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY



1500 Sullivan Rd., Aurora, IL 60506-1000 |  630.907.5000 |  imsa.edu

To ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific

minds that advance the human condition.