Texas Instruments honors math heroes in new, nationwide contest, "Spread the Math Love"

Meet the first winner who inspired a Naval Academy recruit to use numbers to defend her country

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May 28, 2019, 13:07 ET

DALLAS, May 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- While the school year may be coming to an end, a new contest aimed at spreading the love of math is just getting started. Through September, Texas Instruments (TI) is asking people across the country to recognize the parents, teachers and mentors who inspired their passion for numbers for a chance to grant them a math wish. So far, Texas Instruments has received more than 800 entries in the "Spread the Math Love Contest" for a chance to make someone's math dreams come true.

Texas Instruments today surprised the winner of the Spread the Math Love contest, Calculus teacher Glenn Marr from Park Vista Community High School, just outside of Palm Beach, Florida. High school senior Faith Southwick, who is the first person in her school’s history to receive an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, nominated Mr. Marr for inspiring her love of math and helping to facilitate her military career.

Today, TI surprised the first winner of the contest, Calculus teacher Glenn Marr from Park Vista Community High School, just outside of Palm Beach, Florida. High school senior Faith Southwick, who is the first person in her school's history to receive an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, nominated Mr. Marr for inspiring her love of math and helping to facilitate her military career.

"I can honestly say that I may have never chosen this path, or been able to succeed, without the mentorship of Mr. Marr. His mathematical abilities, which are remarkable on their own, are far outweighed by his passion for teaching calculus," wrote Southwick. Having dreamed of serving her country since she was 11 years old, Southwick plans to pursue a nuclear engineering degree at the academy. "For the next 20 years of my life, I will be using the momentum created by my two years in Mr. Marr's class, and my passion for math, to help defend the United States. I am extremely grateful to Mr. Marr for inspiring me, and others, in the way he has and I hope to inspire others in the future in a similar way."

For his prize, Texas Instruments will fly Mr. Marr to San Francisco, California this summer, along with his wife, for a tour of the Exploratorium, a renowned collection of exhibits that draw together science, art, and human perception. "I can't believe it, this is a dream come true, definitely the best day I've ever had as a teacher," said Marr, who has been teaching mathematics at Park Vista Community High School for the past 15 years and has taught Southwick for the past 2 years. "The fact that she is going to be able to go to the US Naval Academy and I was a small part of that, it's unbelievable."

The Exploratorium donated the tours to help fulfill Mr. Marr's math wish. There will be four additional "wish" winners through September. Help spread the love of math by recognizing and giving back to the person who helped you build a relationship with numbers. Honor them by sharing your math story for a chance to help them win a math wish at: https://education.ti.com/mathlove.

About Texas Instruments:

Education Technology, a business of Texas Instruments, provides a wide range of tools connecting the classroom experience with real-world applications, helping students and teachers to explore mathematics and science interactively. TI's products and services are tested vigorously against recognized third-party research, which shows that the effective use of graphing calculators improves the mathematical skills of students and their attitudes toward mathematics. For more information, visit www.education.ti.com.

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company that develops analog ICs and embedded processors. By employing the world's brightest minds, TI creates innovations that shape the future of technology. TI is helping more than 100,000 customers transform the future, today. Learn more at www.ti.com.

SOURCE Texas Instruments