AlphaStar Academy, founded and operated by former Olympians, channels their passion and expertise to train the next generation of gifted students. With a successful history of organizing numerous events, we are dedicated to fostering talent in mathematics and computer science.
Our experienced and dedicated Bay Area coaches—Dr. Ali Gurel and Mehmet Kaysi in mathematics, and Dr. Fatih Gelgi in computer science, programming, and machine learning—are eager to host and organize events for talented students. We invite you to request an event and join us in nurturing the talents of gifted students.
This form is for requesting free in-person math and computer science events in the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA), aimed at increasing interest, providing contest training, and exploring interesting and fun topics.
How to prepare for the USA Computing Olympiad?
Date/time: November 14th @ 5:00-6:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Format: Zoom Webinar
Tentative Agenda:
- What is the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO)?
- Regular Computer Science Courses vs USACO Prep
- The changes in USACO in the last few years
- How to prepare for USACO?
- Q&A Session
Audience: Parents and student who are new to or currently preparing for USACO.
Speaker: Fatih Gelgi, Ph.D.
- AlphaStar Co-founder and Computer Science Director (since 2017)
- Ph.D, Computer Science, Arizona State University (2007)
- International Olympiad in Informatics (1999: Bronze Medal)
- USA Computing Olympiad Coach (2006-2014)
- Olympiad in Informatics Turkish National Team Coach (1999-2003)
- Computer Science Olympiad Coach for 20+ years
How to prepare for the USA Computing Olympiad?
Date/time: September 19th @ 5:00-6:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Format: Zoom Webinar
Tentative Agenda:
- What is the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO)?
- Regular Computer Science Courses vs USACO Prep
- The changes in USACO in the last few years
- How to prepare for USACO?
- Q&A Session
Audience: Parents and student who are new to or currently preparing for USACO.
Speaker: Fatih Gelgi, Ph.D.
- AlphaStar Co-founder and Computer Science Director (since 2017)
- Ph.D, Computer Science, Arizona State University (2007)
- International Olympiad in Informatics (1999: Bronze Medal)
- USA Computing Olympiad Coach (2006-2014)
- Olympiad in Informatics Turkish National Team Coach (1999-2003)
- Computer Science Olympiad Coach for 20+ years
AlphaStar Online USACO Camp Training
This is a 2-day FREE online warm-up camp for USACO National Camp. The camp is composed of 3 exams at USACO national camp / IOI level and lectures lead by renowned instructors Kamil Debowski (a.k.a. Errichto), Bruce Merry, and Osman Ay.
If you’re a USACO finalist or a serious USACO Platinum student who aims to be a finalist in upcoming years, you can sign up and join us at: https://forms.gle/3ag9y6Yf3xCRraus5
Only USACO Platinum or Codeforces 2000+ contestants are eligible to signup for the camp.
Schedule (times are in Pacific time)
May 11, 2024 (Saturday)
(For all audience)
- 9:30-12:30 Exam – 1 (difficulty: moderate)
- 12:30-1:15 Exam – 1 discussion (with Errichto and Bruce Merry)*
- 1:15-2:00 Lunch break
- 2:00-5:00 Exam – 2 (difficulty: moderate)
- 5:00-5:45 Exam – 2 discussion (with Errichto)*
May 12, 2024 (Sunday)
(For Holsteins)
- 9:30-2:30 Exam – 3 (difficulty: hard – camp/IOI level)
- 2:30-3:30 Lunch break
(For Guernseys & Platinum)
- 9:30-1:15 Selected camp topics & problems – 1 (expected value, randomized algorithms with Errichto)*
- 1:15-2:00 Lunch break
- 2:00-3:00 Selected camp topics & problems – 2 (centroid decomposition with Errichto)*
- 3:00-3:30 Read/understand exam – 3 problems (with Osman)*
(For all audience)
- 3:30-4:45 Exam – 3 discussion (with Errichto)*
(*) sessions will be recorded.
NOTE: Camp accounts and instructions will be emailed to the enrolled students a few days before the camp.
Instructors
Kamil Debowski (a.k.a. Errichto)
- Coach of IOI and ICPC gold medalists
- Author of 300+ problems (e.g. Codeforces)
- Chief judge of national and international contests
- Educational YT channel “Errichto Algorithms” (300k subs)
- Codeforces – max Legendary Grandmaster
- 2nd place in Google Code Jam
- Finalist of Hacker Cup, Topcoder Open, ICPC, Google Hash Code
- Winner of CERC, Reply, CERC, Google Kickstart
Bruce Merry
- Software developer, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory
- Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Cape Town (2007)
- IOI – ’96 ’97 ’98 Bronze, ’99 Silver, ’00 ’01 Gold
- Google Distributed Code Jam Winner (2015, 2016)
- ICPC, Topcoder Open, Code Jam, and Hacker Cup Finalist
- USACO Coach Assistant
- IOI Judge
- ICPC World Finals Judge
Osman Ay
- AlphaStar Computer Science Instructor (2021-present)
- M.S. in Computer Education and Instructional Technology (2012)
- Coach Assistant of USACO (2004-2009)
- World Finals Judge, ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (since 2002)
- Experience in Computing Olympiads as a teacher, coach, problem writer and judge (since 1997)
- Authored several Computer Science and programming books.
USACO Seminar Series
The seminar series is about how to prepare for USA Computing Olympiad (USACO).
Format: 45-minute online Zoom webinar. Presentation followed by a Q&A session.
| Seminar | Speaker | Date / Time (PT) | Audience | Registration |
| Regular Programming Courses vs USACO Programming | Alexander Moreira, M.S. | Jan 31st 5:30 – 6:15 PM |
Parents, Students who are new to programming, or know programming and want to participate in USACO |
Expired |
| How to Prepare for USACO Bronze Contest? | Fatih Gelgi, Ph.D. | Feb 6th 5:00 – 5:45 PM |
Parents, Students who are competing or want to compete in USACO Bronze division |
Expired |
| How to Prepare for USACO Silver and Gold Contests? | Osman Ay, M.S. | Feb 14th 5:00 – 5:45 PM |
Parents, Students who are competing or want to compete in USACO Silver or Gold division |
Expired |
MATHCOUNTS CHAPTER & STATE TRAINING DAYS
Join for a day full of practice for MathCounts Chapter and State competitions with exam strategies, problem solving, and fun countdown activities.
Instructor: Ali Gurel, Ph.D.
Location: AlphaStar Main Office (100 Saratoga Ave. #100, Santa Clara, California)
Fee: Free
Eligibility: The course is approval based. The following students are eligible:
- AlphaStar Ramanujan Master Course Student
- Selected for MathCounts chapter competition or Former MathCounts State qualifier
(MathCounts coach should verify by filling out this form) - AIME qualifier (send a screenshot of your report to info@alphastar.academy)
We have limited space! Applications will be processed on a rolling basis until the class is full.
The same training is offered at different dates.
Lunch is not provided. Students should bring their own lunch.
| Dec 26th, 9AM – 5PM | Expired |
| Dec 28th, 9AM – 5PM | Expired |
AMC 10/12 Training Tips and Strategies
- How to effectively train for AMC 10/12
- How to increase exam performance and minimize silly mistakes
- AlphaStar Offerings for AMC 10/12
- Q&A
If you have similar questions, join Dr. Gurel, a former AMC Advisory Panel member and a Silver medalist in the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Audience: Students training for the upcoming AMC 10/12 competitions and their parents
Speaker: Ali Gurel, Ph.D.
Format: Online Zoom webinar. Presentation followed by a Q&A session.
| Date | Time (PT) | Registration |
| October 21, 2023 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM | Expired |
Regular Programming Courses vs USACO Programming
This seminar is focusing on the difference between regular programming and the programming skills required in the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO), and how to learn programming geared towards USACO efficiently.
Audience:
- Parents,
- Students who are new to programming or know programming, and want to participate in USACO contests.
Speaker: Alexander Moreira, M.S.
Format: 45-minute online Zoom webinar. Presentation followed by a Q&A session.
| Date | Time (PT) | Registration |
| Sep 13, 2023 | 5:00 – 5:45 PM | Expired |
Preparing for Elementary School Math Competitions
- Information about elementary school math competitions such as Noetic, Math Kangaroo, MOEMS, and Pi Math Contest
- Tips and Strategies for training
- AlphaStar Resources for elementary school students
- Q&A
Audience: Parents of students in grades 2-5
Speaker: Ali Gurel, Ph.D.
Format: Online Zoom webinar. Presentation followed by a Q&A session.
| Date | Time (PT) | Registration |
| Jul 24, 2023 | 5:30 – 6:30 PM | Expired |
AMC 8 Training Tips and Strategies
- How to effectively train for AMC 8
- How to increase exam performance and minimize silly mistakes
- AlphaStar Resources for AMC 8
- Q&A
If you have similar questions, join Dr. Gurel, a former AMC Advisory Panel member and a Silver medalist in the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Audience: Students training for the upcoming AMC 8 competitions and their parents
Speaker: Ali Gurel, Ph.D.
Format: Online Zoom webinar. Presentation followed by a Q&A session.
| Date | Time (PT) | Registration |
| July 25, 2023 | 5:30 – 6:30 PM | Expired |
AMC 10/12 Training Tips and Strategies
- How to effectively train for AMC 10/12
- How to increase exam performance and minimize silly mistakes
- AlphaStar Offerings for AMC 10/12
- Q&A
If you have similar questions, join Dr. Gurel, a former AMC Advisory Panel member and a Silver medalist in the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Audience: Students training for the upcoming AMC 10/12 competitions and their parents
Speaker: Ali Gurel, Ph.D.
Format: Online Zoom webinar. Presentation followed by a Q&A session.
| Date | Time (PT) | Registration |
| July 31, 2023 | 5:30 – 6:30 PM | Expired |
In-Person MATHCOUNTS State Training
Description:
The event will have Sprint, Target, and Countdown round practice. It will use a practice test set from the book MATHCOUNTS Practice Tests for State Competition published on Amazon by AlphaStar Academy.
Students will take a Sprint test and a Target test on paper at the AlphaStar Academy Main Office. After the exams, solutions will be demonstrated in class by the Instructor. The session will end with Countdown round practice.
Audience: Students training for the MATHCOUNTS State Competition
Address: AlphaStar Academy Main Office
100 Saratoga Ave. Suite 100, Santa Clara, CA 95051
Instructor:
- AlphaStar Co-founder and Math Director (since 2017)
- Ph.D., Mathematics, Caltech (2008)
- International Mathematical Olympiad (1996: Silver Medal)
- American Mathematics Competitions Advisory Panel Member (2008-2012)
- USA Math Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP) Instructor (2007-2012)
- Scott Russell Johnson Prize for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, Caltech (2007)
- Math Olympiad Coach for 25+ years
| Date | Time (PT) | Registration |
| March 19, 2023 | Session 1*: 8:30AM – 12:30PM
Session 2*: 1:00PM – 5:00PM |
Expired |
(*) Note: The two sessions offered above will use the same materials.
In-Person AIME Practice Test & Solutions
Description:
The in-person AIME Practice Test is one of the four tests used in the AIME Practice Tests Course. The tests used in this course are published as a hard copy book on Amazon AIME Practice Tests: Volume 1 by AlphaStar Math Development Team.
Students will take one of these tests on paper at the AlphaStar Academy Main Office. After the exams, solutions will be demonstrated in class by the Instructor.
Note: The two sessions offered below will use the same test.
Audience: Students training for the upcoming AIME
Instructor:
- AlphaStar Co-founder and Math Director (since 2017)
- Ph.D., Mathematics, Caltech (2008)
- International Mathematical Olympiad (1996: Silver Medal)
- American Mathematics Competitions Advisory Panel Member (2008-2012)
- USA Math Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP) Instructor (2007-2012)
- Scott Russell Johnson Prize for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, Caltech (2007)
- Math Olympiad Coach for 25+ years
Format: Students will take the test on paper to have a similar environment setting to the official AIME. After a short break, the instructor will demonstrate the solutions.
Address: AlphaStar Academy Main Office
100 Saratoga Ave. Suite 100, Santa Clara, CA 95051
| Date | Time (PT) | Registration | |
| Session 1* | Jan 28, 2023 | 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM | Expired |
| Session 2* | Jan 28, 2023 | 12 – 5 PM | Expired |
(*) Note: The two sessions offered above will use the same test.
AMC 10/12 Training during the Last Month
Description:
- How to effectively train during the last month
- Which topics to focus on?
- How to increase exam performance?
- How to minimize silly mistakes?
If you have similar questions, join Dr. Gurel, a former AMC Advisory Panel member and a Silver medalist in the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Audience:
Students training for the upcoming AMC 10/12 competitions and their parents
Speaker:
- AlphaStar Co-founder and Math Director (since 2017)
- Ph.D., Mathematics, Caltech (2008)
- International Mathematical Olympiad (1996: Silver Medal)
- American Mathematics Competitions Advisory Panel Member (2008-2012)
- USA Math Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP) Instructor (2007-2012)
- Scott Russell Johnson Prize for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, Caltech (2007)
- Math Olympiad Coach for 25+ years
Format:
Online Zoom meeting. A presentation will be given followed by a Q&A session.
| Date | Time (PT) | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| October 1, 2022 | 1:00 - 1:50 PM | Expired |
| October 1, 2022 | 2:00 - 2:50 PM | Expired |
| October 8, 2022 | 1:00 - 1:50 PM | Expired |
| October 8, 2022 | 2:00 - 2:50 PM | Expired |
AMC 8 Training during the Last Month
Description:
- How to effectively train during the last month
- Which topics to focus on
- How to increase exam performance
- How to minimize silly mistakes
If you have similar questions, join Dr. Gurel, a former AMC Advisory Panel member and a Silver medalist in the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Audience: Students training for the upcoming AMC 8 competitions and their parents
Speaker:
- AlphaStar Co-founder and Math Director (since 2017)
- Ph.D., Mathematics, Caltech (2008)
- International Mathematical Olympiad (1996: Silver Medal)
- American Mathematics Competitions Advisory Panel Member (2008-2012)
- USA Math Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP) Instructor (2007-2012)
- Scott Russell Johnson Prize for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, Caltech (2007)
- Math Olympiad Coach for 25+ years
Format: Online Zoom meeting. A presentation will be given followed by a Q&A session.
| Date | Time (PT) | Registration |
| Dec 21, 2022 | 5 – 5:50 PM | Expired |
| Dec 21, 2022 | 6 – 6:50 PM | Expired |
