# AMS Epsilon Awards for Young Scholars Programs

The Epsilon Awards for Young Scholars Programs support existing summer programs for mathematically talented high school students.The awards get their name from the word the renowned mathematician Paul Erdos (pictured below in his youth) used to describe a child: epsilon--a word used in math to denote a small quantity.

In 1999 the American Mathematical Society established the Epsilon Fund endowment to help support summer mathematics programs for mathematically talented high school students.  The name for the fund was chosen in remembrance of the late Paul Erdös, who was fond of calling children "epsilons."  The goal of the program is to aid and promote programs that support and nurture mathematically talented youth in the United States, and to make these opportunities available to the broad pool of all mathematically talented high school students living in the United States. Paul Erdos as a child.  Photo from the MacTutor History of Mathematics archive.

Awards of $2,500-$15,000 are made annually to support existing summer programs that touch hundreds of talented and highly-motivated mathematics students.  The number of programs supported each year varies.

Most Recent Award: 2021

Next Award:  July 2023