A recent Mississippi State University graduate is combining his talent in mathematics with his passion for teaching to help local students improve their standardized test scores. Vijaya Krishna Dammalapati, who received his Master’s degree in mathematics from MSU this summer, has been conducting tutoring sessions at local high schools, including Starkville High School and the Mississippi School for Math and Science, teaching students techniques to improve their scores on the math section of the ACT and SAT exams.
Dammalapati was born in southern India, where he has since drawn recognition for his math skills, he said. He has developed methods for solving multiple factorial values and Fibonacci numbers. He has also been praised by Indian government officials and has been awarded scholarships and a laptop computer. He has also given demonstrations and presentations at several of India’s universities.
Dammalapati holds multiple world records in mathematics and was featured in the 1999 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records and Limca, an Indian book of records.
In one of his record-breaking math solutions, Dammalapati calculated the 2,619th route of a 6,000 digit problem in six seconds.
“The answer was a 600,000 digit number, to read a number that large it would take a human being two hours. I was 17 when I broke those records,” Dammalapati said.
Dammalapati first came to America in 2001 to demonstrate his math skills and returned in 2005 to earn his Masters.
“I had taken some math courses in India, but I feel like this is the best place [to study mathematics]. Our math department is very good and our processes are done nicely. I enjoy it very much here,” Dammalapati said.
He said he plans to expand his tutoring to adjacent states participating in workshops, and possibly conducting a math talent search similar to one Dammalapati organized in India, which drew more than 120,000 participants.
“I’ve already contacted some places, and on Sept. 23 I’m conducting a workshop at Starkville Academy,” he said. “I’m planning to contact other workshops in states like Arkansas and Louisiana.”
In addition to volunteering his math skills to local students, Dammalapati has also volunteered for the MSU Indian Student Association, which helps students from India, such as himself, become more familiar with America and make them feel more at home.
“I sometimes volunteer. When we come from India we don’t know anything [about America]. The ISA will come pick you up from the airport. When I came here someone came and arranged accommodations until I had time to adjust,” Dammalapati said.
After speaking to local teachers and seeing Mississippi’s average ACT/SAT math scores, Dammalapati said he decided to help students improve their scores.
“Mississippi’s [math score average] is last, our school district’s average is 18, and the state average is 17.8. [After seeing the statistics] I understood that I should help students study for the exams,” Dammalapati said.
Dammalapati, who works at the university’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) said that once he received his Master’s in mathematics, he contacted local school officials to see what he could do to help improve student math skills.
“[They told me] there was a summer camp going on at Henderson Intermediate School,” he said. “They gave me only half an hour [each day to teach] seventh graders, and after one week [the students] were able to calculate an eight digit number without calculators.”
Dammalapati has tutored students in math in the past. He said he first started helping students while earning his Master’s degree in computer science in his native India.
“I did these kinds of things in India when I was doing my Master’s,” he said. “I used to teach in the evenings for the kids. When I started I had only 40 students, but by the next year I had 2,000 students.”
Mukhesh Elaprolu, a computer engineering graduate student, said Dammalapati is very interested in helping young people learn about math and improve their skills.
“He is very passionate about teaching, he loves to teach,” Elaprolu said.
Dammalapati said he is excited about helping the students and that he feels optimistic about their future test results.
“I’d do this 18 or even 19 hours a day,” he said. “I like this and I feel that God has given me the ability to do these problems. I’m expecting very good scores from [the] kids.”
By volunteering his services for free, Dammalapati has impressed many local educators, including Claudia Carter, a member of the Mathematics faculty at MSMS.
“He’s been a really good influence, helping beyond just the classroom, and offering [math] skills that have been neglected,” she said. “You don’t meet many people that are this service oriented.”
Carter said students have been very positive about Dammalapati’s math tutoring.
“[The students are] very excited. They have a high regard for him, they call him the ‘Math Man,'” Carter said.
Dammalapati offers his tutoring sessions in addition to working as a programmer at CAVS.
“[Everyone at CAVS is] supporting me so much for doing this kind of educational help and planning to [include] me in education and other projects,” he said.
With the support of those around him and the inspiration of his beloved dog, Dammalapati said he hopes to help students improve their scores, which will create new opportunities for their futures.