Akamai Foundation Announces 2004 Grants to Support Math Education Initiatives Nationwide.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000 college scholarships to be awarded to country's top high school math students

The Akamai Foundation, dedicated to fostering excellence in math education in the United States (grades K-12), today announced its 2004 grants. This year, the foundation is making four major grants, including:

--$145,000 to the Mathematical Association of America 

--$33,000 to the Media and Technology Charter High (MATCH) School of Boston

--$30,000 to the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute 

--$20,000 to support the broadcast of "N is a Number"

The Akamai Foundation, established in 2000 by Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the global leader of distributed computing solutions and services, and funded solely by Akamai executives, employees and individuals outside the company, promotes mathematics education in grades K-12 and the pursuit of excellence in mathematics to encourage America's next generation of technology innovators.

The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) has had a long-term relationship with the Akamai Foundation. This year's grant will support two major initiatives. The first is the allocation of $45,000 to fund the Akamai Foundation Scholarships. These scholarships will be given to the three high school students who have the top scores in the 2004 United States of America Mathematical Olympiad. College scholarships of $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000 will be awarded by the Foundation at the 33rd Annual U.S.A. Mathematical Olympiad Awards Ceremonies to be held this evening in Washington D.C. The second initiative is the allocation of $100,000 to support the 2004 Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP), enlarging the program from 30 to 60 top high school students who participate in an intensive summer math program.

Tina Straley, Executive Director of the MAA, said, "We are most appreciative of the Akamai Foundation's willingness to devote significant support to this important program. We are striving to make our country's success in mathematics, and the public's interest, rise to the highest levels in the world. This vital support will help us to increase the awareness and success of U.S. math students."

George Conrades, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Akamai and an Akamai Foundation Founder, said, "The MAA's summer program is akin to the grooming programs for elite athletes hoping to compete in the Olympics. By training up-and-coming math students, the MAA encourages the next generation of mathematicians. Studies have shown that mathematics proficiency for U.S. students in grades K-12 is substantially lower than for counterparts in other countries. Narrowing this gap is critical when you consider the vital role mathematics plays in today's high-tech economy."

The grant to the MATCH School of Boston is part of a three-year, $100,000 total commitment by the Akamai Foundation to fund the capital requirements for construction of the Akamai Math Classroom. The classroom houses an innovative curriculum that emphasizes math as absolutely critical to the future success of inner city students who participate in MATCH's ground-breaking program aimed at preparing students for success in college.

Michael Goldstein, MATCH's CEO, stated, "The need for more math majors at the college level, especially among women and minorities, is pressing. Only through a rigorous reform of high school math and science education can we meet this national need. This investment in public education by the Akamai Foundation not only helps MATCH provide top-notch math education to its students from across Boston, but also allows us to collaborate with graduate and undergraduate students from local universities, including M.I.T., Harvard, and Boston University, to create cutting-edge math programs."

Paul Sagan, President of Akamai and an Akamai Foundation Founder, said, "Math innovation has always been, and continues to be, at the heart of Akamai's mission, so this grant to MATCH helps to promote mathematics education and excellence among the next generation of technology innovators, inspiring young people locally to embrace math."

The grant to the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) will fund a three-day conference to create a national network of Math Circles - local math education initiatives that teach math to young people in innovative and inspirational ways.

David Eisenbud, MSRI's Director, said, "The Akamai Foundation's support will allow us to bring together people from throughout the country who have developed Math Circles and Math Links programs or who have been involved in Olympiad training, as well as those interested in developing them. The purpose of Math Circles is to identify and cultivate mathematical talent through challenging programs led by academic research mathematicians. There are several successful programs today and our goal is to broaden that success and expand these programs to reach many more young students."

Conrades added, "This new relationship with the MSRI is another pillar in the Akamai Foundation's overall mission to directly and indirectly impact students who are excited about mathematics. The Akamai Foundation is excited to support this group of highly motivated educators to create a national network of Math Circles."

The grant to the Film Arts Foundation enabled the airing of the "N is a Number" for broadcast on PBS stations through American Public Television (APT), where it continues to be aired through 2006. George Csisery, Director of "N is a Number," said, "Being able to air a program such as "N is a Number" is an important step in reaching a mainstream audience with a non-mainstream subject - mathematics. The film, which is a wandering documentary capturing the essence of mathematician Paul Erdos, follows him through four countries as he continues his metaphysical battle with God to discover the secrets of the universe. Thanks to the Akamai Foundation thousands of viewers were educated on this important figure."

Tom Leighton, Akamai's Co-founder and Chief Scientist and an Akamai Foundation Founder, said, "The Akamai Foundation was pleased to be able to support George Csisery's endeavor. As a mathematician, I am keenly aware of the challenge of reaching the general public with the "magic of math." It was very gratifying to know that our contribution helped make this possible."

About the Akamai Foundation

The Akamai Foundation was established in 2000 by Akamai Technologies, Inc., the global leader of distributed computing solutions and services, and is funded solely by Akamai executives, its employees and individuals outside the company. The Akamai Foundation is dedicated to excellence in mathematics, with the aim of promoting math's importance and encouraging America's next generation of technology innovators.

About the MAA

The Mathematical Association of America is the largest professional society of college and university mathematics teachers in the world. Today, MAA's 30,000 members include college and university faculty, two-year college faculty, high school teachers, government and corporate workers, graduate school faculty, research mathematicians, and graduate and undergraduate students.

About the MATCH School

The Media and Technology Charter High (MATCH) School, (www.matchschool.org), is a college-preparatory focused charter public high school that prepares urban youth from Boston to attend and excel in college.

About the MSRI

The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) exists to further mathematical research through broadly based programs in the mathematical sciences and closely related activities.