Calculus enthusiast wins Distinguished Student Award

Aimee Jackson tackles a hard calculus problem with obvious joy and enthusiasm — but that’s her approach to most challenges.

“Part of it’s just the fulfillment of like, ‘oh, yeah, I just did that,’ sort of a thing, but a lot of it is just the applications,” Jackson said.

Jackson especially likes putting her calculus knowledge to use in everyday situations.

“In class there was a drip in the ceiling one day and we wondered if we could calculate the velocity at any given moment of that drop of water, and we did,” Jackson said.

That same enthusiasm is evident when Jackson talks about her experience last summer. She was chosen to attend a science and aerospace academy that included a trip to the NASA research center in Silicon Valley.

“We met astronauts, and we planned a mission to Mars, and it was just an incredible opportunity,” Jackson said.

Jackson began a robotics club at Madison High School. They entered a contest to program a robot for use on the International Space Station. They placed 25 out of 150 in the first round of this worldwide event.

It’s not all math and science with Jackson. She’s the yearbook editor and was also asked to make the program for the recent George Dyer concert.

“I like the programs to be polished and put together well,” Jackson said.

Jackson takes the hardest AP and Honors classes she can find, because she loves learning.

“That’s one of the aspects I like about high school — when the teacher’s passionate and when I’m challenged and I can say, ‘oh, my gosh, I learned the coolest thing in class today,’ that type of thing is what I really love,” Jackson said.