We are excited to share the MathHappens @ The Bullock field trip collaboration with a cross disciplinary (history and mathematics) teacher team from Killeen ISD. As a history museum and home to La Belle, a French ship that sailed across the Atlantic in the 1600s landing in Matagora Bay off the Texas coast, The Bullock is a perfect place to
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Field Trip: Austin High Biomimicry Cross Curricular Program
We had the pleasure of providing 3 of 6 rotations for this field trip for 150 students to the Austin Nature and Science Center. Students are learning about biomimicry. That is looking to strategies and physical formations in nature to develop ideas for engineering and invention in the man made world. Station 1: Voronoi Regions in turtle shells, dragonfly wings,
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Partner Spotlight: Workshop visit with Kim Kinder from Cuba, MO
Kimberly Kinder is a high school math teacher who is really passionate about bringing new learning experiences for her students. She drove 12 hours to come to Austin because she’s really interested in making some of the models we have and in making her own. We are really excited about supporting her work. Kimberly not only selected some models and
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MathHappens @ Los Angeles Maker Faire
April 1st, 2023 We staffed a booth at Maker Faire Los Angeles. We brought some of our favorite models, activities and giveaways and we were also able to bring the brand new Hat Tile or Mono Tile newly discovered by an amateur mathematician. Intern Ella Basken made the trip and did an outstanding job representing with the team. Read Ella’s
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Partner Spotlight: Math Events using our Materials and Ideas
We love partnerships that offer opportunities to learn to everyone! We are so pleased to have received an email and a link to a presentation about a math evening planned in part with our materials. The organizer shared some ways she used our materials and we can see them in the slide show she created. We highly recommend Blocks
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Take and Make: First Versions of Hat Tiles and 21st Century Pattern Block Frames for Hat Tiles
Here are the CAD files we have so far. You should find AI, CorelDraw, SVG and EPS in these folders. We are not finished putting info on the puzzles, etc, so they are “drafts”. Please help yourself: Hat Tile Frames for Pattern Blocks: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZjuZCc3k03KoHrcOjYicwiu5ZTaVfUB1?usp=sharing Hat Tile puzzle and/or Print Sheet https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/177BM6RlwbfdT-kX7dUzWYCxD8hpxH34g?usp=sharing Find links to other frames for 21st Century Pattern
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Networking: IEEE Conference, Baltimore MD
This conference was a great opportunity to meet some bright young people running poster sessions, hear some talks on NSF initiatives in STEM education and network with other exhibitors all in the John’s Hopkins Physics Building. Matt Hertel, coordinator of the MathHappens Room at Austin Nature and Science Center and MathHappens Co-Founder and board member Phil Siegel were both there.
Cedar Creek STEAM Day
It was great to return to Cedar Creek Elementary March 3, one year later with Matt Hertel, Megan Do, and Quan Nguyen. The students do all of their math work on iPads and lessons are taught on a smart board so we were excited to bring them some physical activities. Fourth graders had a chance to explore the 21st Century
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2023 MathHappens @ STEM UT Girl Day!
MVP Mason Chng and event dream team: Stefany Espinoza, Megan Do, Ella Basken, Laura Choi, Naila Hajiyeva spent the day on the 2nd floor of Wel on the University of Texas Campus for STEM Girl Day. Mason has been preparing the activity for Girl Day for months in and between our other projects, and the whole MathHappens Team pitched in.
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The Math Room: One Year at Austin Nature and Science Center
On site in Austin to celebrate on Feb 18: Teacher Julie Wu, MH Admin Melissa Wilkinson and Lauren Siegel; UT and UTeach students Ella Basken, Matt Hertel, Laura Choi and Quan Nguyen; Stefany Espinoza and Marianne Villanueva. Matt has managed the room since June 2022. Putting a math room in a public place of play, learning and nature is a
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