5 Scenes from the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering

Chris NhoEvents

Greetings from the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering! On Saturday, March 1, 2025 MathHappens debuted in San Diego. We played non-stop with thousands of visitors at Petco Park from 10 AM to 5 PM! Check out these 5 scenes that we caught on camera. Scene 1: Photo Op! After a young boy made a hat out of Geometiles,

Impossible Cylinder

Melissa WilkinsonMaking Math, Math Rooms, We think math is fun!, Written by Jordan Varat

The Impossible Cylinder is a new model we recently made in our workshop and added to our Math Rooms and exhibits.  It has been well received by people of various ages, which we love and think makes for a fun addition to our spaces. The impossible cylinder illusion, also known as the Ambiguous Cylinder Illusion, works by tricking the brain

Remote Intership- Gears by Cole Parsons

Melissa WilkinsonCommunity, Intern Experience, Making Math, Remote internship, Schools, We think math is fun!, Written by Cole Parsons

MathHappens has been growing, and we now have locations in four states!  We have partners, employees, and interns working in Texas, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Washington, but we still love being able to offer our remote internship experience to students in any state! This past fall and winter, I had the pleasure of working with Cole Parsons, an engineering student

Today’s Date with Jack and Jill

Lauren SiegelWe think math is fun!

We were invited recently to a STEAM Fair in Minneapolis. It took place Saturday, January 25 and was sponsored by a local chapter of Jack and Jill of America, an organization dedicated to nurturing future African-American leaders by working with children and their mothers.  We brought most of our usual favorites—such as butterfly puzzles, and Block by Block, Jr. (a

The Surrounding Game

Lauren SiegelIntern Experience, Making Math, We think math is fun!

Two diagrams. On the left, a blue circle is surrounded by six yellow circles, with gaps between the points of tangency. On the right, a blue square is surrounded by yellow squares, which are then surrounded by a ring of blue squares.

MathHappens intern Asa Grumdahl is interested in Heesch numbers.  Unfortunately, a formal presentation of Heesch numbers and questions surrounding them is too complicated as a starting place to engage the general public. The question then was “How might we engage novices in this sophisticated bit of mathematics?” Step one was to name this activity we were designing. “The Surrounding Game”

Fall Teacher Workshop Hosted by Matt Hertel

Lauren SiegelCommunity, Making Math, Teacher Support & Training, We think math is fun!

What happens when Mardi Nott, Austin High School Math Department Chair, Academic UIL Coordinator, Mu Alpha Theta Sponsor, Calculator Applications Coach, President of Austin Area Council of Mathematics, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Benin ’91-’94), Member of: Delta Kappa Gamma, PEO, and Epsilon Kappa Omicron member brings a group of teachers to MathHappens Headquarters on a Saturday in mid November? They

MathHappens @ Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park, Dallas, TX

Lauren SiegelCommunity Partnerships, Math Rooms, Museum, Nature & Science Center, Parks & Recreation, We think math is fun!

Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas is a great place!  Their vision is “to provide a safe and natural oasis where the Dallas Community and other visitors can have fun while they Explore, Experience, Entertain, and Educate themselves.”  We  are very excited to be a part of it.  Find out more on their website. From 11 am