It was an honor and a pleasure to give a colloquium address for the math campers at Texas Mathworks Honors Summer Math Camp on June 9 2023. We brought the following items for each of the students with enough for camp staff as well. In the talk we shared some of the ways we use these models for math outreach. Our ambition is for those students to be math ambassadors themselves. Items are: A logo/transformer sticker (cut it out and reassemble into a square) a which is larger optical illusion set, the new Spectre tile, a Curry triangle paradox, a proof without words that the sum of the odd numbers is the square number, a circle + square = heart linked dissection, magicians rods, and the mechanical workings of the Tusi couple. We also brought our balance scale to show how the base 3 system can be used to make a set of counterweights.
After the talk, Megan Do and I had a chance to hang out with Dr. Cody Patterson, the students and teachers.