On February 24th MathHappens’ four locations were open to the public in Autin, TX at the Nature and Science Center, and Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, in Mankato, MN at the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota and in Albuquerque, NM at Explora! Matt Hertel manages the space at the Nature and Science Center and Millennium and paused a moment to record the visitor log in this photo. It really says it all – Math Rooms are for everyone, of all ages and places.
But in addition to this a team brought Mathemagic to UT Austin’s Girl Day, and another team went to provide a room of activities at the Texas A&M Math and Statistics Fair, and we also attended the fifteenth Gathering 4 Gardner conference in Atlanta.
University of Texas’ Girl Day’s organizers shared that that event impacts ~10,000 K-8th graders PLUS their over 5,000 parents, Girl Scout Troop Leaders, teachers and other chaperones. Including all volunteers and staff helping during the day, we estimate 17,000+ were engaged in STEM Girl Day in some capacity. Our contribution was a table of Mathemagic with a take home activity to make your own magician’s rods.
It was super busy and a superfun time for team members Ella Basken (team leader), Megan Do and we are welcoming our new intern Taran Kumar. What a great way to get started working for MathHappens!
Over at Texas A&M’s Math and Stat Fair, Alexa Hernandez, Jaiden Suta and Naila Hajiyeva brought activities for five tables and worked with five volunteers from A&M to provide a room of activities for this annual event.
These comments from event coordinator John Weeks were very much appreciated:
A HUGE thank you once again to all of you! I made many stops in the MathHappens room to play around, and I think many of the students did too – near the end of the event word had gotten around and it was packed! Some of our brightest students (from Math Circle and elsewhere in the community) were learning things they’d never seen before thanks to you all.
Temur (Naila’s brother who attends A&M, Alexa, Jaiden, and Naila! Great Job!
Here’s the program of five tables.
- Math Magic – selection of our favorite models: magician rods, mirror book, circle area model, rabbit trick, curry paradox, magic area, conic section, Reuleaux car
- 21st Century Pattern Blocks (2-3 boxes) with12 frames + free build – laminated examples
- Blocks Jr, bags, stickers 100 sets of 18 blocks in baggies, 20 glue sticks, table sign (in suitcase) extra laminated build signs, 2 table top sets. Jumbo cardboard for the floor.
- Curve Stitching- Lg. Wooden Display sign with rack. 3 laminated sheets with directions for a parabola – other curves similar…. Start across the shape and move around the frame., picture of water parabola.
- Spectre tiles.
We were also in Atlanta, GA attending the Gathering for Gardner, or G4G15 Conference. There were models, games, talks, magicians, card tricks, meals and conversations with new friends and old ones too. We had a great time!
