K-State math events empower youth in Kansas and beyond

Middle school students enjoy engaging activities at the 2023 Sonia Kovalevsky Day. | Download this photo.

By Marcia Locke

College of Arts and Sciences

For more than a decade, Kansas State University's mathematics department has been empowering elementary through high school students to explore mathematics and its connection to not only STEM fields but also areas like art and music.

The department offers many opportunities for students to venture outside the standard school curriculum and enjoy puzzles, games and other engaging activities with faculty members and students on campus and through virtual visits.

"Our department's philosophy is that mathematics is not a single subject but a tool of empowerment and opportunity, confidence and community," said Pietro Poggi-Corradini, professor and head of the mathematics department in the College of Arts and Sciences.

One key event offered by the department is the annual Sonia Kovalevsky Day, where middle school students enjoy hands-on math workshops and creative activities on campus. The event is named for a 19th-century mathematician who advocated for women's rights and was a pioneer for female mathematicians around the world.

"SK Day is a wonderful opportunity to show young students the powerful role that mathematics plays in advancing and enriching our world, and to enlighten them about the wide variety of career possibilities that involve mathematics," said Virgina Naibo, professor of mathematics.

The department also offers Math Circles, an enrichment program for students in grades 1-8 who have a strong interest in mathematics. Math Circles are communities focused on the enjoyment of mathematical problem-solving. Hundreds exist around the U.S., and their meetings are lively, interactive and often "funstrating," or challenging in a rewarding way, according to mathcircles.org.

One of the K-State math department's key outreach events is the annual Sonia Kovalevsky Day. | Download this photo.

K-State recently celebrated 15 years of Math Circle Seminars, which offer weekly opportunities to challenge and develop thinking skills and creativity through workshops, interactive games, creative play and inspiring presentations by math professionals.

"Our Math Circles have fostered a new generation of university students pursuing careers in technology, science and many other areas," said Natalia Rozhkovskaya, professor of mathematics.

Math competitions hosted by the department offer additional outlets for young math enthusiasts to connect with each other and have fun with math. They include Math Olympiads for students in grades 5-12; Math Kangaroo for grades K-12; American Math Competitions for grades 9-12; and the Putnam Math Competition, the Mathematical Contest in Modeling, the S.T. Parker Math Competition and the K-State Integration/Differentiation Bee for undergraduate students.

"Our department is deeply committed to engagement and outreach with the local and wider community," said Poggi-Corradini. "Faculty members and graduate students contribute significant energy and expertise to these efforts, often volunteering their personal time."

With a deep commitment to the university's land-grant mission, the math department has reached beyond state boundaries with its internationally celebrated Navajo Nation Math Circles for ten years. Through this program, Indigenous communities are offered culturally responsive activities, including summer camps, teacher workshops and school visits.

"Navajo Nation Math Circles inspire a love of learning and math and empower students to proudly identify as Navajo mathematicians by presenting math through the lens of Navajo culture," said David Auckly, professor of mathematics. "It is a privilege and joy to work with the Diné community and develop activities and mathematical puzzles, models and games to share with the people in this special place."

Auckly is working with several philanthropic organizations to have the Mathemalchemy exhibit — a unique and collaborative art exhibit exploring the beauty of mathematics — installed at the Navajo Nation Museum in Arizona and to open a permanent math room in the museum's library.

"The math department has impacted many children and communities around Kansas and the world, whether through camps, curricular design, talks, events or public partnerships," said Mary Kohn, director of K-State's Chapman Center for Rural Studies and a community engagement leader at the university. "They truly stand out at a university where so many are committed to land-grant values and a service-oriented approach to education."

###