Academics

Through engaging outreach activities, we encourage students from traditionally underrepresented genders to be excited about math and science. We have events accessible to students in grades 5-12, as well as the home-schooled community, in Champaign, Urbana, and the surrounding areas.

Currently, our outreach activities include Sonia Math Day and Math Circle.

Events made possible with support from a public engagement grant from the University of Illinois Office of Public Engagement , Dr. Kay Kirkpatrick, the Association for Women in Mathematics, University of Illinois Department of Mathematics, Orpheum Children’s Science Museum, Illinois Geometry Lab, and the National Science Foundation.

Sonia Math Day

Sonia Math Day is a free, day-long female-focused outreach event for 8th-12th graders, ages 13-18, hosted by the University of Illinois Graduate Student Chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). Our goal is to encourage students from traditionally underrepresented genders to consider pursuing higher education in math and science by connecting them to peers interested in math, providing them with role models in the department, and introducing them to exciting math content outside of their regular school curriculum. For Sonia Math Day, the students engage in hands-on math activities and are provided with lunch and mathematical take-homes for each participant! Applicants of all genders are welcome to apply, and gender is not considered in admitting applicants.

It is impossible to be a mathematician without being a poet in soul.

- Sonia Kovalevsky

Math Circle

The Math Circle is a free weekly extracurricular math program for late middle school and high school students in the Champaign-Urbana area. We aim to teach advanced mathematics at a gentle pace, starting each month-long session at the level of school mathematics and developing the background, theory, and computations needed to understand more difficult and interesting results. Questions should be directed to uiucmathcircles@gmail.com or click the button below to learn more!
 

FAQ

Why should I attend Math Circle?

Math Circle allows for a comfortable and collaborative environment in which students can engage with mathematics outside of the standard—almost rote—memorization. In particular, we aim to introduce students to the fun side of mathematics, as well as work to strengthen their problem-solving abilities. As problem solving and curiosity are integral not only to mathematics but to any STEM field, Math Circle serves as an introduction to engagement with higher STEM material.

Will Math Circle help me prepare for math competitions?

While the material we cover may help you prepare for math competitions, the main goal of Math Circle is to show interesting mathematical results. Speed and computations are less of a priority than they would be for competitions.

​​​​​​​How old do I have to be to participate?

We recommend being in at least late middle school to participate, as the teaching will be geared towards students of this level of social and academic maturity.

Should I bring anything to Math Circle?

Bring something to write with; we will have paper available, but bring a notebook if you prefer.

I cannot make it to one of the classes. Will the lessons be recorded?

We will not record lessons. However, we will upload materials from class online after each class.

What kinds of topics will be covered in Math Circle?

We try to avoid covering topics that you would learn at school, in the algebra/geometry/calculus track. However, we will cover particular applications of algebra and geometry, as well as extracurricular math topics such as algorithms, combinatorics, logic, number theory, and topology.