MathPath 2024, Week one, Done

Week one of MathPath 2024 is officially on the books! Many friendships and memories have already been made and the month isn't even halfway over. A sense of fun, mathematical intrigue, and community has spread through the camp and makes us all the more excited to continue to get to know each other, tackle problems, and play games with one another. We've enjoyed some beautiful refrains, such as “O Canada,” to celebrate Canada Day, and one group’s rendition of “You Are My Sunshine,” to serenade their counselor.

Students delve deep into the math behind the game Set, a MathPath staple

Our visiting plenaries continued with Dr. Sam Vandervelde (Dr.V). His presentations included graphing groups on a projective plane, and King Alephonso's infinite advisors discerning infinitely many sequences to solve the King's puzzle. Executive Director Lara Pudwell (Prof Pudwell) enlightened us about plentiful patterns in permutations, and Academic Director Matthew DeLong (Prof D) began his presentations on quality mathematical writing. Students tackled numerous problems of the day (PoDs). PoDs must be completed individually, but there is a collective group goal to work towards filling up a thermometer with stickers. These PoDs included clever ways to hang a picture frame, highly rational and greedy pirates, and more. We also welcomed our Student Life Director Julie Vega (Dr. Vega), who led students in a discussion about building community and recognizing our shared values. In the spirit of these conversations, Dr. Vega initiated the practice of “send-ups,” in which students write kind notes praising and acknowledging their peers as well as faculty and staff.

Students proudly display their many Glen-esque creations

Our first week featured a wonderful lineup of breakouts that covered topics from number theory to origami and beyond. In Dr. Glen Van Brummelen's (Glen) "Heavenly Mathematics", students learned how people thousands of years ago used sine tables to tell time, or how they figured out how to calculate the height of a mountain using only a meter stick! Campers in Dr. Asia Matthews’s (Dr. Asia) "Origami" course engaged in some mathematically unique constructions, They folded concentric squares to make a hyperbolic paraboloid and created many different types of flexagons. In Dr. David Clark's (Dr. Clark) "Mathematics of Set", students learned how graph theory underpins the mechanics of the game, and explored it in three dimensions. They even added their own symbols to it, such as the famed Glensheep!

Sunday trip to a local alpaca farm

Beyond the classroom, students had their pick of numerous trips for Sunday. One group spent the day at a local historical site called Missouri Town Living History Museum, which featured a local tin smith, general store, and a host of animals, such as sheep, chickens, and oxen. Kansas City is famous for its incredible barbecue, so a group made sure to check out a local favorite, Q39, before taking an afternoon hike. Other trips included a showing of Despicable Me 4, Lego Land & Sea Life, the trampoline park SkyZone, YaYa’s Alpaca Farm, and the Museum of Toys and Miniatures. A favorite amongst the students was the Rush FunPlex, which included laser tag, go-karting, and a host of classic arcade games, all amidst a neon atmosphere.

A view from inside the planetarium at Science City

Finally, we finished week one with a camp-wide trip to Science City, a collection of science-based interactive exhibits inside Union Station that both delighted and sparked intrigue about everything from physics, neuropsychology, game theory, and of course, math. There was also an exhibit celebrating 100 years of Disney, as Walt Disney spent many of his formative years in Kansas City. Stay tuned for the coming week as we welcome new professors, PoDs and continue to make many wonderful memories here at MathPath!










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