MathFinder Community Newsletter
December 2023
#MathfinderMoment
Here is where we share the math we found in the places we go!
We want to hear from you!
Take a look at our photo and our question below – and please respond to our question in the Comments section.
How quickly do hippos grow?
After commenting, click here to watch us determine the answer! Please also share any additional math-related questions you may have about this image. We all have different questions – that’s what makes this all so fascinating.
In future newsletters, we will be profiling your Mathfinder moments! Please share your photos from the places you go (could be anywhere) and your mathfinder questions with us here.
Events
We recently ran our inaugural MathFinder @ Dallas Zoo Research Camp, for about 50 children on November 20-22. Here is a news segment covering the camp!
Partner Spotlight: GEMS
The GEMS Camp School Club at the MLK Jr. Community Center in South Dallas is buzzing with energy as one of our nine partner sites. Girls have been meeting regularly every Monday through Thursday, delving into a variety of educational and fun STEM activities. The dedicated
team of mentors and educators is committed to providing a well-rounded experience for all participants. From exciting science experiments to podcasting, The GEMS Camp at South Dallas covers a broad spectrum of subjects to ignite curiosity and passion for learning, empowering underrepresented girls in South Dallas with year-round access to community-based, culturally relevant STEM learning. The MLK Jr. Community Center serves as a hub for our activities, allowing us to create a supportive and vibrant community. We encourage members to bring their unique perspectives and experiences, creating a rich tapestry of shared knowledge and understanding.
This past month, our girls explored mathematical concepts in the great outdoors, using iPads to capture and interact with real-world applications of math. The project culminates with girls filming their four math walk stops to contribute to the MathFinder project online video library. Stay tuned for the girls’ Math Walk stops on video coming soon!
Project Updates
Conference Attendance & Publications
L to R: Marc Sager, Saki Milton, Lin Lipsmeyer
Koshi Dhingra, Saki Milton, Anthony Petrosino, and Marc Sager from the MathFinder team attended the CIRCLS convening in Washington DC in November 2023. The paper presented therein was co-written by talkSTEM and SMU team members, and can be read here. We are grateful to Dr. Lin Lipsmeyer, Chair of the Dept. of Teaching and Learning at SMU Simmons, for inviting us to participate in this event.
There have also been two new MathFinder publications in recent months, which will be available for public access in the near future:
Sager, M.T., Sherard, M.K., Milton, S., Walkington, C., & Petrosino, A. (accepted). Rising in the ranks!: Learning math or playing games? Frontiers in Education.
Milton, S., Sager, M. T., & Walkington, C. (2023). Understanding racially and ethnically minoritized girls’ perceptions of their STEM identities, abilities, and sense of belonging in a summer camp. Education Sciences, 13(12), 1183. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13121183
Map Artwork
MathFinder maps designed by Artist Julie McLaughlin are being completed. Here are the maps and we are excited that our partner sites are coming up with ways to use them to grow awareness in their communities. View these maps here!
Partner Sites Are Now Invited to Develop Additional Math Walk stops on their Sites.
Here is an example developed by Marcie Haley from our partner site, Twelve Hills Nature Center. The process was quick and simple and we appreciate Marcie for her great idea for a new math walk stop! Watch her TikTok to learn about the bois d’arc tree and its thorns!
We invite you to partner with talkSTEM to create new math walk stops that can add to the MathFinder experience at your site. The videos we create are short and downloadable so they can be added to our YouTube video library and to the Otocast app so they can serve as additional math walk stops on your app-guided tours using Otocast. Use this guide to collaboratively create new videos with us. It’s a great way for us to partner – your knowledge about your place plus our support in producing the video makes it easy!
NOTE: We will provide a stipend for each partner site who collaborates with us in this way.
Use THIS GUIDE to connect with us and to create new math walk stops at your site!
In the Community: Meet Debbie Solis from Voice of Hope Ministries!
Name: Debbie Solis
Role in Organization: Director of Family & Community Services
Q: What are one or more favorite places you like to go to in the city of Dallas?
A: In my neighborhood Jaycee Zaragoza Center Splash park in the Summer and the AT&T performing art center, especially during Family Weekend events and Christmas time
Q: What is your dream vacation?
A: The beaches of the Yucatan with a good book to read and my husband next to me.
Q: When you aren’t working, what is something that you love to do?
A: When not working I love to attend musicals and community meetings.
Partner Site Happenings
St. Philip’s School and Community Center
the EC Christmas Program on 12/7 at 6:30pm
The 1st-8th grade Christmas Program on 12/14 at 6:30pm
Yoga Class every 1st, 2nd and 3rd Thursday
The 1600 Luncheon on 12/12 at 12pm
Christmas Chapel on 12/13 at 8:15am
The Christmas Store on 12/16 at 8am
Podcast
Click here to listen to the MathFinder podcast on our website. New episodes will be coming later this spring. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, and any other podcast streaming platform!
Resources
Please click here to check out the MathFinder website! Click here to sign-up to receive occasional emails regarding Mathfinder news and updates!
Spread the Word
We are grateful for your continued support and would appreciate your help sharing MathFinder with the larger community! Please forward this newsletter to anyone in your network who may be interested in receiving our updates. They can also join our mailing list here.
Guest blog
Are you interested in writing a guest blog post for our future newsletters? If so, we would love to hear from you! We are open to a wide range of possible topics that you could write about. Examples include different MathFinder activities at your site, learning math in general at your site, your perspective on learning, etc.! Please reach out to koshi@talkstem.org and hannah@talkstem.org to share your ideas.
Guest blog submission guidelines:
- Word count should be approximately 250-500 words
- Videos and photos are encouraged
- Cite any quotes, data, images, or third-party content used