#MathFinder Moment
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.
Is there a mathematical pattern to the way penguins use their nests?
After commenting, click here to see our 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.
Partner Spotlight:
Frontiers of Flight Museum
Frontiers of Flight Museum was formed in 1988 to display George Haddaway’s enormous collection of artifacts he originally donated to the University of Texas system at an off-site facility. The City of Dallas agreed to provide space on the mezzanine level of the main terminal building at Love Field beginning in 1990. Eventually there was enough support to allow the relocation to its current building at the southeastern corner of Dallas Love Field Airport in June 2004.
The Museum since its inception has developed a strong passion for teaching all things aerospace through STEM education to all ages. Partnering with talkSTEM and the Mathfinder project made perfect sense to help enhance the Museum’s mission. Beginning in 2020 with the development of ten walkSTEM videos, Rosalie Wade, Director of Education for the Museum, has continued to serve as the primary liaison for the continued projects with Dr. Dhingra. In 2022 the Museum became the third site to pilot the Mathfinder project through their annual spring break camp for 6th-8th graders.
In the Community:
Meet Edward Franklin from Voice of Hope
Name: Edward Franklin
Role in Organization: President/CEO
Q: What are one or more favorite places you like to go to in the city of Dallas?
A: Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church, Dallas Theological Seminary and Voice of Hope Ministries.
Q: What is your dream vacation?
A: Visiting Malta and the beach where the Apostle Paul may have been marooned.
Q: When you aren’t working, what is something that you love to do?
A: Read about out-of-school-time, cross-cultural teaching/ministry and binge watching “How to Catch a Smuggler”.
Resources
Please click here to check out the Mathfinder website! Click here to sign-up to receive occasional emails regarding Mathfinder news and updates!
Podcast
Episodes 1- 3 of the Mathfinder podcast are now live!
Click here to listen to the podcast on our website. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, and any other podcast streaming platform!
Project Updates
Mark your calendars – our next Mathfinder Partner Site Meet-Up will be held at Southern Methodist University on Thursday December 1, from 2 PM to 4 PM, in Harold Simmons Hall Room 116. We will have presentations from St. Phillips and Twelve Hills at this meeting, and will focus on partner site happenings related to Mathfinder and building collaborations between our partner sites.
Events
On September 30th, we held the Mathfinder Partner Site Meet-Up at the Dallas Museum of Art! Many thanks to our hosts for having us! During this event, we visited several artwork Walk Stops to test out app features! Below are a few highlights from the event!
October Evening Session with the Family and Community Engagement Program at Voice of Hope campus in West Dallas.
Our fabulous research assistants, Saki Milton and Dr Max Sheppard spent an evening with this group where the children visited potential Math Walk sites at the campus and brainstormed questions. We are getting ready to develop Math Walk stops on video at our Voice of Hope partner site and wanted to ask the kids to collaborate with us on coming up with the questions that each of the videos should focus on – they had a lot of great questions!
Partner Site Happenings
Here is what’s happening at our partner sites in November and December:
Dallas Arboretum
September 10th -December 31st: #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit
The Dallas Arboretum will present 50 statues from “#IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit,” the largest collection of statues of women ever assembled together. The exhibit will be displayed throughout the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. The orange life-size 3D-printed statues are of a diverse coalition of contemporary women STEM innovators and role models. As seen on and around the National Mall and Smithsonian museums earlier this year, this installation highlights how a more diverse and inclusive workforce will strengthen our shared future. IF/THEN® is an initiative of the Lyda Hill Philanthropies designed to activate a culture shift among young girls to open their eyes to STEM careers.
Dallas Museum of Art
November 3rd:
Annual Rosenberg Fête: Celebrating French Art of the 18th Century
November 3rd:
Annual Rosenberg Fête: Celebrating French Art of the 18th Century
November 5th, 11:00 AM-4:00 PM:
Family Festival: MAKE!
November 12th, 2:00 PM:
Looking Back, Looking Forward: The Arts of Asia
November 18th, 5:30-8:30 PM:
Make & Take: Intuitive Creation, Poetry and Pictures
December 16th, 5:30-8:30 PM:
Make & Take: Gilded Frames
Frontiers of Flight Museum
November 1st – November 30th: STEM Career Day(s)
Frontiers of Flight Museum is hosting STEM Career Day(s) throughout the month of November. All month-long schools will be visiting the Museum to take part in a special STEM challenge and a STEM career talk from a professional in the DFW area. Those not able to take field trips can participate via our website and/or register for a virtual career talk from NASA!
Dallas Zoo
November 17th-January 1st: Dallas Zoo Lights
Dallas Zoo Lights Presented by Reliant Energy ® returns to the wild this November and will once again be a walk-thru experience! We kick off the festive holiday fun on Nov. 17 and will keep the lights on almost every night through Jan. 1. You can stroll through ZooNorth AND part of the Wilds of Africa to see more than a million twinkling lights, new larger-than-life animal lanterns, more than a dozen brand new holiday photo ops, all new light shows, see the jolly old elf himself in Santa’s Workshop, and oh so much more! This is a separate ticketed event – the Zoo will close at 4 p.m. each day and reopen at 5:30 p.m. for Dallas Zoo Lights. MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR TICKET-ON-SALE DATES: Exclusive member pre-sale starts Nov. 1 (join now to get early access to tix!), and tickets go on sale to the public on Nov. 3. Visit DallasZoo.com/ZooLights for more info!
November 19th: Saving Mussels: Litter Pick-up
Mildred Dunn Park
December 17th: Saving Mussels: Litter Pick-up
Danieldale Park
December 19th-22nd or December 27th-30th: Wild Adventures Camp
Holiday camps encourage exploration, education, and empathy for wildlife and nature. All camps include guided tours of the Zoo, animal encounters, and animal-themed activities in a small group led by a Zoo educator. Space is limited, so reserve a spot today! Campers should provide their own sack lunch and a refillable water bottle.
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., with an AfterCamp option until 5:00 p.m.
Cost: $230 per child / $205 for Dallas Zoo Members
January 29th-February 4th: MONARCHS OF MEXICO
One of the most amazing phenomena in nature is the annual migration of millions of Monarch butterflies southward from their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada to overwintering sites high in the mountains of southern Mexico. Your Dallas Zoo is teaming up with Holbrook Travel to offer a once in a lifetime experience.
**Registration will be completed by around the end of November
Twelve Hills Nature Center
Volunteer with Twelve Hills every Sunday from 8:30-10:30 AM for weekly work days. Volunteers help improve prairie habitat by removing invasive plants and planting native plants. Improved habitat provides homes for native insects and wildlife and food sources for migrating birds. It also provides a place to observe and learn about the Blackland Prairie ecosystem. To RSVP for workdays or arrange a service project, contact twelvehillsnaturecenter@gmail.com
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 300-800 words
- Videos and photos are encouraged
- Cite any quotes, data, images, or third party content used