Bonus Events
Join the National Math Festival for these extra online events that you can participate in from anywhere in the world with just your computer or mobile device! Past events are also archived below.
Eddie Woo on "Mathematics: The Hidden World"
Tuesday, September 21, 2021 from 2-3pm Pacific Time (5-6pm Eastern)
Audience: Open to all friends of the National Math Festival ages 11+
Author and YouTuber Eddie Woo presented "Mathematics, The Key to a Hidden World" on Tuesday, September 21, a free, online interactive event geared at middle and high school students as well as adults.
Do we really need to learn about mathematics in our modern world? We all carry calculators around in our pockets and so much of what we're taught in school mathematics can seem irrelevant to our lives. However, the reason we learn mathematics is not just to solve problems. It's to unlock a world hiding in plain sight, to enable us to appreciate its patterns and navigate its secrets. In this session we'll explore some of those secrets and see how mathematics helps us to wonder at the world we live in.
This free live event geared at ages 11+ was presented by the National Math Festival and the Mathical Book Prize (opens new window).
Eddie Woo is a high school mathematics teacher in Sydney, Australia. He uploads his everyday classroom lessons to his YouTube channel, Wootube (opens new window), which has more than 1.2 million subscribers and over 80 million views. In 2018, he was listed as one of the Top 10 Teachers in the World by the Global Teacher Prize. He is the Education Ambassador for Sydney University, a children’s TV host, and the author of IT'S A NUMBERFUL WORLD. (opens new window)
View the recording below or on Vimeo (opens new window).
NMF Roundtable #3: Performing New Steps Together
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 from 12-1pm Eastern
Audience: Open to all friends of the National Math Festival
We need each other more than ever right now. How can math help us stay connected and whole during challenging times? What does ‘performing change’ look like?
In this roundtable, David Eisenbud and Kirsten Bohl from the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) joined 2021 National Math Festival presenters to share tiny performances — or reflections on math and performance — including:
- Professor Lyrical (opens new window), a.k.a. Dr. Peter Plourde (University of the District of Columbia)
- Rhys Thomas of Science Circus (opens new window) and JuggleMania
- LarMar “Mr. Q-U-E” Queen of The Music Notes (opens new window)
View the recording below or on Vimeo (opens new window).
Jump to a specific presenter using these video timestamps:
- Rhys Thomas (beginning at the 4:29 mark)
- Professor Lyrical, with special guest, 7-year-old mathematician Henry (17:07)
- LaMar “Mr. Q-U-E” Queen (33:20)
NMF Roundtable #2: Focus on Mathical Books
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 from 2:30-3:30pm Eastern
Audience: Open to all friends of the National Math Festival
Hosts David Eisenbud and Kirsten Bohl from the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) joined 2021 Festival presenters to share stories of change, encouragement, and exploration, including:
- Songju Ma Daemicke, author of Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant (opens new window)
- Jennifer Swender, author of Solving for M (opens new window)
- Brittney Morris, author of Slay (opens new window)
- Tiana Addai-Mensah, award-winning library media specialist at the Miles Jones Elementary Media Center in Richmond, Virginia
- Robin Adelson, executive director of the Books for Kids Foundation
- Dr. Herb Ginsburg, Mathical Book Prize Selection Committee member and emeritus professor of psychology and education, Teachers College, Columbia University
The award-winning Mathical authors above read to us from their winning books. We announced and celebrated 25 Title I school libraries around the US who are the first-ever recipients of the Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards (opens new window), administered by the School Library Journal. We shared news about Mathical titles being distributed to children in need through our partners at the Books for Kids Foundation, and announced new Mathical reading guides from DREME, available for online support for parents and educators.
View the recording below or on Vimeo (opens new window).
Jump to a specific presenter using these video timestamps:
- Songju Ma Daemicke (beginning at the 4:08 mark)
- Jennifer Swender (10:26)
- Brittney Morris (18:50)
- Intro to School Library Journal Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Award and 2020 winners (26:09)
- Tiana Addai-Mensah (31:33)
- Robin Adelson (36:16)
- Dr. Herb Ginsburg (43:41)
NMF Roundtable #1: Stories of Math and Play, Change and Courage
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 from 12-1pm Eastern
Audience: Open to all friends of the National Math Festival
We need each other more than ever right now. How are some National Math Festival presenters coping with change? Is it all right to play during a pandemic? How can math help us stay connected and whole during challenging times?
Hosts David Eisenbud and Kirsten Bohl from the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) joined 2021 Festival presenters to share stories of change, encouragement, and exploration, including:
- Maria Droujkova, Natural Math (opens new window)
- Christopher Danielson, Math On-A-Stick (opens new window)
- Mark Saul, Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival (opens new window)
View the recording below or on Vimeo (opens new window).
Jump to a specific presenter using these video timestamps:
- Maria Droujkova (beginning at the 11:42 mark)
- Christopher Danielson (23:11)
- Mark Saul (35:51)
- Q&A (45:14)
Online Q&A: Mathematical physicist Dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf
Dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director and Leon Levy Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)
Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 11:30am Eastern
Link: Reddit: Ask Me Anything (opens new window) (This event is now concluded, but you can view it at Reddit!)
Audience: Reddit is intended for ages 14 and up. As an open, public forum, some user-generated content may not be appropriate for younger readers.
Dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf is the Director and Leon Levy Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, one of the world’s foremost centers for curiosity-driven basic research, located in Princeton, New Jersey. He is a mathematical physicist specializing in string theory, and his research focuses on the interface between mathematics and particle physics, as well as the advancement of science education. Reddit users joined Dr. Dijkgraaf to talk about fundamental questions in physics like the Big Bang, black holes, and the mathematics of the universe.
In light of recent news about the first black hole photograph, Dr. Dijkgraaf shared an article he wrote about the importance of the image (opens new window). You can also view a talk he gave at the 2017 Festival on The End of Space and Time: The Mathematics of Black Holes and the Big Bang (opens new window). Follow him on Twitter @RHDijkgraaf (opens new window) or visit the IAS website (opens new window) to learn more about the many ideas that were discussed!
Dr. James Tanton's Social Media Takeover Puzzles
Celebrate #NMF2019 with Dr. James Tanton’s week of puzzles!
February 4-8, 2019 on Facebook and Twitter
Audience: All ages
2019 Festival presenter Dr. James Tanton of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and the Global Math Project helped us celebrate the upcoming National Math Festival with a social media takeover event. For five days, Dr. Tanton shared videos of some of his favorite mathematical tidbits, which we’ve shared with you at the blog post here. Thanks to all who followed along with us!
Online Q&A: Dr. Mary Lou Zeeman and Dr. Ross Lieblappen
“Math, Tipping Points, and Planet Earth”
Thursday, April 19, 2018 at 2pm Eastern
Link: This event is now concluded, but you can read about the discussion at our blog.
Audience: Reddit is intended for ages 14 and up. As an open, public forum, some user-generated content may not be appropriate for younger readers.
What do lakes, fisheries, coral reefs, moods, kayaks, social media posts, the spread of disease, and the Earth’s energy balance all have in common? Tipping points: when a system changes abruptly from one alternative steady state to another. How can mathematical modeling help support decision making in the face of these alternative possibilities? What makes for resilience? What causes change? Mathematician Dr. Mary Lou Zeeman (Bowdoin College) answered your questions about these exciting and accessible dynamics, which can inform your own choices and those of our global society. She was joined by environmental scientist Dr. Ross Lieblappen (Vermont Technical College).
Personal Polynomials
The Math Formula that Spells Your Name!
The Global Math Project and the National Math Festival have teamed up to celebrate Global Math Week 2017 (opens new window) with fun formulas for everyone. Come get your very own Personal Polynomial (opens new window)!
What’s a polynomial? Just a type of math expression. What’s your Personal Polynomial? Find out by typing your name into the online generator! Desktop web browser users can even save your polynomial as an image file to dazzle your friends and family. How does it all work? Visit the Personal Polynomials site (opens new window) to see a video explanation!
This project was created by Dr. James Tanton (Global Math Project) and Dr. Branden Stone (Adelphi University), with support from the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) (opens new window).
Online Q&A: John Urschel
MIT Mathematics Ph.D. Candidate and Former NFL Offensive Linesman, Baltimore Ravens
Friday, September 8, 2017 at 2pm Eastern
Link: Reddit: Ask Me Anything (opens new window) (This event is now concluded, but you can view it at Reddit!)
Audience: Reddit is intended for ages 14 and up. As an open, public forum, some user-generated content may not be appropriate for younger readers.
Whether you’ve seen recently retired Baltimore Ravens player John Urschel in action on the football field, followed his puzzle column in The Players’ Tribune (opens new window), or read about his career in major publications from Sports Illustrated to The Washington Post, there’s more to learn!
Urschel answered your questions about football, math, chess, and more on September 8th. If you missed the live Q&A, you can still read through the responses at Reddit (opens new window). You can also learn more about his mathy side in this February 2016 profile (opens new window) from the Notices of the American Mathematical Society newsletter, or follow him on Twitter (opens new window).
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like... Math!
Share your pictures using #lookslikemath on social media!
December 12, 2016 – January 6, 2017
This holiday season , join us in celebrating the math all around you! As school breaks begin, share a picture of something mathy you find in your everyday life using the hashtag #lookslikemath on social media. Whether you’re finding the Fibonacci sequence in a pinecone (opens new window), fractals in snowflakes, or just counting out cookies, we’d love to see where you find math popping up in your life! We’ll share your submissions on the National Math Festival Facebook (opens new window), Twitter (@natmathfestival) (opens new window), or Instagram (@natmathfestival) (opens new window) – don’t forget to use #lookslikemath!
Online Q&A: Dr. Rebecca Goldin
Statistics and the Media
Monday, November 21, 2016 at 12pm Eastern
Link: Ask Me Anything about Statistics and the Media! (opens new window) (This event is now concluded, but you can view it at Reddit!)
Audience: Reddit is intended for ages 14 and up. As an open, public forum, some user-generated content may not be appropriate for younger readers.
How do journalists make sense of statistical data when they write about scientific results? The National Math Festival held a two-hour “Ask Me Anything” session with Dr. Rebecca Goldin, director of STATS and an upcoming 2017 Festival presenter! STATS (opens new window) is a statistical literacy project run by Sense About Science USA in collaboration with the American Statistical Association.
Dr. Goldin answered your questions about everything from polling accuracy to explaining p-values. If you missed the live Q&A, you can read all about it on Reddit (opens new window), or join her National Math Festival presentation in April, taking a deeper look at statistics on video games and violence.