The first-ever MathCON Summer Camp took place last week in Chicago and it did not disappoint.
18 middle and high school students from around the country congregated to learn more about advanced math topics they normally would not be exposed to in their traditional studies. Over the course of a week, the students took daily classes and heard guest speakers discuss subjects like number theory, combinatorics, algebraic expression and more.
MathCON’s Program Director Nik Hallberg was thrilled with how the week went.
“One of my favorite things about MathCON is how students are able to come in from a variety of backgrounds and connect on a deeper level through their appreciation for math,” Hallberg. “It was so great watching the students engage with each other and the course material we created for this past week. We are very happy with how the first year went.”
One of the core elements of the shared vision for MathCON and Concept Schools, which helps support MathCON’s events and programs, is getting young people to grow outside of the classroom. That’s why MathCON Summer Camp built in bonding opportunities for the group when designing its program.
The students made their way through the city throughout the week––venturing to Navy Pier, the Willis Tower Skydeck and the Chicago River, where they took a firework boat tour at night. The group also had a chance to learn more about each other after staying at Loyola’s Water Tower Campus.
Coming off of the success of this year’s MathCON Finals and the palpable excitement our students have for applying math to their daily lives, the future our program wants to create feels brighter than ever.
“We are excited to keep building out this program over the coming years,” Hallberg said. “Whether people realize it or not, everyone uses math every single day. Giving students a place where they can experiment with how they use it in and out of the classroom is incredibly important and we are happy to be one of the national leaders in providing them a platform to do so.”
To learn more about how you can support MathCON, click here.
