The Algebra Project: Bard Alumna, Teacher Kate Belin on Using Math to Help Students Build More Ethical Communities
Kate Belin BA ’04, MAT ’05 teaches math at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, a small public school in the South Bronx that uses project-based learning. At Fannie Lou, she oversees the Algebra Project, a national initiative that connects math to students’ lived experiences.
The Algebra Project: Bard Alumna, Teacher Kate Belin on Using Math to Help Students Build More Ethical Communities
Kate Belin BA ’04, MAT ’05 teaches math at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, a small public school in the South Bronx that uses project-based learning. At Fannie Lou, she oversees the Algebra Project, a national initiative that connects math to students’ lived experiences. In this episode of the Ethical Schools podcast, Belin talks about the synergy between the Algebra Project and Fannie Lou, both of which have their roots in the history of the civil rights movement.
Matthew Junge, Bard College Assistant Professor of Mathematics, has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation in the amount of $190,868 for research into multitype particle systems. The grant comes from the NSF’s Division of Mathematical Sciences Probability Program.
Mathematics Professor Matthew Junge Receives National Science Foundation Grant
Matthew Junge, Bard College Assistant Professor of Mathematics, has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation in the amount of $190,868 for research into multitype particle systems. The grant comes from the NSF's Division of Mathematical Sciences Probability Program.
Interacting particle systems with random dynamics are fundamental for modeling phenomena in the physical and social sciences. Such systems can be used to describe chemical reactions, as well as the spread of disease, information, and species through a network. These models often become more meaningful when multiple particle types are incorporated. For example, the celebrated First Passage Percolation model describes the spread of a single species through an environment; the incorporation of competing species enriches the model. This project seeks to study more realistic variants of well-known models for chemical reactions, epidemic outbreaks, and the spread of information as to deepen our understanding of important phenomena from across the sciences and further develop the mathematics that helps explain them. The project will involve the training of undergraduate students.
In summer 2020, Professor Junge will use a portion of the NSF grant to run a Tiny Mathematics Research Community at Bard that vertically connects undergraduates, graduates, postdoctoral researchers, and professors in a retreat-style research workshop.
Professor Junge joined the Bard faculty this fall, coming to Annandale from Duke University, where he served as William W. Elliott Research Assistant Professor of Mathematics. He received his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Washington, where he also earned MS, BS, and BA degrees.
His areas of interest include probability, statistical physics, and mathematical biology. Professor Junge’s research takes a probabilistic approach to particle systems from physics and biology, including models for chemical reactions, species proliferation, and epidemic outbreaks. He also studies random structures from classical mathematics and computer science, such as permutations and fragmented spaces.
This semester, he is teaching Probability and Calculus I, as well as supervising a research project with two Bard undergraduate students. He also teaches in the Bard Prison Initiative, alongside Mathematics Program colleagues John Cullinan and Japheth Wood.
Bard student leaders, faculty, and volunteers with STEAM Explorers work with more than 4,000 children and teens throughout the Hudson Valley each year. Together, they create experiences and design experiments that inspire wonder, spark curiosity, and challenge old ideas.
STEAM Explorers: Changing How Kids Think About Science and Math
By Sarah Wallock ’19
If you’re passing through the Reem-Kayden Center on a given Saturday afternoon, you may run into a group of middle school girls, chatting about math games and examining the origami designs that they just made in the Girls Math Club. Or, if you’re a patron of the Tivoli Library, you may come across a STEAM Workshop using soap and food coloring to make marbled milk paper and learn about how calcium affects saturation rates. Both programs are hosted by STEAM Explorers, an initiative of Bard’s Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) and Math Program. STEAM Explorers has two components: Bard Science Outreach and the Bard Math Circle. Together, they work to create experiences and design experiments that inspire wonder, spark curiosity, and challenge old ideas.
Sarah deVeer ’17 volunteered for STEAM Explorers as a Bard student; now, she runs the program as the science outreach coordinator. This year she has worked to expand the program beyond local partners in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Kingston, and Tivoli to communities across the Hudson Valley such as in Beacon, Albany, and Hudson. Sarah also worked to revamp the curriculum, and to good effect: John Kemnitzer, the principal of Bulkeley Middle School in Rhinebeck, recently said that this year’s program was the best one yet.
Children participating in Bard’s STEAM Explorers program make marbled milk paper at the Tivoli Library. Photo by Sarah Wallock ’19.
“One aspect that I really love about Bard’s STEAM Explorers is that we don’t charge the schools or community for our programs,” says deVeer. “We offer these programs because we genuinely believe that Bard is a private institution operating in the public interest.” Working with six STEM fellows and 30 engagement mentors, STEAM Explorers collaborates with 12 partners in schools and community organizations throughout the Hudson Valley. DeVeer also coordinates science engagement efforts as part of Bard’s Citizen Science Program and Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Engagement. The most important part of discussing issues such as water quality and natural resource use with students, she notes, is how STEAM Explorers is “starting the conversation with the next generation.”
The Bard Math Circle was started in 2007 by mathematics students and faculty at Bard, to address the dearth of math enrichment opportunities in the Mid-Hudson Valley. It began with a monthly program at the Tivoli library, where the organizers brought puzzles, games, and toys that emphasized problem-solving skills and making math fun for all ages. Students attending the library programs reported doing better in their math courses at school because of their involvement with the project.
The Girls Math Club, led by Bard students, works on origami designs in the Reem-Kayden Center on Bard’s campus. Photo by Bari Bossis ’19.
From the outset, Bard undergraduates have been an integral part of the Math Circle, running and developing programs, leading hands-on workshops, and mentoring K-12 students. The Math Circle has expanded over time to include programs at several libraries, schools, and community centers; math contests and national math competitions; programs to empower girls in math; a Rubik’s Cube Club; special events for teachers and senior citizens; and the most popular program, a weeklong summer CAMP (Creative, Analytical Math Program) for middle schoolers, run primarily by Bard faculty, alumni/ae, undergraduates, and local high school volunteers who have taken part in Math Circle programs. One parent whose daughter participated in the Girls Math Club recently commented, “My child was always happy after meetings, and she liked the girls-only space to learn and explore.” Undergraduate leaders credit their involvement with the Math Circle as one of the highlights of their Bard experience. The majority of Math Circle student leaders choose to pursue a career in teaching after graduation.
STEAM Explorers started in 2010 as an effort to bring science and math to area students in new and creative ways. Bard Science Outreach fellows and Bard Math Circle faculty and volunteers work with more than 4,000 children and teens throughout the Hudson Valley each year. Partnering with local schools, they connect what students are learning in the classroom with real-world issues, especially those facing the Hudson Valley region.
During the month of January, Science Outreach fellows worked with six different school districts to host a Day of Science. The CCE outreach team conducted science experiments around the theme of Hudson River watershed health, from off-campus events at Chancellor Elementary in Rhinebeck and Smith Intermediate School in Hudson, to on-campus events for local middle school students. Bard students led activities that showed the importance of local aquifers to the ecosystem. Participants tested the salinity of the river water, played a PCB board game, explored pH filters, and demonstrated water conservation through interactive activities.
STEAM Explorers works to provide real-world applications in all its experiments, like dissecting owl pellets to classify rodent skeletons and building marshmallow towers to learn effective design and construction mechanisms. “My favorite experiment was when we played with owl pellets!” says Junnaria, a sixth-grade student in Perfect Ten, an after-school program in Hudson that empowers and mentors young girls. “It was so cool finding all the bones of the animals! This [experiment] has made me more curious about nature and biology.” Melissa, a seventh grader from Perfect Ten, comments, “I really liked the marshmallow tower. It showed me how to plan measurements for buildings. It’s cool to find out that math and science are in everything, even marshmallows.”
Antonio Gansley-Ortiz ’18, a science outreach engagement mentor, reflects on how his work with the STEAM Explorers continues to influence him: “In April while out having dinner with [another mentor], I ran into one of my middle school students. She recognized us and pointed us out to her parents. The entire family then came over and thanked us for the experience. They also mentioned the student hadn’t stopped talking about her excitement with science. That moment was incredibly fulfilling. I want to help provide that positive experience to other students in the community.”
STEAM Explorers Initiatives
Day of Science brings eighth graders from local school districts to the Bard campus to engage with Bard science fellows, faculty, and undergraduates in a series of themed science stations.
Girls Math Club for middle school girls run by Bard female math majors.
Math Circle Library Programs include puzzles, games, and fun math activities for upper elementary and middle school students.
Rubik’s Cube Club teaches kids how to master the Rubik’s Cube.
Science Fairs connect Black Student Organization fellows and volunteers to mentor local students preparing to enter school science fairs.
Science for Kids brings in-school, hands-on science experiments to K-5 students by using household products in new ways.
Science Saturday brings children and families together with Bard students at local libraries and community centers to participate in science enrichment activities.
STEM Night Out invites young students throughout the Hudson Valley to an evening of fun, hands-on scientific experiments led by science fellows and Bard first-year students.
Bard College Students Telo Hoy ’19 and Meagan Kenney ’19 Awarded U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to Study Abroad
Bard College students Telo Hoy and Meagan Kenney have been awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to study abroad for the fall 2017 semester. Hoy, a music composition major from Santa Fe, New Mexico, was awarded $3,000 to study at the Iceland Academy of the Arts in Reykjavik. Kenney, a mathematics major from Richmond, Virginia, was awarded $4,500 to pursue studies in Hungary at the Budapest Semester in Mathematics. Hoy and Kenney are among nearly 1,000 American undergraduates from 386 colleges and universities across the United States selected to receive the prestigious award.
Two Bard College Students Win Prestigious Gilman Scholarships
Bard College students Kina Carney ’18 and Jessica Liu ’18 have both won highly competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to pursue studies abroad during the upcoming spring semester. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Gilman scholars receive up to $5,000 toward study abroad or internship costs.
Carney, a literature major, will take part in the Pitzer in Botswana program, which includes extended study trips in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Students live with host families, study local cultures, and work with scholars and experts in each country. Participants experience firsthand the concept and life of Ubuntu, the notion that defines the communal nature of the cultural values of the South African, Batswana, and Zimbabwean peoples. Ubuntu is indicated in the greetings that proclaim, “I am well if you are well,” and “my destiny is intricately intertwined with yours.”
Liu, a mathematics major, plans to pursue studies in the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics (BSM) program. Through BSM, mathematics and computer science majors study under the tutelage of eminent Hungarian scholar-teachers and receive the benefits of Hungary’s long tradition of excellence in mathematics education that includes combinatorics, number theory, and probability theory. BSM instructors are members of Eötvös University, the Mathematical Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the three institutions known for having educated more than half of Hungary’s highly acclaimed mathematicians. In keeping with Hungarian tradition, teachers closely monitor each student’s progress. Considerable time is devoted to problem solving and encouraging student creativity. Emphasis is on depth of understanding rather than on the quantity of material.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program aims to diversify the students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go. Rep. Gilman (R–N.Y.), who retired in 2002 after serving in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chairing the House Committee on International Relations, commented, “Study abroad is a special experience for every student who participates. Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be contributors rather than spectators in the international community.” During the spring 2017 application cycle, the program reviewed more than 2,700 applications for more than 850 awards.
New York City Middle Schoolers Dive Deeply into Math at Bard Summer Program
What happens at Bard over the summer, after the seniors graduate and before the new first-years arrive for Language and Thinking? Sharing the campus with SummerScape artists, graduate programs, and sports camps, a group of rising eighth graders from New York City enlivens Annandale every summer for the Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) program. Bard students and alumni/ae serve as faculty, BEAM students continue on to the Bard High School Early Colleges, and this year a BEAM graduate has joined Bard's class of incoming first-years.
By Hannah Fassett ‘17
“Today, you wrote your first proof like real mathematicians,” says Javier Ronquillo. “Isn’t that cool?” Cheers erupt, followed by giggles and chatter, as a dozen middle school students in Hegeman 308 pack up their notebooks and head out onto Ludlow lawn. After dispersing to various activities on and off campus, they will rejoin their teachers for dinner at Kline Commons and continue to discuss lingering questions and puzzles from the day’s class.
Javier Ronquillo, a Ph.D. student in mathematics at Ohio University, and his teaching assistant, Bard rising junior Kaylynn Tran ‘18, teach Counting Without Counting in the Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) program at Bard. For three weeks every summer, a group of rising eighth graders from New York City enlivens Bard’s campus. The students have a high aptitude for mathematics, but come from low-income schools where they often cannot access advanced math courses. The BEAM program is tuition free, enabling underserved students to attend a rigorous academic program in a college setting. Daniel Zaharopol founded the program in 2011 under the name Summer Program in Mathematical Problem Solving, with 17 students attending. This summer marks BEAM’s sixth year partnering with Bard, with 40 students participating on Bard’s campus.
In the fall of 2015, the Summer Program in Mathematical Problem Solving became the Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics, a shift reflecting the organization’s growth from a summer camp to a year-round mentoring program. Ayinde Alleyne, program coordinator and one of the Bard College site directors, notes how the mentoring aspect has become more robust, and now includes a four-week program in New York City in the summer after sixth grade. “We want to expand the opportunities we can offer students and the success they can achieve by exposing them to advanced mathematics earlier,” he explains. Following their summer at BEAM, Alleyne takes interested students to an Open House for the Bard High School Early Colleges (BHSECs) in Queens and Manhattan. This is part of BEAM’s five-year support plan, which includes helping students develop a personalized high school action plan and providing college application assistance. From BEAM’s most recent class of graduating eighth graders, 10 students will attend the BHSECs in Manhattan and Queens. Since the program’s inaugural summer, 27 BEAM alumni/ae have matriculated into the BHSECs.
Attending BEAM provides the students with an experience outside of the city in which, as Alleyne explains, they can “own the space,” develop their intellectual skills, and broaden their social world. This summer, there are 40 students each at Bard and at Vassar College. BEAM expanded their summer program to a second college site in 2014 to accommodate greater enrollment. The students live in college dorms and share meals at the dining halls with faculty and counselors. At the onset of each week, students choose from a number of advanced topics such as Number Theory and Computer Programming with Mathematica. In a given day, the students attend seven hours of classes, with activity breaks ranging from baking and crafts to soccer and chess. BEAM offers weekend field trips to Six Flags, water park and hiking adventures, and, this year, a trip to the Fisher Center for a dress rehearsal of the SummerScape opera, Iris. Milani, a rising eighth grader from East Side Community High School, explains, “every experience I’ve had here is going to be a memory, because everything is new.”
BEAM maintains a connection to Bard’s undergraduate program by hiring currents students and alumni/ae for the summer program. Tejaswee Neupane, who spent the summer of 2011 on Bard’s campus as one of the original cohort, will be returning to pursue her undergraduate degree at Bard this fall. BEAM faculty include Bard alumna Rachel “Shelley” Stahl ‘08 and Ronquillo’s T.A. and current Bard math major Kaylynn Tran. Tran initially heard about BEAM through a former BEAM counselor and further explored the program through Bard’s Career Development Office. The experience has inspired her to join Bard Math Circle this upcoming academic year, where she will volunteer to teach math enrichment to local elementary and middle school students.
BEAM provides students with methods of approaching math that expand on and complicate the Common Core middle school curricula. In the interview process, many students admit that they find school boring because the course work does not challenge them and “everyone’s disruptive in class.” Once they arrive at BEAM, students are, often for the first time, “surrounded by people who love learning.” While developing critical thinking skills, BEAM students share the experience with like-minded students from similar backgrounds. Milani explains, “When I got here, I just started to get comfortable. I am surrounded by people who are like me.” Her peers nod adamantly, their faces recalling the excitement they shared with Ronquillo over their first proofs.
Akriti, a student from I.S. 77 in Queens explains that “in school we learn to do math [with] speed,” whereas at BEAM the students learn how to approach complex questions with deliberation and patience. Alleyne sees the core of BEAM’s mission as “teaching students how to think about problems,” a skill that extends beyond the classroom into their high school experiences and eventual career paths. Akriti is already thinking about high school and considering BHSEC.
BEAM’s mission is often expressed through the question “Why?”—a favorite classroom term in the program. Beyond finding a solution, faculty push students to look at the context of their answer, and to ask themselves how and why they found it. For Akriti, BEAM has deepened her mathematical thinking, forcing her to ask: “Why does this happen? Why does this pattern continue?” She pauses, reflecting on math before BEAM, “We didn’t think deeply enough, we’d just say ‘it’s a pattern.’ I never went [this] deeply into thinking before.”
Post Date: 08-08-2016
Mathematics Events
2/05
Wednesday
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 A national math contest for high school students Reem-Kayden Center4:00 pm – 7:00 pm The AMC 10/12 is a 25-question, 75-minute, multiple choice examination in high school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills.
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm Reem-Kayden Center
4/25
Saturday
Saturday, April 25, 2020 A team-based competition for girls in grades 3–8 Reem-Kayden Center1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Girls' Adventures in Math (GAIM) is a themed mathematics competition for upper elementary and middle school girls, followed by strategy-based games. Teams of students will work on challenging problems, contextualized in a comic book containing the stories of pioneering women from history.
The competition is organized by Math-M-Addicts New York, Inc. The Bard Math Circle hosts this event to promote a culture of mathematical problem solving and mathematics enrichment in the mid-Hudson Valley.
Reem-Kayden Center6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Join our December graduating seniors in presenting their senior projects. Light refreshments will be served
Monday, November 11, 2019
Campus Walk Above Kline9:30 am – 1:00 pm In a rare occurrence, the planet Mercury will pass in front of the Sun on the morning of November 11. However, this is not a celestial event that one can view by looking to the heavens with an unaided eye, since
a) Mercury is very small compared with the Sun, and
b) You shouldn't look directly at the Sun.
In order to view the transit (clouds permitting) the Physics Program will have a telescope with a solar filter set up on Campus Walk, just up the hill from Kline. Drop by anytime from 9:30am until the transit ends at 1pm to check out this planetary alignment for yourself.
Note the next chance to view a Mercury transit from Bard will be on May 7, 2049.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Sydney Weaver RKC 1114:45 pm – 6:00 pm Come to this interactive presentation about the history of the Rubik’s cube, some of the mathematics involved in analyzing the cube, and a demonstration of solving techniques.
No prior knowledge of the Rubik’s cube is assumed.
Sydney Weaver, 21, is a nine-time gold medalist professional Speedcuber. She loves sharing mathematics with people of all ages typically using the Rubik’s Cube as an interesting medium.
Monday, September 2, 2019 – Friday, December 20, 2019
A place to work on math homework, study with classmates, or speak to a math tutor.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Reem-Kayden Center6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Join our seniors in presenting their Senior Project research!
Saturday, April 27, 2019
A team-based competition for girls in grades 3-8 Reem-Kayden Center1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Girls' Adventures in Math (GAIM) is a themed mathematics competition for upper elementary and middle school girls, followed by strategy-based games. Teams of students will work on challenging problems, contextualized in a comic book containing the stories of pioneering women from history.
The competition is organized by Math-M-Addicts New York, Inc. The Bard Math Circle hosts this event to promote a culture of mathematical problem solving and mathematics enrichment in the mid-Hudson Valley.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Locations: LA, NYC & Bard Campus Center, Red Room 2022:00 pm – 4:00 pm Have an interest in being a Math Summer Camp Counselor in LA, NYC, or Bard? Interview and meet with the Beam Math recruiter today!
A national math contest for high school students Reem-Kayden Center4:00 pm – 7:00 pm The AMC 10/12 is a 25-question, 75-minute, multiple choice examination in high school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills.
The contest is paired with an engaging math talk at the high school level, presented by a Bard mathematician.
The Bard Math Circle hosts this annual event to promote a culture of mathematical problem solving and math enrichment in the mid-Hudson Valley.
Monday, January 28, 2019 – Tuesday, May 21, 2019
A place to work on math homework, study with classmates, or speak to a math tutor Hegeman 3087:00 pm – 10:00 pm
