children seated around a table, smiling and laughing while interacting with one another

Stevens Math Circle Initiative

The Stevens Math Circle Initiative is an enrichment program for elementary and middle school students intended to inspire and nurture a love for mathematics, and to teach critical reasoning skills.

Math circles expose students to mathematics that is interesting, challenging, and fun, and that goes well beyond the material covered in a typical math class. They aim to show students a different side of mathematics—one where ingenuity, creativity, collaboration, and deep learning take priority over rote memorization, routine problem-solving, and standardized assessment.

What's a Math Circle?

A math circle is an enrichment program intended to stimulate interest in and enjoyment of mathematics. At meetings, participants are taught to actively explore problems and to articulate their reasoning—without being pressured, and without being handed the answer. They are encouraged to collaborate, engage in mathematical discussion, and participate in mathematical games and activities. Math circles have a long history in Eastern Europe, where they have contributed to the early education of many prominent mathematicians and scientists, but they are relatively uncommon in the United States. We’re trying to change that.

About Our Initiative

Faculty in the Department of Mathematical Sciences founded the Stevens Math Circle Initiative in 2017, working with two local public schools to start math circles for elementary school students. Since then, we have organized over 50 math circle programs with over a dozen partners in our local community. Our approach entails enlisting the help of talented STEM undergraduates to facilitate math circles in the classroom, which allows us to organize multiple math circles at a time while providing a unique teaching experience to our students.

NSF-Supported Research Project

Beginning in 2023 and continuing through the end of 2025, we are conducting a research project supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF Grant No. 2236229) through its Improving Undergraduate STEM Education initiative. The project, conducted by Jan Cannizzo (PI) and Andrey Nikolaev (Co-PI) of the Department of Mathematical Sciences and Emily Atieh (Co-PI) of the Teaching and Learning Center, supports integrating math circles into the undergraduate curriculum at Stevens via the creation of a year-long community engagement program.

Jan CannizzoJan Cannizzo As part of our project, we have created a credit-bearing undergraduate math elective course in which students learn about community engagement and extracurricular mathematics. During their time in the course, these undergraduates lead math circles each week in the local community and write weekly reflections about their experiences. This cycle of pedagogy-practice-reflection has provided us with a unique opportunity to better understand how the undergraduates’ experiences as math circle leaders shapes their perceptions of math and its role in their education, future careers, and within society as a whole. Our study is part of a larger effort to evaluate the success of our math circle program and identify the critical components and best practices for its integration into the broader undergraduate mathematics curriculum.

Anyone interested in this work is invited to contact Jan Cannizzo at jan.cannizzo@stevens.edu for more information. As part of the output of our project, we plan to provide materials that can help others organize math circles similar to ours on this website. Please check back again.

Initiative News

[How-To] Make Math Fun

The minds behind Stevens’ Math Olympiad and Math Circle Initiative advise on nurturing a love of the subject in children.

READ THE STORY
Collage of image of child among geometric shapes and math algorithms

Stevens Math Circle Initiative Receives $300K NSF Grant to Expand Programming

A three-credit course and new teaching opportunities are now available to Stevens undergraduates.

Read the story
A young student concentrates as she works on a math problem

More Stevens Math Circle Initiative Features

Building on the Stevens Math Olympiad, the math circles spearheaded by the Department of Mathematical Sciences have introduced important mathematical concepts, strengthened intuition, stimulated creativity and ingenuity—and, most importantly, fostered a love for mathematics.

What People Are Saying

We had an overwhelmingly positive response from the program! Thank you for all that you and your staff has done already!
Director of Innovative Programs,Hoboken Public Schools

I would like to say thank you for all of the great material that you have provided to us. It definitely kept the kids engaged, and class became a place where they wanted to spend time as opposed to last semester when everyone wanted to leave early.
Teacher at a Stevens Math Circle
I wanted to take the time to say thank you for giving me this opportunity to teach Math Circles. I have taught students in the past and I am glad I was able to continue what I love. It was a pleasure working with the students. Their energy and excitement reminds me why I love teaching so much!
Undergraduate working at a Stevens Math Circle

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the prerequisites for participating in a math circle?

The only prerequisite for joining a math circle is an interest in math, and a willingness to engage with challenging problems, games, and activities.

Will participating in a math circle improve students’ test scores?

It may, but math circles are not designed to drill students with routine exercises or prepare them for standardized tests. Rather, they are designed to do something that we feel is much more important: Show students that math is beautiful, interesting, accessible, and fun, all the while encouraging deep and rigorous thinking.

Is a math circle right for students who dislike or struggle with math?

We believe that it is important not to force students into joining a math circle if they have no desire to join. Although students who are struggling with math may benefit from participating in a math circle (if they are interested and want to participate), it is also important to understand that math circles are not intended to provide remediation or tutoring.

How much does running a math circle cost?

This can vary. We do not and have never charged our community partners anything when organizing a math circle, but community partners typically incur some costs. Our math circle programs are usually set up as follows:

  • Math circle meetings take place in a space, such as a classroom, provided by the community partner (e.g. public school, public library, or Boys and Girls Club).

  • The community partner hires a teacher or staff member to supervise math circle meetings.

  • Qualified STEM undergraduates are hired to help lead math circle meetings.

A ratio of one instructor for every 4-6 students is desirable. STEM undergraduates hired to help facilitate meetings may be paid an hourly wage or receive college credit for their work. The cost of running a math circle will vary depending on the number of meetings, the number of participants, and how instructors are compensated.

What qualifications do math circle leaders need to have?

It is of course desirable for math circle leaders to have a strong math background, but a degree in math or science is not a necessary qualification. The most important qualification is simply a willingness to explore mathematical problems and activities with youth. A typical Stevens math circle is run by one teacher or staff member, as well as talented STEM undergraduates. All of our content comes with detailed instructions and answers to exercises in order to make preparation as straightforward as possible.

How often and for how long do math circles meet?

Our math circles are flexible and can vary significantly in terms of scheduling. Some may meet for one hour twice per week over the course of an entire school year. Others might meet once per week for 90 minutes over the course of a semester. Still others might meet for only a couple of months. Our content can be adapted to accommodate any reasonable schedule.

Sample Problems

True problem solving is as much about the journey as the destination. Math circle participants are asked to challenge themselves and explain their reasoning as they ponder their way through dozens of problem sets, games, and activities—all composed by professional mathematicians at Stevens.

In a Stevens math circle, students are exposed to problems that touch upon a large variety of mathematical topics, including geometry, combinatorics, number theory, and logic. They play mathematical games—some single-player, some two-player, some collaborative—that are rich in strategy. And they engage in hands-on activities that allow them to explore a particular mathematical subject. The following is a small collection of sample materials intended to give a sense of the questions that math circle participants are asked to explore.

Problem #1

Take a look at the nine interlocking cogs shown here:

drawing of interlocking math cogs

Is it possible for these cogs to rotate? Why or why not? What if there were ten cogs instead?

Problem #2

A Möbius strip is a fascinating object obtained by taking a strip of paper, giving it a half-twist, and gluing its ends together:

Drawing of a Mobius Strip

What happens if you cut a Möbius strip along a line drawn halfway between its edges? What do you think happens if you cut it along a line drawn one third of the way between its edges? Can you answer these questions without actually cutting the Möbius strip?

Problem #3

In two years, my little brother will be twice as old as he was two years ago. In three years, my little sister will be three times as old as she was three years ago. Which of them is older?

Problem #4

Place a coin on a tabletop, and place another coin of the same size next to it. Now roll the second coin around the first one without slipping. How many turns does the second coin make after it goes all the way around?

drawing of two circles with the word one inside


Be sure to conduct an experiment! How can you explain the result?

Problem #5

In the game Bridge It, Math Circle participants take turns creating continuous, nonintersecting paths—one from left to right along the black dots, another from top to bottom along the white dots:

Square Math Game

The first player to bridge opposite sides of the playing field wins. Is it possible for this game to end in a draw?

Have additional questions or need more info?

Sponsors

The Stevens Math Circle Initiative is currently supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF Grant No. 2236229) and the PNC Foundation. It has also been supported by two Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grants from the Mathematical Association of America and a seed grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

National Science Federation

National Science Foundation

PNC Foundation logo

PNC Foundation

Mathematical Association of America Logo

Mathematical Association of America

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Logo

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation