2025 CMS Summer Meeting
Quebec City, June 6 - 9, 2025
Math Unity: Enhancing Diversity in Mathematics Through Outreach
Org: Anton Mosunov (Cornell University) and Anila Yadavalli (University of Waterloo)
[PDF]
Org: Anton Mosunov (Cornell University) and Anila Yadavalli (University of Waterloo)
[PDF]
- ELAINE BELTAOS-KERR, MacEwan
MathJAM – Towards Math for All [PDF]
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MathJAM is a new project originating with MacEwan University and Spruce Avenue Junior High School in Edmonton. This program aims to increase mathematics participation to those who are usually overlooked and to invite students with different abilities and learning styles to engage with mathematics and build confidence. There are already many opportunities for students with the means and family support to excel in mathematics and science (e.g. Math Kangaroo, summer camps), but opportunities for “everyone else” are relatively few. MathJAM was developed to try to address this gap. The first iteration of this project ran in fall 2024 with grade nine students from the O-day’min area (inner city Edmonton). There were no selection criteria for participants or volunteers, and all activities took place on campus at MacEwan University. In this talk, we will discuss what worked, what could be better, and how to expand this program towards creating an accessible and diverse culture around mathematics.
- EDWARD DOOLITTLE, First Nations University of Canada
- FRÉDÉRIC GOURDEAU, Université Laval
Enrichir l’expérience mathématique des jeunes (Enriching the mathematical experience of students) [PDF]
- FRÉDÉRIC GOURDEAU, Université Laval
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Depuis plus de 25 ans, l’Association québécoise des jeux mathématiques (AQJM) travaille afin de permettre aux jeunes d’avoir accès à des activités ludiques en mathématiques. Initialement formée pour favoriser la diffusion du Championnat international des jeux mathématiques et logiques au Québec, l’association a depuis travaillé en concertation avec de nombreux acteurs en éducation pour proposer des activités de résolution de problèmes et d’énigmes appuyées par des vidéos, des spectacles et activités de magie mathématique, et plusieurs autres activités. Dans la présentation, je dresserai un portrait rapide de nos activités ainsi que les limites de notre action.
For over 25 years, the Association québécoise des jeux mathématiques (AQJM) has been working to give access to fun mathematical activities to all. Initially set up to promote the Championnat international des jeux mathématiques et logiques in Quebec, the association has since worked with a wide range of educational players to offer a variety of problem-solving activities with videos, workshops for kids and teachers, as well as shows based on mathematical magic. I will present a survey of our activities and some of the limits of our actions.
- ZAW HTET, Mount Tamalpais College
Community-driven change: Teaching math in San Quentin Rehabilitation Center [PDF]
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This talk will explore the unique challenges of teaching mathematics in a carceral setting and share best practices developed through decades of community-driven work. Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in California has offered a free liberal arts Associate of Arts degree and an intensive college preparatory program for nearly 30 years. Its mathematics program addresses the specific challenges of educational trauma, math anxiety, and gaps in prior math knowledge through high-touch, student-centered approaches supported by a dynamic and passionate community of volunteers, staff, and students.
- MARK MAC LEAN, UBC Vancouver
Indigenizing University Mathematics: Conversations and Relationships [PDF]
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Indigenizing University Mathematics is a conference series, international collaboration, and knowledge community that has grown from a grassroots desire to understand what it may mean to Indigenize mathematical practices in university spaces. From the beginning, the Indigenizing University Mathematics (IUM) project has been a collaboration between mathematicians and Indigenous practitioners, with care for the integrity of the knowledge systems involved. The three conferences to date -- the participants of which, both online and in person, have spanned every continent except Antarctica -- have opened up the space for discussion of initially unfamiliar ideas, explored models for “how” in the context of discussions about “why”, and allowed a sharing of journeys in which Indigenous and mathematical ways of thinking come into deep relationship. With an established set of principles and community, the fourth conference planned for June 2026 in Vancouver will enable the instantiation and development of these ideas across multiple communities, engaging in particular with local Canadian place-based knowledge systems.
- YU-RU LIU, University of Waterloo
Directed Reading Program (DRP) and Beyond [PDF]
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In this talk, I will introduce the Directed Reading Program (DRP), an initiative organized by the Women in Mathematics (WiM) Committee at the University of Waterloo. I will discuss how the DRP serves as a platform to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within our mathematical community, and share insights into our broader efforts and progress beyond the scope of the program.
- COMFORT MINTAH, University of Waterloo
Advancing Mathematical Diversity through Outreach in Africa [PDF]
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Mathematics education in Africa faces challenges of inequity and underrepresentation. This talk presents outreach initiatives—supported by the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) at the University of Waterloo—that aim to address these issues through culturally relevant engagement and community-based collaboration. Programs such as the Helping Teachers Teach Mathematics Conference and school visits empower teachers with effective strategies and inspire students through hands-on learning experiences. With a focus on inclusive participation and sustainable growth, these initiatives highlight how partnerships between institutions like the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences and local educators can create lasting impact and build a more diverse mathematical community across the continent.
- KYNE SANTOS, OnlineKyne
- ASMITA SODHI, University of Victoria
Doing Joyful Math Together: The JRMF Community Math Circle [PDF]
- ASMITA SODHI, University of Victoria
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The Julia Robinson Math Festival (JRMF) Community Math Circle is a free, online, monthly Math Circle which welcomes participants of all ages and math experience. Run by volunteers, we use online apps and other resources to facilitate the exploration of joyful math problems in small groups for both children and adults. While most of our participants are based in Canada or the United States, we have also had participants attend the Math Circle from the UK, Germany, Ukraine, Panama, Israel, and Pakistan (and others places!). In this talk, I will give an overview of how our online Math Circle came to be, successes we’ve had, and challenges we still face.
- STAN YOSHINOBU, University of Toronto
Lifting Up [PDF]
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Outreach work can be a powerful way to support individuals and their communities to build stronger relationships with mathematics, and hence a potential pathway to increase diversity in Mathematics. In this talk I’ll share insights from my involvement in several different outreach projects I’ve been involved in since 2001, where a common thread is “lifting up.” Lifting up is the act of empowering students, teachers, faculty, and others, where they have more agency and opportunities.