Meetings

Below is an archive of our meetings from Fall 2025 and Spring 2026.

September 27, 2025

Discovery Learning: Green Group (in Pre-Algebra and below)

Speaker: Dr. Nataliya Goncharuk

Title:  Remarkable Curves: extraterrestrial geometry

Abstract: Ellipse, Parabola, and Hyperbola --- these curves literally rule the universe! These are paths of planets, comets, rockets, and space debris. We will use rulers and strings to draw these fascinating curves --- and explore a few other remarkable ones too. Spacesuits not required.

Discovery Learning: Blue Group (in Algebra I and/or Geometry)

Speaker: Mark Shiliaev

Title:  Subdividing a Pile and the Handshake Problem

Abstract: Suppose you walk down to the corner some afternoon and there are six of your friends standing around. How many handshakes would there be if each person shakes each and every other person’s hand once? We will explore a connection between this problem and another seemingly unrelated counting problem.

Discovery Learning: Red Group (in Algebra II)

Speaker: Dr. Phil Yasskin

Title:  Nine Point Circles

Abstract: We will identify 9 points determined by any triangle which always lie on the same circle, and prove it.

September 20, 2025

Discovery Learning: Green Group (in Pre-Algebra and below)

Speaker: Dr. Sinjini Sengupta, Texas A&M University

Title:  I Walk the Line

Abstract: You live in a city where the roads lie on a grid. Your house is in one corner of the grid. Everyday, you walk to school at the opposite end of the grid. How many different ways can you walk to school? Suddenly there is a zombie infestation. How many ways can to walk to school, avoiding the zombies?

Discovery Learning: Blue Group (in Algebra I and/or Geometry) 

Speaker:  Dr. Phil Yasskin, Texas A&M University

Title:  a+b+ab problem

Abstract: Write down the numbers from 1 to 100. Randomly select 2 numbers from the list, say a and b, and cross them off, but add to the list the number a+b+ab. You now have 99 numbers. Repeat this process until you have only 1 number left. What are all possible final numbers?

Discovery Learning: Red Group (in Algebra II) 

Speaker:  Dr. Kun Wang, Texas A&M University

Title:  Ford Circles

Abstract: Starting with two circles tangent to the real line at 0 and 1, each with radius 1/2​, we can construct a third circle tangent to the real line and also tangent to both of the first two circles. Repeating this process yields an infinite family of circles, each tangent to the real line and to two neighboring circles. These are known as Ford circles. A natural question is: What can we say about the positions of their centers and the sizes of their radii?

September 13, 2025

Discovery Learning: Green Group (in Pre-Algebra and below) and Blue Group ( Algebra I and Geometry)

Speaker: Dr. Phil Yasskin, Texas A&M University

Title: Light Bulbs

Abstract: We will be exploring factorization patterns through a game where all of the lightbulbs are turned off, and when a person walks down the hallway, they pull the string of certain lights to turn them on based on the number on their shirt. We will predict and prove solutions to scenarios with a small fixed number of lightbulbs and look into patterns to solve larger quantities.

Discovery Learning: Green Group (in Pre-Algebra and below) and Blue Group ( Algebra I and Geometry)

Speaker: Dr. John Weeks, Texas A&M University

Title: Chess at Maximum Capacity

Abstract: Given a set S of allowed chess pieces, we say the capacity of an m-by-n chessboard (with respect to) S is the maximum number of chess pieces from S that can be placed on the chessboard so that no one piece attacks another. We will explore this problem with small boards, set up an integer programming problem to help find the maximum capacity, then learn a few tricks that help us find the board states that achieve this capacity. Knowing how to play chess is not required.