Outreach

I enjoy sharing mathematics with students through hands-on activities that make abstract ideas more visible and accessible. Since joining Auburn University in Fall 2023, I have participated in several outreach programs, including Destination STEM, EmpowHER, and the STEM Expo at the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair. Through coloring puzzles, game boards, and 3D-printed graph models, I introduce students to accessible ideas from graph theory.

Several of these activities were developed with support from NSF grant DMS-2451895 and in collaboration with the I&RC MakerSpace at Auburn University Libraries.

Destination STEM

I have participated in Destination STEM every year since joining Auburn University. Destination STEM gives students in grades 6–9 opportunities to explore science and mathematics through interactive, hands-on activities.

At the October 2023 event, I introduced the Four Color Theorem through a coloring activity in which students tried to color maps so that regions sharing a boundary received different colors. At later events, students also explored edge coloring using 3D-printed graph models and colored materials.

Four-color Activity in Oct. 24

Edge-coloring Activity in Oct. 25

Alabama Science and Engineering Fair STEM Expo

I presented a graph theory booth at the 2025 STEM Expo of the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair. At the booth, students explored Eulerian trail problems using game boards created in collaboration with the I&RC MakerSpace at Auburn University Libraries. The goal was to trace every connection exactly once without repeating an edge.

The strong response from the young participants motivated me to continue developing hands-on graph theory activities for future outreach events. I also plan to create a short illustrated activity booklet introducing accessible topics such as the Four-Color Theorem, Euler trails, and edge coloring.

Hands-On Graph Theory Materials

With support from NSF grant DMS-2451895 and assistance from the I&RC MakerSpace at Auburn University Libraries, I have developed game boards for the Four Color Theorem and Eulerian trail problems, as well as 3D-printed graph models illustrating edge coloring.

As shown in the pictures below, these materials allow students to see and manipulate mathematical structures directly. They can be adapted for students of different ages and levels of mathematical experience.

My long-term goal is to develop a collection of accessible graph theory activities that can be used at outreach events, in classrooms, and by teachers and students beyond Auburn University.

3D-printed graph models

Euler trail game boards

Four-Color Theorem game boards

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