High School Camp with Dr. Eugenia Cheng
Back of the Yards HS, 2111 W. 47th St.
This one-week camp will run July 17th to the 21st, 12:30PM to 3PM. Students who are rising 10th to 12th graders are eligible to attend.
Dr. Cheng writes: “In this mini camp we will explore high level abstract math in an open-ended and accessible way, particularly appealing to visual and hands-on learners. We will emphasize creativity rather than following rules, discovery and investigation rather than facts, choices and possibilities rather than right and wrong, and structures to be built rather than problems to be solved. These ideas are the topic of my book “The Joy of Abstraction: an exploration of category theory, math, and life” which is aimed at high school students and others without advanced math degrees.
In the process we will see how math helps us think more clearly about anything and everything in the world around us, with specific examples including questions of social justice including tolerance, privilege, prejudice and equality. Thus we will see that “abstract” doesn’t mean “irrelevant”, but rather, that abstract thinking can help us understand urgent issues in the world around us. The only prerequisites are curiosity and an open-mind about what math really is.”