Summer 2020 | Mathematics at Illinois

Camp Epsilon, for rising 8^th - 10^th grade (age 12-15) students, was June 8^th to June 12^th.

Camp Delta, for rising 10^th through 12^th (age 15-18) grade students, was June 22^nd to June 26^th.

View the 2020 brochure →

Topics were:

Classical Constructions: Learn to Draw Algebra

What can we do with a compass and a straightedge? These simple tools can be used to create shapes, do arithmetic, and prove fun facts about geometry. This course taught students geometry as the ancient Greeks saw it, using only tools that were available then.

Counting to Infinity (Plus One!)

Is infinity a number greater than all other numbers, or is it the size of a set that is larger than all finite sets? Are these two notions the same, and how do we make them mathematically rigorous? In this course, students learned how to show that different infinite sets have different sizes; indeed, some infinities are bigger than others! Along the way, we developed the basic elements of set theory and grapple with notions of orderings on infinite sets and maps between sets.

Counting, Coloring, and Graphs

In combinatorics, mathematicians answer the question "How many?" through various methods. They also study objects called graphs, which are sets of vertices connected by edges. Campers learned about properties of graphs, coloring the vertices and edges of graphs, and how mathematicians count.

About Us

SIM Camp Epsilon:

Classical Constructions: Learn to Draw Algebra

Instructor: Joseph Malionek
Assistant Instructor: Ian Copple

Counting to Infinity (Plus One!)

Instructor: Dania Morales
Assistant Instructor: Sharon Yang

SIM Camp Delta

Classical Constructions: Learn to Draw Algebra

Instructor: Joseph Malionek
Assistant Instructor: Ian Copple

Counting, Coloring, and Graphs

Instructor: Grace McCourt
Assistant Instructor: Sharon Yang

Organizers

Alexi Block Gorman was an assistant director for the 2020 SIM Camp. She was also an assistant director for the 2019 SIM Camp, and was an instructor for SIM Camps Delta and Omega in 2018. Alexi is a graduate student in mathematics working in logic on problems in model theory. Her favorite theorem is Gödel's First Incompleteness theorem, because it guarantees that mathematicians will not be out of a job any time soon.

Grace Jaffe was the director of SIM Camp. She ran the Number Theory courses at SIM Camp Epsilon and Delta in 2019. Grace is a graduate student in mathematics interested in number theory, especially the Stern sequence and the Riemann zeta function. Outside of math, she likes singing, knitting, and baking.

Jenna Zomback was an assistant director for the 2020 SIM Camp. She was also the director for the 2019 SIM Camp, and was an instructor for SIM Camp Epsilon and an assistant program coordinator in 2018. Jenna is a graduate student in mathematics interested in descriptive set theory. When she's not doing math or teaching, she enjoys running, cooking, traveling, and fantasy football.

Philipp Hieronymi was a faculty organizer at SIM Camp 2020. He is a Professor in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Mathematics and director of the Illinois Geometry Lab.

Jennifer McNeilly was a faculty organizer at SIM Camp 2020. She has been Director of the Math Merit Program for Emerging Scholars since 2001. She has won multiple teaching awards, primarily teaching courses at the precalculus level. She is also an advisor to the math majors in the secondary education program.

Jeremy Tyson was a faculty organizer at SIM Camp 2020. He is a Professor and Chair of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Mathematics.