Discover Math Magic

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics proudly presents the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Regional Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival (JRMCF), Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. at UNC Charlotte.

The Julia Robinson Mathematics and Computing Festival has been held in Charlotte since 2010 (with a gap since 2019) and strives to encourage middle school girls to investigate diverse areas of mathematics they would not ordinarily encounter in the classroom.

Mathematicians ranging from college undergraduates to first-rate professionals host tables devoted to different activities; students work on the activities with each other and with the activity leader. Typically, we suggest spending around 15 minutes per activity; however, interest may vary.  In past years, we’ve had activities that have worked with topics such as Mobius strips, Fibonacci, Zome tools with a variety of applications, logic puzzles, paper folding, Towers of Hanoi, fractals, encryption, and more.

Location & Parking:

The event is scheduled in the Cone Center at UNC Charlotte (map).  Cars can park in the Cone deck and/or West Deck.  Parking vouchers will not be needed (ie: free parking on Saturday).  Handicap parking is located directly in front of the Cone Center.  Buses will need to use Lot 27 behind Harris Alumni House; however, buses should be able to pull into the circle by Cone to let the students off before going to park.

Schedule of the Event:

  • 9 – 9:30am – volunteers orientation (Cone 210)

  • 9:30 – 10am – registration / check-in (in McKnight Lobby)

  • 10am – welcome / opening session (in McKnight Hall)

  • 10:30am – 1:30pm – activity tables

    • Lunch in waves:  11:30am -1pm

  • 1:30pm – 1:45pm – raffle for prizes

  • 1:45pm – 2:30pm – speaker (Dorothy Andrews)

  • 2:30pm – 2:40pm – closing remarks (in McKnight Hall)

      • FAQ’s:

    • Is lunch free?  Yes, details provided at registration and / or the welcome.  (This is one of the reasons why we ask people to register before the day of the event.)

    • Can I drop off my child?  It depends on the situation.  If you’ve arranged for a responsible adult to be responsible for your child (like a teacher, relative, parent of your child’s friend, etc), then sure.  We are not set up to deal with unaccompanied minors.  Think of this event as a field trip – not a day camp.

      • Registration is free.

      For more info (or if you’d like to be a volunteer), contact sjbirdso@uncc.edu.