Math Circle at the University of Washington

What is UW Math Circle?

The UW Math Circle is a math outreach program for Seattle-area 7^th, 8^th and 9^th graders with mathematical minds, with the aim of introducing them to the world of math beyond the classroom.

What is UW Math Circle not?

The UW Math Circle is not intended as a math tutoring service. Nor is it a preparation for MathCounts or other similar competitions. As mentioned above, the Math Circle is an opportunity for middle school students who already have a drive for studying mathematics to enrich their comprehension of what math is really all about.

Who are we?

We are UW math faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and other people interested in spreading the beauty of mathematics.

Instructors

• Josh Hinman
• Charlie Magland
• Clare Minnerath
• Sean Richardson
• Joe Rogge
• Danny Shi
• Glenn Sun

Consultants

• Kolya Malkin
• Jonah Ostroff

Coordinators

• Steve Klee
• Julia Pevtsova

The UW Math Circle has been featured in the University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences newsletter, Perspectives.

Congratulations to our past and present math circle coordinators and instructors on their following recent accomplishments:

• Kristine Hampton was named the 2018–19 Steve Mitchell Graduate Fellow and graduated with her PhD in 2023.
• Jacob Richey was awarded the 2018–19 Gerald B. Folland Fellowship.
• Rowan Rowlands was awarded a 2018–19 Craig McKibben and Sarah Merner Fellowship in Mathematics, the 2021–22 Steve Mitchell Graduate Fellow, and graduated with his PhD in 2023.
• Julia Pevtsova was named a 2017 Simons Fellow in Mathematics, and awarded the 2018 PIMS Education Prize.
• Steve Klee was awarded the prestigous Mathematical Association of America Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching.
• Kristin DeVleming was awarded the UW Mathematics Department's Excellence in Teaching Award for 2013-14, and named the inaugural Steve Mitchell "For the Love of Math" fellow.
• Austin Stromme was awarded the Goldwater Scholarship for outstanding undergraduate research.

Costs Involved

In the past, the UW Math Circle had been offered at no cost, thanks to two grants form the National Science Foundation that supported the Department of Mathematics outreach efforts. The larger of those grants expired in the Spring of 2014. With the majority of our funding now gone, we have to ask families to contribute to the operational expenses of the Math Circle, if they are able to do that. We suggest a donation of $100 per semester. This will cover the very basic needs of the Circle. But any amount your family is able to contribute – large or small – will help.

To make a donation, follow this link. Please make your donation by the third week of class in the and then again in the Winter. This will help us with our financial planning. Your donation is tax-deductible and might be matched by your employer. Please talk to Julia Pevtsova if you think this is a possibility.

Details on NSF support: NSF CAREER grant DMS-0953011, NSF Research and Training Grant DMS-0838212, and NSF grant DMS-1501146.