Mason Math Summer Day Camp

Where: In-person -- Fairfax Campus

Dates: July 8, 2024 - July 12, 2024

Time: 9am - 3pm (drop off and pickup windows TBD)

Cost: $490 includes all materials, activities, and daily lunch!

Registration Deadline: Friday, June 4, 2024

Sample Day (subject to change):

• Drop-off
• Welcome
• Lecture by invited speaker
• Problem solving / team building
• Lunch
• Hands-on/interactive activity
• Students presentations
• Historical remarks
• Pick up

Example Modeling Day description from Summer 2023 MMO Camp:

Modelling. The day commences with a presentation focused on the theme: “Analyzing Data and Building a Model”. Explaining the modeling cycle, statistical analysis and methods. Students actively engage in practical exercises, refining their skills in computing the mean, median, and mode of data. Following this foundational phase, students are organized into teams and assigned specific NetLogo modeling problems, encompassing scenarios such as Wolf/Sheep Predation, viral spread, and bidding markets. We then move on to a computer lab where students learn the basics of Matlab. Finally, students prepare presentations using Matlab and Netlogo where they need to discuss the modeling problem, review its historical context, show how the data was used to fit a curve, and what the model suggests from the data.

The George Mason University Department of Mathematical Sciences is pleased to provide need-based financial assistance to attend our summer day camp. Please consider donating to the camp fund using the Register link below if you are able.

For those seeking assistance, please note that financial assistance is not guaranteed, and funds are limited. To apply, before registering, please download and complete the Financial Assistance Form (click here). Email the completed form as an attachment to JLawler@gmu.edu. Please put "MMO Camp Scholarship" in the subject line.

Q: How many kids attend the program? 

A: We are limiting enrollment to 36 students

Q: How does the provided lunch work? 

A: Our current plan is to have the students eat all 5 days in our Southside cafeteria. It is not open except to special events in the summer. Last year we had it to ourselves for 3 out of 5 days and one other camp was in the cafeteria at the same time as us the other 2 days. 

Q:How does the math in this program differ from what is covered in middle school? 

A: We are aiming at broadening kids' exposure and appreciation for mathematics topics outside of the school curriculum which naturally fuels their curiosity and motivates them to learn, which is turn naturally translates into higher achievements in tests and contests. This camp would be different from a typical Mathcounts or AMC prep class (although many of our faculty are intimately familiar with both). I would say we focus on developing research and critical thinking skills more than on polishing test taking skills.   

You should expect your child to interact with faculty and graduate students engaged in active research in the areas of algebra, number theory, applied math etc, learn about history of mathematics and work with other kids on different levels of problems: from those he/she would probably easily solve to those that would require he/she to pause and then on to learning about the questions no one has solved yet. Once we know your child’s level we would be able to find the right challenge for him. This camp would give him exposure to what mathematical research is like.