UIC Math

Math Circles of Chicago is in many ways a project of graduate students from UIC. Of our five sites, three are staffed almost entirely by UIC graduate students. Ben Klaff, a former member of UIC's faculty, was instrumental in founding each one. It's also the case that these sites--in Pilsen, Bridgeport, and Lane Tech--serve kids from communities perhaps least likely to get free math enrichment.

While math circles are free to children, we do pay these graduate students to teach. We need people who care about the mathematical enrichment experience of all school children to help fund this work so it continues!

Alex Furman has challenged the UIC Math Department to raise $2,000 on behalf of the Math Circles of Chicago. Thank you so much for your help!!!

In 2010 the Math Circles of Chicago launched as a Saturday program at Walter Payton College Prep, welcoming 5th to 12th graders from across the metropolitan Chicago area. After steady growth for the first few years, we've nearly doubled in the number of kids we serve in the past year. With new sites in Pilsen, Bridgeport and UChicago our enrollment is nearly 500 in the fall of 2016.

We are hoping to open more sites in more locations throughout Chicago in the upcoming years. To do so, we need to ramp up our fundraising. We know there is a strong mathematical community in Chicago, and we hope that we can have your support!

Recently Jackie, one of our most committed math circle parents, wrote the following note:

"My 13 y/o son loves Math Circle of Chicago. He started at the ripe age of 10 with Paul Sally. It’s the one program that he looks forward to participating in throughout the year. It has taken him from a kid that would not speak up in class to the kid that wants to talk about how 'mathematics is the basics of everything'.  

Math Circles has truly developed his brain into a mathematical brain. Math Circle not only emphasize mathematics but it lends itself into every aspect of a young person’s day to day routine. The programs allows them to be free in their thoughts and understand how to share information. According to my son 'every answer is the correct answer if you can explain it'. Again, according to my son, 'If only every teacher was as nice as the Math Circle instructors every kid would understand mathematics.'  "