The Fields Institute for
Research in Mathematical Sciences

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Outreach

The Fields Institute is proud to both host and support a variety of Outreach Activities to promote mathematics among the general public.

Some of these activities include (click on a heading to view more details):

Current Programs

Center for Math Education

The Centre for Mathematics Education (CME) is devoted to transformative research in mathematics education and, by extension, STEM education. They have overseen the Math Ed Forum, the Fields Cognitive Science Network, Math Circles, and the Math Knowledge Network (MKN). They also assist with the selection of each year's Margaret Sinclair Memorial Award Recognizing Innovation and Excellence in Mathematics Education winner.

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Math Ed Forum

These open monthly meetings (September - November, January - April) on themes related to K-16 mathematics education bring together mathematics researchers and mathematics educators.

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Elementary Educator Math Programs

The Elementary Educator Courses are designed to help elementary teachers and teacher candidates boost their math skills. They have been developed by an Ontario certified teacher with a PhD focused specifically on math education and in collaboration with mathematicians and educators from a wide variety of backgrounds.

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Ask a Mathematician

The Ask a Mathematician (AAM) program brings ‘real’ mathematicians into elementary / middle school classrooms (Grades 4 - 10) virtually. The purpose of these visits is to inspire students to see math in a whole new way and to give them a chance to interact with mathematicians from academia and industry. 

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Math Circles

Math Circles bring together high school students (Grades 9 - 12) to work on challenging and interesting math problems. Classes run on Saturday afternoons and all are welcome.

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Fields Trip

The Math Department at the University of Toronto offers both in-person and virtual visits for elementary and high school classes where they get a chance to interact with graduate and undergraduate math students and participate in some fun math activities.

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Caribou Math

Caribou is an online educational platform offering math learning resources and math, coding and calcrostic competitions for students from the start of Elementary School to the end of High School.

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YouTube Content

The Fields Institute has created a substantial collection of videos, hosted on YouTube, from various seminars, events, and special events. Some of the special events include our "What the Numbers Say", "Behind the Numbers", "AAM YouTube Live" talks, and some 'fun' special topics (like the Math of Valentine's Day - prepare for chocolate math, and Easter Math - prepare for bunnies).

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Recent Past Programs

LGBTQ+Math Day

These events are aimed at LGBTQ+ mathematicians, students, and post-docs in the mathematical sciences, and their allies. The days showcased state-of-the-art mathematics conducted by LGBTQ+ mathematicians, presented in an accessible way to non-specialists. Speakers also described their journey navigating their academic careers as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The focus of the talks was for participants to leave inspired and with strategies for building meaningful allyships with members of the LGBTQ+ community in mathematics.

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Math Horizons Day 2023

Hosted by the University of Ottawa, the Math Horizons Day is an outreach activity for Grade 11 students in Ontario and Secondaire 4 students in Quebec, which aims to promote the important role played by mathematical science in our society.

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Math in Motion…Girls in Gear

Math in Motion … Girls in Gear! is an annual event that sees approoximately 100 Grade 9 girls from across the GTA participate in a full-day of hands-on activities and interactive lectures lead by female role models in Math, Science and Engineering.

Other Past Outreach Activities Supported by Fields

  • CUMC: In 2021 the Fields Institute supported the Canadian Undergraduate Mathematics Conference, hosted at Western University.
  • Archimedes Math Schools (2014-15, 2017-18) after-school math classes for children in Grades 4, 5, and 6 run by math professors in Winnipeg.
  • Bridges Lecture Series (April-March 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18) - lectures that aim to overcome the gap between Mathematics and the Arts.
  • Math and Coding for Young Children - student-led math + coding events for young (K-8) children and their parents.
  • The International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IM2C)-Canada.
  • Fields-York Math Circles (September 1-June 30 in 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019) - provides opportunities for highly motivated and interested students to work beyond the curriculum expectations and discover the beauty and captivation of mathematics.

Applying for Funding

Have an outreach event that you would like to propose? The Fields Institute takes proposals for outreach funding throughout the year. You can learn more here.

Past and Upcoming Events

Below you will find a listing of past and upcoming outreach events at the Fields Institute. Clicking on any event will take you to a page with further information and, for upcoming events, information on how to register to attend.

Workshops and Conferences

Seminars

Special and Public Lectures

Courses

People and Contacts

Contacting the Institute, Staff, and Visiting Members of the Fields Institute.

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Calendar and Events

Stay up to date with our upcoming events and news by viewing our calendar.

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