Updates about Mathcamp 2022

Image of the 2022 Year-End Report cover

In 2022, after two years of holding camp online, we were so excited to return to a college campus! We spent our summer at familiar Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Even with lots of Covid precautions and adjustments, it was still the Mathcamp we know and love, and our students reported having an awesome time.

Five weeks at Colby College: Read our 2022 Year-End Report [PDF].

  • Fast Facts: We brought 123 students to Mathcamp this summer. There were 49 girls, 69 boys, and 5 non-binary students. They came from 23 US states, 4 Canadian provinces, and 8 other countries around the world (Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Spain, and Vietnam).

    • Group picture of the Mathcamp 2022 participants

  • We did so much math! We ran 129 classes taught by 33 different instructors, and 111 campers worked on projects. As always, our classes covered a wide range of areas, and varied in pace, difficulty and format. Topics ranged from "Hyperbolic Geometry" to "Ultrafilters and combinatorics" to "Szemerédi’s {theorem, regularity lemma}". Read the schedule and descriptions here.

    • “ It's impossible to not get mathematically inspired in this welcoming community of well-rounded mathematicians. ”

    Picture from a Mathcamp 2022 class

  • We ran so many events! Returning to a residential format gave us so many new possibilities – we hiked on the amazing trails surrounding Colby, played a lot of Frisbee, went stargazing and baked and cooked together. We also solved a lot of crosswords, played a lot of board games, planked daily (including in the stream and on the beach!), spoke Spanish/Polish/Russian/Mandarin/(...) during lunch language tables, and went on silent 7am walks. Even though the schedule board was giant, it was often completely filled with signs.

  • We went on so many field trips! We took advantage of Colby’s beautiful surroundings: we went hiking, rafting, kayaking, and on a trip to Acadia. We also went ice-skating, rock-climbing, berry picking, and had lots of silly fun during the first-ever "Campus Fun Day," featuring an inflatable castle and a dunk tank.

    • Hiking on the Appalachian trail

  • We had so much fun! As always, we solved puzzles during a day-long puzzle hunt, solved math problems at weekly relays, and created a beautiful yearbook. Returning to a residential format meant a return of some beloved in-person traditions, too, like enjoying liquid nitrogen ice cream on a hot day, and singing the alma mater ("Nonabelian") together at the talent show.

    • Photo of JCs making liquid nitrogen ice cream

    “ Mathcamp isn't just another camp, it's a whole new world. The people, classes, and activities all work together to form an incredible five weeks that can't be found anywhere else on Earth. ”

Our students, once again, built an amazing community. (And we're delighted that many of them are keeping in touch.) One of our campers said: “I came to Mathcamp not knowing anyone and worrying whether I would fit in. It turns out, Mathcamp is one the most welcoming places I have been to. The wonderful people I have met here will be what I miss the most after camp ends.”

Thank you for supporting us this past year. Our community of donors helped us to return safely to an in-person program on campus this year, and to run an amazing residential Mathcamp 2022. We appreciate you!