Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival (JRMF)

The Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival (JRMF) seeks to inspire joy in mathematics through collaboration, exploration, and discovery. To this end, we engage students and educators through festive events—both in person and online—and make concerted efforts to reach and support underserved and underrepresented populations. Moreover, we pride ourselves in the quality, accessibility, and richness of our educational materials. Since our first mathematics festival at Google’s headquarters in 2007, we have supported hundreds of local hosts in organizing events Since our first mathematics festival at Google’s headquarters in 2007, we have supported hundreds of local hosts in organizing events that engage K–12 students and their teachers. Events have taken place in 26 states, 17 countries, and 6 continents. As we travel, JRMF continues to grow and evolve as we learn from these many different cultures. At our events, students thrive as they think deeply and critically, exploring the richness and beauty of mathematics. More importantly, our activities address all students, from those struggling with mathematics to those soaring in achievement. Motivation comes from the social interaction and cooperative atmosphere, and from the satisfaction of understanding the mathematics itself, rather than from any prize, grade, or ranking. Additionally, our events also build communities by bringing together institutions and organizations as their constituents celebrate mathematics. We flourish because of dedicated mentors, volunteers, and community support. In particular, we’re grateful to the founding host, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), and the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM), which from 2013 until 2020 housed our program as we sought to serve more communities around the globe. JRMF operates as a non-profit foundation under the fiscal sponsorship of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE).