Kaleidoscope of Mathematics: Girls Behind the Mirror
SCM Ambassadors Conference
This Saturday, February 21, we held a new conference of the project Ambassadors of Mathematics, titled Kaleidoscope of Mathematics: Girls Behind the Mirror. The meeting brought together girls from secondary and high school from all over Catalonia —Reus, Cardona, Solsona, Vilafranca, Palamós, Terrassa, Artés, Barcelona, Badalona, Granollers, Manresa, among others— in an intense day of training, coexistence, and preparation for visits to primary schools.
The conference was a continuation of the previous conference Building the Team — held on November 22 in Manresa, which indeed created a team among the Ambassador girls, who enjoy working on mathematical challenges together. Reuniting has strengthened bonds and naturally integrated those who could not attend the previous in-person conference.
Who Are We Behind the Mirror?
The conference began with a presentation activity in the courtyard of the Mercè Rodoreda School, which hosted the event in very pleasant spaces conducive to shared work. The girls introduced themselves by showing “who they are behind the mirror”: students passionate about mathematics, who especially enjoy challenging problems. “I like it when they are long and difficult,” commented one participant, emphasizing the value of time, perseverance, and the satisfaction of reaching a solution after effort.
Discovering Mathematics: The Exhibition Young Catalan Mathematicians
Before entering the main space, participants solved a series of puzzles in a scavenger hunt format based on a tour of the exhibition Young Catalan Mathematicians. The exhibition presents a true kaleidoscope of applications of mathematics —in traffic, health, data analysis, among others— through the profiles of women who have studied mathematics and now work in very diverse fields.
From this discovery, the girls identified areas of mathematics they want to explain to primary school students and role models they can share in their future visits.
Preparing Challenges for Primary School
A central part of the conference was the preparation of challenges that the ambassadors will take to schools. They worked, for example, on the challenge of counting how many triangles can be found in a figure or calculating how many different ways letters can be arranged on a hanger.
Some of these challenges come from the Mathematical Countdown, a new activity promoted this year by the Catalan Society of Mathematics and originally created by Víctor López. [The corresponding link will be added here.]
The challenges are adaptable to different primary school grades. Participants solved them individually, compared solutions with peers, and analyzed different alternative ways to pose and solve them. They also worked on strategies to present them with manipulative materials —geoboards, cut-out triangles, grids for painting and drawing— with the aim of fostering mathematical conversation in the classroom.
Each ambassador takes to her school a kit with the challenges, a set of cards for students, a poster of a young Catalan mathematician, and other materials that will facilitate her outreach work. They also received a set of cards with posters of women scientists, thus expanding the range of female role models in science.
Sharing and Networking
The conference also included informal spaces. In particular, lunch was a good time to share and continue building connections, and the board game time allowed the girls to interact in a relaxed manner.
They also had the opportunity to talk with the project coordination team to ask questions and clarify details regarding communication and sessions at each school.
Communicating with Confidence
The afternoon was dedicated to working on communication and confidence when speaking in public. Led by Màgic Pol, the girls participated in a workshop where they practiced various tricks, learning both technique and stage presence, with examples of how to capture attention, manage nerves, and explain clearly.
Some of the tricks are part of the STEMàgia show, created within the framework of the Aquaesteam project at UPC Manresa, and combine magic with mathematics as well as chemistry, physics, and electronics, among others. Understanding the science behind the tricks has reinforced the participants' confidence and highlights scientific knowledge.
As a closing, the girls, together with Màgic Pol, offered a small final show with the participation of parents as well. In this festive atmosphere, accreditations were awarded to the new ambassadors, who went up in groups to receive their recognition and take commemorative photos.
The conference ended with excitement, camaraderie, and a shared desire to keep this kaleidoscope of mathematics spinning through their voices, so that primary school children can discover mathematics, both in terms of knowledge and women dedicated to mathematics.
Acknowledgments
The Catalan Society of Mathematics would like to thank the Mercè Rodoreda School for hosting and making its spaces available, which helped create an ideal environment for the development of the conference.
This project is possible thanks to the collaboration of:
Department of Equality and Feminism, through the project «Kaleidoscope of Mathematics, Girls Behind the Mirror»
Spanish Foundation for Science and Innovation (FECYT), Stimulus of Mathematical Talent – ESTRELLA
Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation
Institute of Catalan Studies, through grants from the Scientific Secretariat, the Section of Sciences and Technology, and general services as a subsidiary society.
