I am passionate about bringing my love of math to young people, especially to girls and other students underrepresented in STEM.

MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT

The pandemic doesn’t have to stop us from STEM outreach and in 2020, I was part of a virtual panel for a Chicago Public School, Englewood STEM High School, describing my research and answering student questions about what it is like to be a scientist. In 2021, I was part of another panel for the Chicago Math and Science Academy.

APPLIED MATH IN ACTION

I am a member of Northwestern’s Applied Math in Action group where we show high-school students, especially from underprivileged backgrounds, how math is relevant to their lives through interactive workshops. In our November 2019 event, over 150 students participated. The topics of the programs have included Physics of Parkour, Modeling Marathon Race Times, and Algorithms for Wineries. 

SPLASH!

In April 2019, I ran a workshop on the “Mathematics of Poker” at the Northwestern Splash! event, an educational outreach program that brings together Northwestern and high school students for a day of teaching and learning, specifically aimed at students in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. https://nusplash.learningu.org/teach/teachers/Ezajdela/bio.html.

SONIA KOVALESKY DAY

In 2017 and 2018, I ran workshops on the Monty Hall paradox and sphere packing at University of Illinois-Chicago Association for Women in Math (AWM) Sonia Kovalesky Day for middle and high-school girls.

MATHS EN JEAN

Starting in 2018, I began working with the Lycee Francais de Chicago on Maths en Jean, a national French program designed to introduce middle and high-school students, especially girls, to mathematical research. In 2018, I organized a group of math PhD students to participate in the North-American Maths en Jean Congress hosted by the Lycee Francais de Chicago, attended by francophone students from all over North America. In March 2019, I accompanied the group or five days to the Congress hosted by the Lycee Francais de San Francisco, where I moderated sessions and served as a mentor to the students: https://www.lyceechicago.org/blog/mathenjeans-trip-to-san-francisco.

SCIENCE THROUGH THE ARTS

During the summer of 2017, I worked with the Lycee Francais de Chicago to develop a project teaching second and third grade students scientific concepts through the arts (theater, dance, song).