Speaker: Steven Kahn
Professor of Mathematics, Wayne State University (WSU)
Co-Founder, WSU Math Corps
Director, WSU Center for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics

Title: Math Corps: Social Justice Through Loving and Believing in Kids--and a few Equations

Abstract: For over 30 years, the Wayne State University Math Corps—through summer camp and Saturday programs—has been working to provide Detroit’s children with the kinds of educational and lifetime opportunities that all children should have. Over the past several years, the Math Corps at U(M) has been doing the same, serving children from Ypsilanti. Rooted in social justice and based on a philosophy of “loving and believing in kids”, the Math Corps has achieved dramatic results and garnered national recognition and widespread acclaim. This talk will examine some of the principles and practices that drive the program, and that have been the most responsible for its success. Specific examples to be highlighted include: the “kids teaching kids” model of teaching and learning, the dedication to building a community that is centered, above all, around kindness, the belief in the importance of humor in all of our daily lives (“Three mathematicians walk into a bar...”), and most importantly, the absolutely unwavering vision that the kids in the Math Corps are all leaders in the fight for a better and more just world.

This event is in-person and online.
Zoom: Meeting ID: 913 4525 9193 Passcode: greatness