Sonia Kovalevsky Day

Photo provided by Dr. Mei Yin

DU Association for Women in Mathematics student chapter hosts Sonia Kovalevsky Day!

Casey Schlortt, President of DU AWM Student Chapter
Mei Yin, Professor and Faculty Advisor for DU AWM Student Chapter

The University of Denver (DU) Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) student chapter hosted a Sonia Kovalevsky (SK) Day on April 17, 2026, serving more than 200 Grade 3 and Grade 4 students from the Denver area. The event was organized in partnership between DU and Denver Language School (DLS) and supported by approximately 20 faculty and student volunteers from DU and 20 teachers from DLS. Together, the teams created an engaging, inclusive environment grounded in the belief that mathematics is creative, accessible, and enjoyable for all learners.

A central goal of the SK Day was to engage students at a formative stage in their academic development, when attitudes toward learning and self-confidence in subjects like mathematics begin to take shape. By offering hands-on, playful, and collaborative activities, the event emphasized mathematics as exploratory rather than intimidating. Students rotated through four stations: Dance and Music, Arts and Crafts, Cryptography, and Logic Puzzles, each aligned with Colorado Academic Standards in Operations & Algebraic Thinking and Geometry.

At the Dance and Music station, students explored patterns and sequences through rhythm and movement. Arts and Crafts focused on geometric reasoning using origami and logic-based coloring games. Cryptography introduced Caesar cipher relay puzzles that highlighted structure and decoding. Logic Puzzles included Sudoku and tangram challenges designed to strengthen spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills. All activities were designed and created by the DU AWM student leadership team, showcasing mathematics as creative, interactive, and broad in scope.

The event featured a plenary talk by Rebecca Garcia (Colorado College, AWM Fellow 2026), who shared her journey in mathematics through an interactive presentation. She engaged students with a combinatorial finger game that encouraged strategy, experimentation, and pattern recognition. A STEM career panel further expanded students' perspectives, featuring Major David Schlortt USAF Ret., Aza Hoffbauer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and Jordan Koler, a recent DU Mathematics Master's graduate. The panel highlighted diverse pathways in STEM and demonstrated the relevance of mathematics in aviation, public health, and research.

In the afternoon, a professional development workshop for K-12 teachers was held, moderated by Casey Schlortt (DU Math) and featuring panelists Wendy Jensen (DU Morgridge), Lexi Schlosser (DU OTL), and Mei Yin (DU Math). The session focused on innovative instructional strategies and was especially well received for its discussion of the intentional use of artificial intelligence in mathematics education to support creativity, inquiry, and critical thinking in the classroom.

Importantly, faculty and student volunteers from DU also gained valuable experience through their participation in SK Day. They developed valuable skills in outreach, communication, and teaching while working directly with young learners in an educational setting. In addition, they gained important insight into the planning, coordination, and logistical effort required to host a large-scale educational outreach event, deepening their understanding of community-engaged scholarship.

The SK Day was supported by an AWM Student Chapter Innovation Grant and institutional funding from the University of Denver, including the Center for Ethical Generative Artificial Intelligence Applications (CEGAIA) and the Center for Community Engagement to Advance Scholarship and Learning (CCESL). Appreciation is extended to the DU Mathematics Department, Principal Jessica Reed, the instructional leadership team, and the Grade 3 and Grade 4 teaching teams at DLS for their essential support in making the event possible.