Information about NoCO Math Circles

The Northern Colorado Math Circles (NoCOMC) provide Math Circle sessions for both teachers (all grade levels) and middle school students (5th-8th graders). We work on solving math problems and discuss solution strategies together.

The mission of NoCO Math Teachers Circle is to create an opportunity for teachers in Northern Colorado to work on interesting mathematics problems in a setting that enriches teachers’ mathematics content knowledge. By working on rich mathematical problems together, we expect that our participants will enhance their understanding of mathematics and approach mathematical problems more confidently. In addition, we expect that by modeling student-centered and inquiry-based ways of teaching mathematics, our teacher participants will become more comfortable using these teaching strategies in their own classrooms. Finally, we hope to get teachers excited about mathematics, a subject they chose to teach, through fun explorative approaches and to forge new professional relationships among  teachers and university mathematics professors.

The mission of NoCO Student Math Circle is to provide opportunity for local students in grades 5th through 8th (entering 8th) to work on challenging mathematics problems in a setting that contributes to their mathematics knowledge. We recently started to have sessions for high school students at local schools and attend our local community activities to facilitate problem-solving tables.

FALL 2024 and SPRING 2025 Sessions

We will offer five sessions for Teachers at UNC campus during this 2024-2025 academic year. These will be several student activities we will support and host in Greeley.

Teacher Sessions:

  • Session 1: September 26, 2024 Thursday: The session was at the University of Northern Colorado campus, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Ross Hall Room 2270 (second floor).
  • Session 2: October 30, 2024 Wednesday:The session will start at 5:15 pm (ends at 7:15 pm) at the University of Northern Colorado campus, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Ross Hall Room 2270 (second floor). It is open to all teachers interested in solving fun math problems. Canceled.
  • Session 3: November 20, 2024 Wednesday. The session will start at 5:15 pm (ends at 7:15 pm) at the University of Northern Colorado campus, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Ross Hall Room 2270 (second floor). It is open to all teachers interested in solving fun math problems. Please RSVP by Monday, November 18th by 5pm. You can contact Dr. Gulden Karakok for questions and cancellations.
  • Session 4: March 12, 2025 Wednesday. The session will start at 5:15 pm (ends at 7:15 pm) at the University of Northern Colorado campus, Department of Mathematical Sciences. Room and RSVP form will be posted in January.
  • Session 5: mid-April (exact date will be announced in January). The session will start at 5:15 pm (ends at 7:15 pm) at the University of Northern Colorado campus, Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Parking Information: Unfortunately, there is no free parking on UNC campus. The closest UNC parking lot to Ross Hall (11th Ave and 23rd Street) for visitors is Parking Lot C. Check the map to locate Ross Hall (number 12) and parking lot C (blue colored) at the intersection of 11th Ave and 23rd Street.

Student Sessions & Sponsored Events:

  • Session 1: September 18, 2024 Wednesday: The session was at 3:45 pm at Greeley Central High School. It was open to high school students interested in solving fun math problems and learning about UNC’s STEM & Health Programs and upcoming event (see information:UNC-STEM-HEALTH Event Oct 2024)
  • Activities at YES!fest 2024 (September 14, Saturday 10am-3pm): Northern Colorado Math Circles supported & sponsored the activities that facilitated by Drs. Jocelyn Rios, Katie Morrison, and Gulden Karakok at the LINC Library Innovation Center of Greeley.
  • Session 2: October 2, 2024 Wednesday: The session will be at the University Schools of Greeley. It is open to high school students interested in solving fun math problems and learning about UNC’s STEM & Health Programs and upcoming event (see information:UNC-STEM-HEALTH Event Oct 2024). Please note that the space is very limited. Please contact Andrew Schwartz at the University High School.
  • Check back for more community activities and sessions for students in November and during Spring 2025. 

Previous Events and News

Due to COVID, we were unable to continue our regular events. However, we are excited to start our sessions again. Our first event was in 2022 fall, facilitated by Dr. James Tanton on Saturday, November 5th, from 10:00am to 12:30pm at the University of Northern Colorado campus, Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Sponsors of Our Circles:

In addition to support from the University of Northern Colorado School of Mathematical Sciences and the College of Natural Health and Sciences, our Circles received funding from

We are grateful for their contributions!