Seattle Universal Math Museum

With the Stanley Cup finals continuing on Tuesday, this week's MIRL looks at some of the angles in hockey.

These are not your usual math camps!

Register today to discover how math connects to the world through imaginative quests, design projects, brainteasers, strategy games, and engineering challenges.

Camps at SUMM encourage curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in a fun and welcoming environment.

We have an incredible lineup of weekly sessions, including:

🎲 Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs): Math + Games (Ages 10–15) | July 6 – July 10

📈 Level Up: Math + Games (Ages 11–14) | July 13 – July 15

🎨 Design Lab: Math + Art (Ages 8–11) | July 20 – July 22

🧩 Puzzle Quest: Math + Puzzles (Ages 8–11) | July 27 – July 29

🛠️ Build Lab: Math + Engineering (Ages 12–15) | August 3 – August 5

Ready to get hands-on with math?

Join us for a SUMM Studio session this month! Whether you want to dive into Monocular Illusions, craft your own Tangram set, or fold beautiful Origami, we have a project for everyone.

🎒 Plan your perfect day: Your studio ticket gets you access to the entire museum! Make sure to plan some extra time to explore our interactive exhibits before or after your class.

🎟️ Pro-Tip: Walk-ins are always welcome, but you can save $2 off the door price just by preregistering online ahead of time!

⏳ Last Chance Exhibit Alert: Our current Origami exhibit will be replaced with a brand-new Games + Puzzles exhibit later this month. Come experience the origami magic one last time before it packs up!

June is a month of transition at SUMM: we're $50,000 from our fiscal year goal, saying goodbye to Origami, and getting ready to welcome a brand-new Games + Puzzles exhibit.

Want to make an even bigger impact? Join the Square Giving Circle, our monthly giving community. Members receive exclusive benefits including quarterly puzzles and museum discounts. If you join during June, we'll also send you the latest puzzle and discounts.

And while you're thinking about what's next for SUMM, don't miss what's here now! This month we'll begin refreshing our museum space as we prepare to replace our Origami exhibit with a brand-new Games + Puzzles exhibit. If you haven't had a chance to experience Origami yet, now is the time—it's your last opportunity before it folds away.

Thank you for helping make math accessible, playful, and engaging for our community.

Can AI actually discover new mathematics?

Most of us have seen AI get simple math problems wrong, but recent advances are raising a fascinating question: what happens when AI starts helping solve problems that have challenged mathematicians for decades?

In this month's Ask a Mathematician, Nick Rauh explores whether artificial intelligence can produce truly novel mathematical proofs and looks at what "creativity" might mean in the world of mathematics.

Music is more than sound. It’s a world of patterns, perception, and imagination.

Join us for the next Math Out Loud as composer Jacqueline Cordes explores the fascinating phenomenon of synesthesia, where sound and color intertwine to create extraordinary sensory experiences. Discover how musical elements like tempo and mode shape “chromesthesia” (seeing sound), and how mathematical ideas like the Fibonacci sequence appear in melody and composition.

Experience the surprising connections between math, music, and the way we perceive the world.

📍 The Museum of Flight
🗓 June 17 | 6:00–7:00 PM (VIP reception to follow)
🎟 Free (suggested donation $25) | VIP experience available

You don’t need a formal "math game" to build strong mathematical thinking! 🎲Whether they are predicting outcomes, managing resources, or recognizing patterns, kids practice deep math skills every time they play.

We absolutely love playing games at SUMM, and we are leaning into it all summer long! Check out our calendar for some fabulous options—including our super exciting TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying games) summer camp.

Plus, if you haven't seen our stunning Origami exhibit yet, make sure to come visit soon! It will be making way for our brand-new Games and Puzzles exhibit in the near future.

Sandwiches, pizza, and pancakes in one post? Perhaps you can tell we wrote this week's MIRL before lunch!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Math Out Loud on Wednesday evening, and a special thank you to Dr. Talithia Williams for sharing so powerfully about her life, her career, the mentors and experiences that shaped her journey, and the joy and meaning she finds in mathematics.

We’re already planning to revisit her episodes of Nova Wonders to take in even more of her insight, curiosity, and wisdom.

Inspired by this month’s conversation? Register now for next month’s Math Out Loud. We can't wait to see you there!