Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival

# Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival JRMF is a nonprofit that has "supported more than 500 hosts in organizing events that engage K-12 students and their teachers" since its first festival in 2007. A JRMF festival is explicitly not a contest: students move between tables of open-ended puzzles and games, work in small collaborative groups, and talk with volunteer mathematicians. The organization specializes in "low-floor, high-ceiling" problems that a beginner can start and an expert can keep pushing. ## What You'll Do - Attend a hosted festival - JRMF's public calendar lists events across the country, from university campuses like Cornell to public libraries and schools - Work collaborative puzzles at your own pace, choosing tables that interest you - Talk through your reasoning with volunteer mathematicians and student facilitators - Bring a festival to your own school: JRMF trains volunteers, supplies materials, and helps run the event - Use JRMF's activity library at home or in a school math club ## Who Should Apply Any student in grades 6-12 (JRMF invites "4th- through 12th-graders" and welcomes all ages and skill levels). There is no application, no qualifying score, and no registration fee - students simply attend a scheduled festival. The format is designed specifically for students who find contest math intimidating. ## Outcomes Festivals are a low-stakes entry point into mathematical thinking: students leave having done real problem solving without the pressure of a scoreboard, and school hosts often use a festival as the seed for an ongoing math club or circle.