Festival To Feature Math Fun At Palisades Center

WEST NYACK, NY — Rockland County’s first Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival will be held Saturday at the Palisades Center.

The event is the brainchild of Rhea Patel, a rising senior at Horace Mann School in the Bronx.

The JRMF was founded by math puzzle enthusiast Nancy Blachman to inspire joy in mathematics through collaboration, exploration, and discovery. The festivals are intended to serve as an alternative to competitions for getting students — especially girls and underrepresented minority students — and their surrounding communities engaged in mathematics.

Blachman named the festival after mathematician Julia Robinson, who helped solve Hilbert’s 10th problem and overcame obstacles to achieve a successful career as a woman in mathematics.

"I am hosting these festivals because I want to engage young kids in hands-on math activities during a time when learning has been virtual," said Patel. "I want to spread the message that math is fun and collaborative while impacting my local community as much as I can."

The festival will take place from 1-4 p.m. in the East Court on Level One next to H&M. It's free and accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level.

Attendees will get to participate in a variety of activities, games, and puzzles. The goal is to inspire, delight and show how much fun math can be.

"We welcome Miss Patel’s entrepreneurial spirit and applaud her for organizing such a fun and interactive festival," said Darrin Houseman, General Manager of Palisades Center. "We are honored she selected Palisades Center as the location to host her event and we look forward to seeing our guests participate in the math activities she has planned."