Summer Oshkosh Mathematics Academy
SOMA | August 12-15, 2024


The next Summer Oshkosh Mathematics Academy (SOMA), a four-day commuter camp for students entering grades 6-8, will be held at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Monday August 12- Thursday August 15, 2024.  



JUMP TO:

– Academy Description

– Program Fees

– How to Register

SOMA features student exploration and a creative problem-solving approach to mathematics. Participants will see aspects of mathematics and topics that are not typically part of the middle grades curriculum, and our activities will help middle schoolers develop mathematical habits of mind by actually doing mathematics, that is, investigating, experimenting, posing questions, modeling problems, conjecturing, justifying solutions and critiquing the reasoning of others.

Sessions are led by award-winning UW Oshkosh mathematics professors and undergraduate math education students. Our aim is to challenge camp participants while exploring the beauty of mathematics, and to provide opportunities for them to experience mathematics as a creative art. It is our hope that this will encourage them to further their mathematical studies in school, college, and beyond.

 

Academy Description

A typical day at SOMA includes:

  • Mini-courses in math featuring in-depth exploration and problem solving
  • Outdoor mathematical activities
  • Lunch at our student cafeteria
  • Math puzzles and games

Mini-courses are longer sessions (1 1/2 hours each day) that run the length of the four-day academy. For mini-courses, participants will be broken into two groups of 16-18 students each for greater personal attention. Courses 1 and 2 will be taught concurrently to different groups, and then the groups will switch. Our preliminary plan for the 2024 academy is to feature a mini-course on Discrete Mathematics (Networks) and another on Cyphers and Codes.

Morning and Afternoon Activities are shorter self-contained sessions on varying topics such as demonstrations of mathematical card tricks, Informational sessions on careers in mathematics, and outdoor activities, such as a logic mazes and scavenger hunts.

Lunch at Blackhawk Commons. The UW Oshkosh student cafeteria has plenty of all you-care-to-eat choices, including classics, grill, noodles, pizza and deli, soup and salad, bread, beverage and dessert stations. Lunch is included in your registration fee.

Math Exploration Center. We will end each day with time to explore and play in our “Math Exploration Center” with a variety of interactive mathematical demonstrations, puzzles, and games. This will be unstructured time for participants to explore mathematics puzzles and games together with our undergraduate teaching assistants. You can play mathematical games such as Sprouts, Hex, and SET; solve wooden puzzles such as SOMA cubes, Pentaminos, and the Tower of Hanoi, and build logic circuits out of dominos, and investigate our marble computer.

Approximate Daily Schedule:

Monday August 12-Thursday August 15

8:30-8:40        Arrival

8:50-9:20        Morning Activity

9:30-11:20       Mini-Course 1

11:30-12:00     Lunch

12:10-1:30     Afternoon Activity

1:40-3:30        Mini-Course 2

3:40-4:20       Math Exploration Center

4:20-4:30       Departure

 Students are supervised by college student TAs through the duration of the academy. Academy participants and TAs sit together during meals in Blackhawk Commons. Instruction takes place in Swart Hall on the campus of UW Oshkosh.


Program Fees:

Your registration fee covers all instruction and materials, SOMA T-shirt, and lunch each day.

Choose a registration fee that fits your budget

The UW Oshkosh Math Department wants the SOMA camp experience to be available to everyone. We have a voluntary three-tiered pricing system, allowing you to choose the price that works best for you. Naming your price requires no paperwork and in no way influences the experience your child will receive at camp. There are three tiers: Price A: $360, Price B: $240 and Price C: $120. Simply choose the fee that is appropriate for your family.

The true per-student cost for the camp, including the cost of providing instruction, lunch and camp activities, is about $400 per student.  Due to the generosity of our sponsors, this cost is reduced for all campers. Note: The registration fee is non-refundable at all price levels.

  • Price A ($360) reflects the full cost of the camp that is not already covered by UW Oshkosh. If you can afford this level, this would help us to make this math camp available to a family that otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford this opportunity for their child.
  • Price B ($240) reflects the partially subsidized rate that we can offer thanks to our sponsors and donors.
  • Price C ($120) is for families needing a more heavily subsidized rate and does not reflect the true cost of operating this program.

 

We are able to offer subsidized rates thanks to a Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grant through the Mathematical Association of America.

A limited number of additional full scholarships may be available thanks to our donors. Participants who need a full scholarship should fill out this separate scholarship application form prior to registering online. Scholarship applications should be mailed to the address on the form, or scanned and emailed to kuennene@uwosh.edu. Applicants will be notified by email of their scholarship, which would then be applied as a discount code on the online registration.

 

Register your Child for SOMA

Registration will be through UW Oshkosh’s eSTORE. Registration is now open and will remain open until the academy is full. Space will be limited to 36 participants.

Step 1. Register and Pay the registration fee online through UW Oshkosh’s eStore.

    • Go to our UW Oshkosh eStore page: https://uwosh.nbsstore.net/soma-registration
    • The screen will look like the image shown at right. Enter the following information:
      • Product Price (Choose the Registration Fee level that is right for you. See Program Fee’s section above.)
      • Participant First Name and Last Name
      • Nickname (Optional)
      • Participant Address
      • Student Email (Optional)
      • Participant Birthday
      • Participant Gender (You can specify pronouns here if you’d like)
      • Current School and School for next year
      • Grade for next year (this is the grade your child will be in the fall, egardless of what math class they may be in).
      • T-shirt size
      • Parent/Guardian name, email and phone number
    • At the bottom you should see the registration fee you chose, and an “Add to Cart” button.  Cick the “Add to Cart” button.
    • A green banner will briefly appear at the top of the page indicating that the product has been added to the shopping cart. Click on where it says “shopping cart” on this banner, or if the banner has disappeared, on the “shopping cart” logo at the very top right of the page. On the next screen, you will see your shopping cart so far, with a summary of the information you entered. If you need to make changes to this information, you can click the gold “edit” link that appears after your information that will take you back to the page.
    • If you would like to register another child, clicking your browers’s back button to take you back to the product page where you can repeat the steps to create another order in your shopping cart.
    • Once everything is correct in the shopping cart, check the box to say you agree to the terms of service, then click the “Checkout” button to pay for your registration(s).
    • On the first checkout page, you can choose to check out as a guest, or choose to register. You should choose to register.  Either way, you need to enter the same billing information, the only difference is that if you choose to register, you will receive a confirmation email, and you can later access your account to see your order history, and save your information for next year.
    • After you have entered your billing information, click the tiny box next to “Credit Card” as your payment method on the checkout page, and then click on “Add Credit Card Details” box that appears. A secure pop-up window will then appear for you to enter your credit card information, and then click “next”. If your card information is accepted, the pop-up window will close and the payment information will be added to the Checkout page.
    • At this point, you can still make changes to your Billing Information or edit your shopping cart, if necessary.
    • To complete your order, click the “Confirm” button on the bottom right of the Checkout page.

     

    Step 2: Compete your child’s Waiver and Health Information Form.

    Download the following Waiver and Health Information Form. Complete this form and bring it with your child on the first day of the camp.

     


      HOURS AND LOCATION

      Department Office
      Swart Hall, Room 115
      Monday – Friday
      8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

      MAILING ADDRESS

      University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
      Mathematics
      645 Dempsey Trail
      Oshkosh, WI 54902

      CONTACT US

      (920) 424-1333
      (920) 424-1812
      Developmental Math Lab
      Faculty and Staff