Fullerton Math Circle

The very idea of a mathematical circle is rather new to the U.S. and even less known in Orange County than in other parts of the country.  The concept of the Fullerton Mathematical Circle is inspired from similar activities done in Central Europe over the last century, with Universities offering enrichment programs to interested young gifted mathematicians. The project consists of offering mathematical sessions for gifted middle school and high school students.  Each session will begin with a mini-lecture, and then the students will be divided into small groups thereby enabling active engagement in the problem solving process. The CSUF undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in teaching at the secondary level will support the Fullerton Mathematical Circle by delivering presentations in the Circle’s lectures, and by working as facilitators during the Circle’s workshop sessions. Our facilitators serve as role models for the participants in the Circle, while they enrich their own experience. Furthermore, our students / pre-service teachers are trained to develop effective strategies that engage and enrich the mathematical experiences of gifted students in the schools where they subsequently teach. For more information, contact one of the organizers below.

Fall 2025 Organizers:

• Dr. Bogdan Suceava (contact: bsuceava@fullerton.edu)
• Dr. Shoo Seto (contact: shoseto@fullerton.edu)

Meeting Time:

All Math Circle sessions meet at CSUF's main campus, in McCarthy Hall Room 390 on Saturday's from 10:00AM to 12:00PM, unless specified otherwise

Types of Meetings:

Meetings cover topics from different areas in mathematics, from plane geometry, elementary number theory, game theory, to logic, counting techniques, and combinatorics. The main goal of our meetings is to engage and teach students about the wonderful world of mathematics by teaching them problem solving skills and strategies. 

Although in the past our Math Circle met with several sections, serving students in grades 2-12, our present format has one single section, dedicated to students in high-school, grades 9-12. However, we do not limit our students' participation based on their current academic grade, and several middle-school students have over the years successfully attended our high-school content section.

We focus on the programs of the Mathematical Association of America, including the American Mathematical Competitions and the local conferences taking place in California. To support our students' participations in these conferences, we plan to inspire our projects from various sources, including the London-based Mathematical Gazette, as well as the Romanian Gazeta matematică. 

Fall 2025 Meeting Dates:

• September 6
• September 13
• September 27
• October 11
• October 25
• November 8
• December 13