WonderLab Education Director Kelli Debikey, Staff Photo.
WonderLab’s Education Director, Kelli Debikey, was one of just 13 educators selected to participate in the prestigious Rosenthal Summer Institute, held July 8–11 in New York City.
Hosted by the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath), the Rosenthal Summer Institute is a professional development program focused on innovative approaches to mathematics education.
“It was wonderful to be in a room for multiple days with people who were as excited about hands-on mathematics and math education as I was,” said Kelli.
Rosenthal Institute evening event. Photo by K. Debikey.
While in New York, Kelli collaborated with educators from across the country to explore how these lessons align with national standards and to develop strategies for implementing them in diverse learning environments. As the only museum educator in the cohort, Kelli is uniquely positioned to bring these concepts to life through WonderLab’s exhibits and programs.
The institute aims to deepen educators’ understanding of hands-on, engaging math instruction and to expand outreach within their communities. Participants explore award-winning lessons from the Rosenthal Prize for Innovation and Inspiration in Math Teaching, studying both the mathematical content and the pedagogy behind the lessons.
Math and mirrors, from Momath, National Museum of Mathematics. Photo by K. Debikey.
“Math excites me. I want to break down the stereotype that math is hard or boring,” Kelli said. “People don’t always realize how much math exists in nature and art—proportions, patterns—it’s all around us. It’s part of our aesthetic. Math is so organized and beautiful—it’s like prose on a page.”
Since returning from the Institute, Kelli has already created two new kits for WonderLab’s math programming and developed a Math Trail for museum visitors. And this is just the beginning—Kelli has many more math-inspired ideas in the works.
“I think we’re on the brink of something really exciting,” she said. “I envision math becoming an integral part of science museums—especially at WonderLab.”