Outreach
Reaching the Public
The CrystalMath team builds on strong relationships with NYC schools to introduce students to crystals and crystal growth through age-appropriate activities, from anthropomorphic crystallization through the eyes of dance to workshops related to concepts of machine learning and ‘big data’ in the science of molecular materials.
Students from the New York Theatre Ballet School 2023 Summer Intensive visited NYU to learn about crystallization and crystal transformations. Ten students, ages 8-13, and three dance teachers discussed what makes a material crystalline or amorphous and then constructed different polymorphs for 2D and 3D model materials. While in the lab, they watched organic crystals form from the melt at the cross-polarized light microscope. In the studio, the students watched videos of crystal transformations due to external stimuli such as temperature, pressure, and UV light, then explored how these transformations could take place through collective dance motions. The students also discussed whether corps de ballet dancers in different dance productions could be described as crystalline and how choreography, costuming, and casting could affect the perceived crystallinity of the performance.
A group of 6 girls choreographed a two-minute dance inspired by crystal polymorphs. The first round of performances was filmed in November 2023 during a recital for friends and family. See the performance here. The group will perform again during their 2024 spring recital for a larger audience, so be sure to return here for more…..
2D Crystal Packing Game
Explore the fascinating world of crystals with our interactive 2D Crystal Packing Challenge! This educational game lets you experiment with the principles of molecular arrangement in a simplified 2D setting—an engaging analogue to real 3D crystal packing. Adjust unit cell dimensions, tweak molecule positions, and switch between different symmetry modes to see how these factors affect the overall structure. Designed with non-experts in mind, the game offers a playful way to understand molecular packing and crystallography. Click the link to dive into a hands-on experience that brings crystal engineering to life!
https://www.crystalmathatnyu.org/2dcrystalpacking
Machine Learning for Kids
Explore Machine Learning for Kids together with Scratch programming for kids to teach a little dinosaur to distinguish images with patterns of paw prints. Pattern recognition in images is easy for humans but non-trivial for machines. Experiment with the training data for your machine learning model and experience how easy it is to confuse the little dinosaur!
