Mason Experimental Geometry Lab

MEGL is an experimental research lab in mathematics at George Mason University focusing on computati

MEGL is an experimental research lab in pure mathematics at George Mason University (L106 Exploratory Hall) focusing on the interplay of geometry, topology, algebra, and dynamics. We develop alternative modes of experiencing mathematics and engage in grassroots public outreach that fosters excitement about mathematics. Our activities naturally lead to development in 3D printing, virtual reality, a

nd parallel computing. The idea of a Geometry Lab is directly inspired by the Geometry Center in Minnesota founded by A. Marden from 1994 to 1998, which produced a wealth of mathematical software (most notably the SnapPea hyperbolic analyzer) and influential mathematical visualizations (most notably, Not Knot, Outside In, and Shape of Space). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometry_Center and http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/. The first off-shoot of this, the Experimental Geometry Lab (EGL) at the University of Maryland (UMCP), was founded in 2000 by William Goldman (who was on the Geometry Center's governing board during its last two years) and Richard Schwartz. It has run since then and most present geometry labs descending from the EGL. Sean Lawton completed his doctorate in 2006 at UMCP, and returned in 2008 as a postdoc. His affiliation with the EGL began earlier, while he was a graduate student, helping with numerous outreach activities and managing the lab. He began speaking about "franchising" EGL at that point and began promoting this idea at conferences and during job interviews. During his post-doctoral year with EGL he and then graduate student Ryan Hoban ran an intensive summer REU-type project in the EGL. After that, he moved to the University of Texas (UTRGV) and established the first extension of EGL named the Experimental Algebra & Geometry Lab (EAGL) in 2009. In 2014 he moved to George Mason University (GMU), where he founded the Mason Experimental Geometry Lab (MEGL) with Chris Manon (who has now founded a lab in KY). Anton Lukyanenko joined the EGL at the end of his freshman year at UMCP, and soon he began supervising projects and administering the lab. After completing his Bachelors degree at UMCP, he stayed on and completed his Masters degree in 2008. He then moved to the doctoral program at the Univerity of Illinois (UIUC) in 2008, where he and Jayadev Athreya established the Illinois Geometry Lab (IGL) in 2011. This was extremely successful with enormous participation from many different faculty members and students. IGL remains the largest and most productive geometry lab in our network of geometry labs. After completing his doctorate in 2014 under Jeremy Tyson (who took over as director of IGL from 2014-2017), Anton moved to the University of Michigan as a postdoc where he started another geometry lab called Laboratory of Geometry at Michigan (LOGM). Jayadev Athreya has since moved to the University of Washington where he started another geometry lab called Washington Experimental Mathematics Lab (WXML). We are now at 13 labs internationally and growing; all part of Geometry Labs United: http://geometrylabs.net/

Photos from Mason Experimental Geometry Lab's post

03/09/2025

Mid-semester presentations! 03/07/2025

01/22/2025

First MEGL Outreach meeting of the Spring 2025 semester! 📚 get ready for more math fun ✨

12/07/2024

Final poster presentations wrapping up an incredible Fall 2024 semester with MEGL! Check out the full list of this semester’s research projects via the link in our bio. 🔗💚

11/11/2024

This activity teaches students about shape classification, types of polygons, tilings, 4 color theorem, and more! A list of MEGL’s Outreach Activities can be found with the link in our bio 🔗📚

10/21/2024

Here to share another successful Monsters Activity today at Kings Glen Elementary School! We did a total of 6 sessions in one morning 📚✏️

10/20/2024

We had lots of fun teaching kids about mobius strips and other topology related tricks at the Spooky Mad Science Expo yesterday!

Big thank you to for having us!

10/15/2024

We are excited to be joining in their 2024 Spooky Mad Science Expo 🧪🥼Don’t forget to come visit us at the MEGL table this Saturday in Alexandria, VA 🎃

09/21/2024

A few flicks of our Monsters activity, suitable for grades 2-5! A fun way to learn about prime numbers and show off their artistic skills 🎨🖌️

Learn more at https://megl.science.gmu.edu/outreach/activities/

09/05/2024

Thank you to everyone who came to support MEGL and the Math Department at the College of Science Fair!

08/28/2024

Happy start of the semester to everyone from our MEGL Outreach team! ☀️

03/18/2024

Happy Pi Day from MEGL!

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Our Story

MEGL is an experimental research lab in pure mathematics at George Mason University (L106 Exploratory Hall) focusing on the interplay of geometry, topology, algebra, and dynamics.

We develop alternative modes of experiencing mathematics and engage in grassroots public outreach that fosters excitement about mathematics. Our activities naturally lead to development in 3D printing, virtual reality, and parallel computing.

The idea of a Geometry Lab is directly inspired by the Geometry Center in Minnesota founded by A. Marden from 1994 to 1998, which produced a wealth of mathematical software (most notably the SnapPea hyperbolic analyzer) and influential mathematical visualizations (most notably, Not Knot, Outside In, and Shape of Space).

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometry_Center and http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/.

The first off-shoot of this, the Experimental Geometry Lab (EGL) at the University of Maryland (UMCP), was founded in 2000 by William Goldman (who was on the Geometry Center's governing board during its last two years) and Richard Schwartz. It has run since then and most present geometry labs descending from the EGL.

Sean Lawton completed his doctorate in 2006 at UMCP, and returned in 2008 as a postdoc. His affiliation with the EGL began earlier, while he was a graduate student, helping with numerous outreach activities and managing the lab. He began speaking about "franchising" EGL at that point and began promoting this idea at conferences and during job interviews. During his post-doctoral year with EGL he and then graduate student Ryan Hoban ran an intensive summer REU-type project in the EGL. After that, he moved to the University of Texas (UTRGV) and established the first extension of EGL named the Experimental Algebra & Geometry Lab (EAGL) in 2009. In 2014 he moved to George Mason University (GMU), where he founded the Mason Experimental Geometry Lab (MEGL) with Chris Manon (who has now founded a lab in KY).

Anton Lukyanenko joined the EGL at the end of his freshman year at UMCP, and soon he began supervising projects and administering the lab. After completing his Bachelors degree at UMCP, he stayed on and completed his Masters degree in 2008. He then moved to the doctoral program at the Univerity of Illinois (UIUC) in 2008, where he and Jayadev Athreya established the Illinois Geometry Lab (IGL) in 2011. This was extremely successful with enormous participation from many different faculty members and students. IGL remains the largest and most productive geometry lab in our network of geometry labs. After completing his doctorate in 2014 under Jeremy Tyson (who took over as director of IGL from 2014-2017), Anton moved to the University of Michigan as a postdoc where he started another geometry lab called Laboratory of Geometry at Michigan (LOGM). Jayadev Athreya has since moved to the University of Washington where he started another geometry lab called Washington Experimental Mathematics Lab (WXML).

We are now at 13 labs internationally and growing; all part of Geometry Labs United: http://geometrylabs.net/

Location

Fairfax

Website

http://www.cos.gmu.edu/megl

Address

L106 Exploratory Hall, 4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA
22030

Mason Experimental Geometry Lab

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