People

Simon Rubinstein-Salzedo is the founder and director of Kaleidoscope Circles and the founder and director of Euler Circle. Simon received his PhD in mathematics from Stanford University in 2012 under the direction of Akshay Venkatesh in algebraic number theory. He has done research in many areas of mathematics, including number theory, algebraic geometry, combinatorics, game theory, probability, and complex analysis, and he has also published three books on mathematics. Before founding Euler Circle, Simon taught mathematics at Stanford University and Dartmouth College.

In addition to his teaching at universities, Simon has been teaching mathematics to advanced middle-school and high-school students for over two decades and is extremely popular among his students. He was previously the lecturer for Program II at the Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC), where he taught algebraic topology. He also worked at The Art of Problem Solving and has taught at many math events and run many math circles in the Bay Area. He is also a coach of the San Francisco Bay Area ARML team and has coached the team to six national championships. His greatest claim to fame in life is probably having a factoring trick named after him.

Simon has also successfully directed mathematics research projects for high-school students, leading to several original papers coauthored with students. His papers can be found on his website. Please contact him at simon@eulercircle.com.

Outside of mathematics, Simon is also an avid musician, chess player, and calligrapher.

Kathryn L. McGill is the director of Kaleidoscope Circles' Curie Circle. Kathryn received her PhD in physics from Cornell University in 2018, working with Paul McEuen on various experiments involving 2D materials. Her dissertation, Two-Dimensional Materials: From Berry Curvature to Wrapping a Microsphere, mainly explores the optoelectronic and mechanical properties of single-layer molybdenum disulfide. Before joining Kaleidoscope Circles, Kathryn worked at the University of Florida as an assistant instructional professor of physics.

As a part of her deep exploration of physics teaching and outreach, Kathryn has self-produced various physics-themed internet projects. While pursuing her PhD, Kathryn ran a YouTube channel called The Physics Factor that focused on the human side of doing physics, featuring Soft Matters, a series that features interviews with Cornell physics professors about their lives and work. During the pandemic Kathryn wrote a blog called Physics, Explained, which sprouted from her idea to write an introductory physics textbook, one blog post at a time.

In addition to her love of physics, Kathryn enjoys being a dog mom, reading, hiking, crocheting, and playing the viola, among other minor hobbies.

If you are interested in learning more about the physics she has contemplated over the years, please see her list of publications. You may reach her at kathryn@kalcircles.com for any physics questions or comments you may have.