UOG sets the stage for STEM careers with high school Math Day
UOG sets the stage for STEM careers with high school Math Day
UOG sets the stage for STEM careers with high school Math Day
12/6/2024
One of the largest classrooms on the 91快播 campus was standing room only on Saturday, Nov. 16, as 70 students and their teachers from 16 middle and high schools came together to indulge in their favorite subject 鈥� math. It was the 14th UOG Math Day, an event designed to get youth excited about pursuing math courses in college and to give them confidence toward pursuing STEM degrees and careers.
鈥淪everal students who end up majoring in math at UOG had experienced Math Day when they were in high school,鈥� said Dr. Hideo Nagahashi, professor of mathematics at UOG and lead organizer of Math Day. 鈥淢ath Day participants have also gone on to be accepted into advanced degree programs in the U.S. mainland.鈥�
Launched in 2008 by then-math assistant professors Dr. Alicia Aguon and Dr. Grazyna Badowski, UOG Math Day invites inspirational guest speakers and has evolved to include a math quiz competition as well. While it has been a high school event in years past, this year was the first year that middle schoolers participated as well. Students competed in teams answering timed questions in algebra, geometry, statistics, pre-calculus and calculus.
In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Maika Vuki, interim associate dean of UOG鈥檚 College of Natural & Applied Sciences, described math as a universal language and a highly versatile subject.
鈥淲e cannot move into any other branch of science without mathematics,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e so excited to have you 鈥� the young generation, the future generation of STEM 鈥� here with us.鈥�
The event has become well-known among public and private school math teachers 鈥� some have been bringing their students since the first Math Day in 2008.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know how many I鈥檝e been to,鈥� said Lindsay Hashberger, a high school teacher at Harvest Christian Academy. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good for [our students] to be in a university setting, where they鈥檙e getting to see people who have made [math] their career. Whether they do great in the competition or not, I want them to come and have the experience of hearing from someone they wouldn鈥檛 have heard from and seeing who else is in the math community.鈥�
Guest speaker: 鈥楲eading students to their own discoveries鈥�
The guest speaker this year was Daichi Matsumoto, who refers to himself as an experimental
math teacher at Jiyunomori Gakuen Junior & Senior High School in Japan. He has developed
original lectures that have resulted in invitations to lecture at schools around Japan.
鈥淚nstead of mechanically following the textbook and rules of mathematical computation, he presents the materials from his own perspectives, leading students to their own discoveries,鈥� Nagahashi said. 鈥淗e encourages students to think, discuss, and speak 鈥� no matter what their ideas are.鈥�
Matsumoto said he always considers that the concepts and theorems presented to students in a math class could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
鈥淪o I always stage my lecture so that I will be as dramatic and memorable as possible for them,鈥� Matsumoto said. 鈥淸鈥 I believe my lectures will motivate students to study further if their first encounter is dramatic.鈥�
He engaged Guam鈥檚 students in an interactive lecture of looking for patterns in complex number structures. His approach was to never provide the answers or solutions, but rather to have the students come up and show the class what they had figured out.
鈥淚t was a beautiful scene,鈥� he said. 鈥淪tudents with different grades and backgrounds tackled the same problem.鈥�
Quiz competition winners
In the Middle School Quiz Competition, 11 teams competed with three tying for first
place:
- Hanyoung Park and Chanyoung Park, Luis P. Untalan Middle School
- Kelly Cho and Melody Cho, St. John鈥檚 School
- Derrick Yan and Donggeon Kim, St. John鈥檚 School
In the High School Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics Competition, 14 teams competed with the following winners:
- First place: Alick Zhao and Noah Kim, St. John鈥檚 School
- Second place: Yaxin Liu and Celina Kim, Harvest Christian Academy
- Third place: Claire Suh and Offeia Yordy, St. John鈥檚 School
In the High School Pre-Calculus and Calculus competition, 10 teams competed with four tying for first place:
- Chaemin You and Ye-Jun Yeo, Harvest Christian Academy
- Vivian Wen and Shiyori Shibahata, Harvest Christian Academy
- Leon Park and Sihoo Kim, John F. Kennedy High School
- Chanju Lee and Zunaid Jafar, St. John鈥檚 School
Math Day is supported by a Docliani Mathematics Enrichment Grant from the Mathematical Association of America.
UOG Division of Mathematics & Computer Science faculty and student volunteers take a group photo following Math Day on Nov. 16, 2024, in the UOG SBPA Building.