In its latest installment of the Annual Math Fair, the University of the West Indies (UWI) indulged Secondary School students from various parts of the country.
The Fair, which was launched in 2018, includes the Math Feud Competition Finals, where schools battle for top honours.
Themed ‘Math Quest: A Creative Adventure of Discovery,’ the Fair saw the participation of thousands of students who engaged with businesses and faculties that offered information in the field of math.
Hosted by the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Professor Brian Cockburn, shared his thoughts on the significance of mathematics and its connection to many aspects of life.
“Math is challenging mainly because of how it might have been taught or approached in school. The abstract nature of mathematics, but it’s not at all abstract as those who would have attended the Opening Ceremony would have heard. Math is in everything. Earlier, I described it as the glue that holds all of science together. There’s math in every single thing we do.”
Students were able to participate in math-related activities such as puzzles, board games, and solving logical math-related designs that challenged their skills.
Ashvini Ramroop of Holy Faith Convent, Couva, remarked, “I haven’t been around the entire campus as yet, but I love the booths that they have, and I love the challenging games. You don’t really see those games a lot, and as a non-math student, I think it’s very interesting and very challenging, because I love a challenge.”
One of the sponsors of the fair, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), exposed students to several career paths available to them and the greater input of math in finance.
CIBC’s Associate Director, Digital Experience, Sarah Rudder-Chulhan, explained, “It’s really important because math, for example, science, sometimes seen as really hard, really theoretical, and esoteric, and what we’re trying to show here is that it’s very practical.”
This year, the Math Fair hosted over 3,500 registered students.