University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa students, faculty and staff from the College of Natural Sciences are heading to Moloka‘i on Friday and Saturday, February 24-25, to teach math to K-12 students and their families.

Space Night! will kick off the weekend of free events on Friday, February 24, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Aka‘ula School.  Participants can build a Mars Rover, observe the night sky, work on a solar system scale model and star wheels, and launch rockets.

Moloka‘i Math Day will be held at the Mitchell Pauole Center in Kaunakakai on Saturday, February 25, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. No advance registration is necessary.

The third annual event on Molokai is designed to illustrate the importance of math and provide educational opportunities to students at all levels.  The goal is to encourage a continuation of studies in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The discovery stations offered this year are designed by Moloka‘i High School and Aka‘ula School students under the supervision of UH Mānoa graduate students.

The event is part of UH Mānoa’s School and University Partnership for Educational Renewal in Mathematics (SUPER-M), a $2.8 million program funded by the National Science Foundation and developed in the UH Mānoa Department of Mathematics.

In addition to the Moloka‘i events, UH Mānoa’s Campus Center Ballroom will welcome students and their families on Sunday, February 26, from 2-5 p.m. The public is invited to experience a stimulating and exciting environment created by mathematicians and scientists.

On that Sunday at the Mānoa campus, there will be mathematics and science discovery stations such as “The Mathematics of Robotics,” “The Neuroscience Lab,” “A Mathematical Perspective of our Solar System,” “Toss and Count” and “Seaweed Mathematics.” The various stations, designed by UH Mānoa faculty and students as well as invited guests from the mainland, will target K-12 age groups.

Additionally, a station called “Meet a Mathematician” will allow attendees to engage in enlightening discussions with UH Mānoa Department of Mathematics faculty members.

From 2-2:30 p.m., attendees can surf the mathematical wave at a presentation, “Hawai‘i’s Fantastic Mathematics,” led by Associate Professor Monique Chyba.  

The event is organized by the Department of Mathematics in partnership with the College of Natural Sciences; School and University Partnership for Educational Renewal in Mathematics (SUPER-M); Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP); Student Equity, Diversity and Excellence (SEED); Graduate Women in Science; Grove of Hope; and the Stanford Solar Center.