Imagine this: you’ve just finished shopping and go out to your car to find the parking lot is now completely full — except for one space. Your car is blocked in from all sides. Luckily, you've gained the magical ability to move the other cars, but only forward and backwards and only one space at a time.
“This is an interesting dilemma” said Aiden Hunt, a young elementary student and Nova Scotia Math Circles participant. He was facing the same puzzle, on a smaller scale. Across the table, Aiden’s younger brother Ethan was happily working on his own conundrum. “The puzzles are fun. I also like geography.”
Aiden and Ethan were just a couple of the eager young math enthusiasts participating in the final Math Circles event of the school year, held earlier this month. They were joined by representatives from Dalhousie, Eastlink, the Nova Scotia Government and Halifax Regional School Board to mark the end of a successful season of growth for Math Circles and to celebrate the program’s continued partnership with Eastlink.
Expanding potential
Nova Scotia Math Circles is an innovative program that uses interactive, entertaining and meaningful presentations that engage students in math. In addition to monthly events hosted at Dalhousie, undergraduate and graduate students from Dalhousie’s Mathematics and Statistics department visit schools and hold workshops such as Math and Music, Probability, and Mathemagic, which all directly relate to the schools’ curriculum outcomes.
Beginning more than a decade ago, NS Math Circles has been flourishing thanks to a generous donation of $500,000 by Eastlink in 2014. The donation has helped the program purchase new materials, and to expand the presentations to include even younger students.
“When we made the decision to support Math Circles, it was an easy one to make: we share the same passion and commitment to innovation and creativity,” said Jeff Gillham, vice-president in charge of domestic sales and marketing at Eastlink. “Our operations are rooted in technology and the sciences. The development of a skilled work force help keeps us all competitive in this technology dependant world that we live in."
His sentiments were echoed by Joachim Stroink, MLA for Halifax Chebucto, whose father was head of the Dalhousie Physics department for many years. In his remarks he spoke about how many jobs in our growing high-tech economy rely on math and how programs like Math Circles are “helping young people prepare for these jobs in the future.”
Connections across Nova Scotia
This year the program was able to reach over 4,000 students from across the province. NS Math Circles Program Director Svenja Huntemann says she hopes that number will keep growing.
“This year they were able to present to children in grades three through 12,” she said. “Ideally we would like to be able to present to all grades, but these take time to develop.”
NS Math Circles was also able to expand its geographic reach, presenting in 28 schools across the province. “We take two week-long trips each year; one to Cape Breton, one down to Yarmouth,” explained Svenja. “We try to fit in as many presentations as we can during those weeks. It’s important that we reach the kids in rural areas, as well as those in the local community. “
The event concluded with Danielle Cox, former program director and current assistant professor at Mount Saint Vincent University, giving the month's presentation: “Can you be the last one standing?” a multiplayer game where the participants are the game pieces.
Learn more about Nova Scotia Math Circles.
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