Forty Marymount University students built a hyperbolic star sculpture out of Zometool plastic components as part of the inaugural National Math Festival at the Smithsonian\u0092s S. Dillon Ripley Center on Saturday, April 18. The star was nearly six feet in diameter.<\/p>\n
\u0093I think it was a big success,\u0094 said Alice Petillo, an assistant professor of mathematics at MU and one of four members of the math faculty who participated in the event. \u0093I\u0092m pretty big on creating experiences with math outside of the classrooms, and what we were doing was creating a mathematical sculpture.\u0094<\/p>\n
While 11 of the Marymount students were math majors, the rest came from different disciplines.<\/p>\n
\u0093They had a lot of fun putting the sculpture together and people were impressed,\u0094 Petillo said, noting that hundreds of people saw the work, including professional mathematicians, Smithsonian employees, parents and kids.<\/p>\n
Overall, the free public event drew thousands of people and brought together performances, hands-on demonstrations, lectures and exhibitions at several Smithsonian locations. Organizers called it the first-of-its-kind National Math Festival dedicated to discovering \u0093the delight and power of mathematics.\u0094 It featured more than 70 activities for every age\u0097from hands-on magic and Houdini-like getaways to lectures from influential mathematicians.<\/p>\n
Petillo said a goal of the project was to counter the negative experiences that many people have had with mathematics.<\/p>\n
\u0093To me math is God\u0092s fingerprints on the universe,\u0094 Petillo said. \u0093I want students to see the power, the utility and the beauty of mathematics, whether or not they\u0092re great at it.\u0094<\/p>\n
The 2015 National Math Festival was organized by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) and the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution.<\/p>\n