Nearly 30,000 Cork students to take part in Maths Week
Cillian Ferry
More than 27,155 students from 85 schools across Cork are registered to take part in Maths Week Ireland, which returned on Saturday and continues until18 October with a programme of local events, school activities and family resources.
Now in its 21st year, Maths Week is an all-island celebration of mathematics, highlighting the ways maths is part of everyday life, from cooking and shopping to managing money, planning journeys, sport, science, technology, engineering, medicine and climate.
The annual event has engaged more than five million people north and south over the past two decades, with organisers aiming to build confidence, encourage curiosity and demonstrate that maths extends well beyond the classroom.
More than 500,000 people are expected to take part across Ireland this year, with events planned in schools, universities, libraries, visitor centres, parks, public spaces and community venues.
This year’s programme in Cork included Maths in the City on Tuesday at Blackrock Castle, with activities taking place across the county. Families can also join in through Puzzles in the Park at Fitzgerald Park, Mardyke, turning a local walk into a maths challenge with puzzles to spot, solve and discuss along the way. The activities are designed to make maths fun and interactive, while encouraging creative thinking, confidence and problem-solving skills.
As part of the annual programme, Maths Week develops a suite of fun and educational maths posters, which are distributed to every school in the country.
Eoin Gill, Coordinator of Maths Week Ireland, said: “The best way to change how people feel about maths is to let them experience it differently. That is what Maths Week does. It brings maths into parks, libraries, homes and public spaces, and gives people a chance to play with ideas, test themselves, solve problems and see maths at work in real life.
“This year, thousands of students in Cork will be part of that. Whether they are taking part in a local event or finding a puzzle in a park, the message is the same. Maths is not just something to learn. It is a way to understand the world and take part in it.”
Maths Week Ireland is supported by the Department of Education and Youth, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Irish American Partnership, AMD and Ireland State Savings.
The programme is coordinated by Calmast, the STEM Engagement Centre at South East Technological University.