Young Einsteins explore maths at JCU

Young maths geniuses are coming to James Cook University in Townsville over the next seven weeks to learn about the practical applications of mathematics for future careers in the field.

Maths Explains Our World (MEOW) is a series of hands-on workshops that will demonstrate applications of mathematics across different disciplines at JCU. They will highlight the benefits of choosing higher levels of maths throughout secondary school.

Working with wave tanks, understanding the biomechanics of throwing balls and examining the physics of crumple zones for cars are some of the activities planned for the workshops.

The MEOW workshops are being held over seven weeks from today (Monday May 9), and are for selected high-achieving Year 8 mathematics students from Townsville.

There will be 20 students attending JCU’s Townsville campus each week.

Each workshop highlights how maths is used in diverse disciplines such as oceanography, epidemiology and economics. Students will experience, under the guidance of experts, what it is like to work in these fields and harness the power of mathematics to describe and make predictions about the way the world works.

The project is funded by the Australian Maths and Science Partnership Program (AMSPP) through a Queensland-wide project involving a consortium of five universities in the Queensland STEM Education Network (QSEN).

Workshop 1: Monday 9 May, 4:00pm – 5:45pm

Workshops 2–7: Monday 16 May to Monday 20 June, 4:15pm – 5:45 pm

Locations:

Date	Topic	Building Name	Room Number
Week 1: from May 9	Epidemiology	027 (Law and Business)	001
Week 2: from May 16	Geology	017 (Science and Engineering)	131
Week 3: from May 23	Oceanography	017 (Science and Engineering)	159
Week 4: from May 30	Biomechanics	014 (Engineering and Science 2)	007
Week 5: from June 6	Economics	015 (Engineering and Science 2)	012 (Computer Lab)
Week 6: from June 13	Chemistry	021 (Chemistry)	TBA (Lab)
Week 7: from June 20	Engineering	017 (Science and Engineering)	159

Contacts

For more information: Dr Donna Rigano, Project Officer, Queensland STEM Education Network, JCU Townsville: (07) 4781 4634 or 0413 431 624 or Shaun Belward 0418 965 881