Stephen F. Austin State University alumna Rachel Payne helps students play a game based on chess, titled Game of Amazons and designed to teach how rule changes impact winning strategies. The students participated in SFA’s Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival.
Organized in honor of the late Julia Robinson, the first woman mathematician to be named a member of the National Academy of Science, the festival supports locally organized events across the country with the aim of promoting collaboration and creativity in kindergarten through 12th-grade students and encouraging interest in STEM.
“We know that middle school is a stage when such interest declines for a lot of students,” said Dr. Jane Long, associate professor in the department. “Coming to our campus for a day of positive experiences with mathematical thinking in a non-competitive atmosphere can show students that a college major in STEM could be a great opportunity for them.”
To learn more about SFA’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, visit sfasu.edu/academics/colleges/sciences-math/math-stats.
By Joanna Armstrong, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.
