Monique Chyba has an ambitious goal: She wants to demystify mathematics for middle- and high-schoolers and help them embrace the often-dreaded subject.
The professor of mathematics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is helping organize a free casino-themed event Wednesday evening for Oahu students in grades 7-12 in hopes of creating a "fun and exciting learning environment."
At least 200 public and private school students are expected to attend.
"They’re going to play roulette, craps, poker. However, there is no gambling or money involved," said Chyba, who’s taught mathematics at the university for 11 years.
"But there is probability involved in those games," she added. "The goal is to immerse them in the mathematics of those games and the underlying concepts of, ‘Why did I lose? How can I improve my chances?’"
The idea for the event came about as college students in Chyba’s Math 100 class began studying a chapter on probability.
"It’s not the easiest chapter," she said. "The best way to learn a concept is to teach it yourself, so the ones leading the game tables will be my Math 100 students."
About 50 of her students 0will be manning the casino tables for extra course credit.
The free event is part of an outreach project that Chyba helps oversee called SUPER-M, or the School and University Partnership for Educational Renewal in Mathematics.
Using a five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the project launched in 2009 aims "to improve the perception of mathematics in the community."
The project creates partnerships between UH graduate mathematics students — dubbed SUPER-M fellows — and elementary and secondary teachers to help design innovative and engaging activities and generate interest in math-related fields.
Janel Marr, who teaches math at Kailua Intermediate, said she plans to take 25 of her seventh- and eighth-grade students to the casino event as a field trip.
"I’m hoping the kids get to see probability in a different way. It’ll be interesting to see how they see the math side of it," said Marr, who’s been working with a SUPER-M fellow in her classroom.
"Probability isn’t always a subject we get to spend a lot of time on, so for the kids to experience what it’s all about in a different way, I think they’re really looking forward to it," she said.
The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the UH-Manoa Campus Center Ballroom. Parents are also invited to attend.
For more information, visit: superm.math.hawaii.edu/_subpagesEvents/montecarlo.html.
