Rekindling Passion for Mathematics

To dispel fear and misconception regarding mathematics as a subject, the first Notre Dame Math Festival 2018 powered by The Daily Star was organised by the Notre Dame Math Club (NDMC) on January 19 and 20, 2018. The motto of the event was to inspire students to embrace the essence of problem solving, perseverance and logical thinking through a plethora of intriguing challenges. 

Over 1000 school and college going participants took part in the Notre Dame Math Festival 2018 from more than 40 institutions across the capital. This festival included classics like 'Math Olympiad', 'Wall Magazine' and 'Extempore Speech' besides other new and innovative assessments like 'The Math Venture', 'Wow Proof' and 'Turn the Coat'. In each of these, students with creative ideas and out-of-the-box solutions were rewarded. These challenges were designed to help the participants overcome their fear of mathematics, by presenting aspects of this magnificent subject in ways that appeal to most contestants. Starting from the artistic representation of mathematics in the 'Wall Magazine' to the verbal arguments regarding the topic in 'Turn the Coat', from the treasure-hunt styled 'Math Venture' to the traditional 'Math Olympiad', this festival was truly a haven for the unorthodox thinkers.

The presence of Chief Guest Professor Dr Abdul Matin, former Head, Department of Mathematics, Dhaka University; and Special Guest Tajdin Hassan, Head of Marketing, The Daily Star, served as a huge source of inspiration for everyone present at the closing ceremony. The prize-giving session with Dr Father Lenard Shankar Rozario, CSC present Club Coordinator, was shortly followed afterwards, with the top three contestants in each of the events being awarded for their accomplishments. Gradually drawing the curtains on the first Notre Dame Math Festival, a promise of a bigger and better platform to rid young minds of the fear of mathematics in the coming years was made.