UPH Mathematics Student Council (HMM UPH) proves that mathematics can become an interesting field to study. Mathematics should not always be associated with hard schoolwork. This is what inspired Mathies Week, held on March 11-15, 2019.

This event is held exclusively for UPH students of all study programs. The committee made math fun through activities such as Who’s Smarter than Sherlock, Minute to Win It, Arcade Games, Escape Room, and Caring Community.

The head of committee, Deandra Isabelle Hadianto (Bella) from the 2017 batch, explained that the games are one of the main events in Mathies Week. Bella believes that games are a good way to develop sympathy and teamwork among students.

“The games we chose are not only for visitors to play with – they train their critical thinking skills. In addition to games, Mathies Week also features a talk show – the Caring Community – that gives a chance for students, alumni, and lecturers to share their struggles in the teaching and learning process,” Bella explained.

The games prepared by the committee are packed in the form of a Game Arcade, with booths such as the “Hanoi tower”, tangram, etc. on the first day, and an Escape Room for the next days. The Escape Room requires players to solve several problems before being able to escape the room.

Who’s Smarter than Sherlock was held to test the thinking skills of its participants. Here, participants were required to answer several general knowledge questions and basic mathematic questions. Finally the Minute to Win It requires participants to solve challenges in 1 minute. The challenges provided are various and all are designed to hone the students’ thinking skills.

The talk show in Caring Community, held on the third day, talked about the theme “How’s Life After College?”. The speaker is Jennila Febiani Reredy, S.Si., UPH Mathematics alumni from the 2013 batch. The talk show was held at MYC-MPR. In the talk show, Jennila shared her experiences working after graduating from UPH and gave pointers regarding important points that should be prepared by students before going into the workplace – internships, work ethics, and learning motivation.

For Bella and her team, Mathies Week, in addition to being a fun learning media, is also a way for UPH Mathematics students to know each other. The event is also a means of respite from hectic class schedules.

Mathies Week attracted 60 participants, divided into 20 groups. The accumulation of points from all competitions held results in the selection of 3 winners, winning a total prize of 3.000.000,00. As the head of committee, Bella is very thankful because the event ran smoothly and the participants left with smiling faces.

“Through this event, we want to show that mathematics can be learned through fun and interesting ways, and not only through serious calculating like what most people think,” she concluded. (wm)