Hundreds of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa math students participated in the “Math Jam,” a massive study session for fall 2023 semester finals organized by a pair of Department of Mathematics faculty members.
What started as a study session by a graduate assistant for one math course several years ago has grown into a massive event. Temporary Assistant Professor Sébastien Bertrand and Precalculus Coordinator John Robertson teamed up to include more classes along with more graduate assistants, learning assistants and instructors to help students.
Nine study rooms in Keller Hall were filled with precalculus, trigonometry, analytic geometry and calculus students for approximately five hours on December 8.
“I think a lot of them like the vibe,” Bertrand said. “They can ask someone next to them. They can ask an LA (learning assistant). They can interact with people, and with COVID a lot of them just studied alone so we thought that being in a room with other people would be a good thing.”
“It was fun seeing everyone working with each other helping to solve math problems. While we’re stressing over how difficult the math problems were, overall it was fun talking to everyone, working with your classmates and peers,” said freshman chemistry major Ian Choi.
Students who attended enjoyed free coffee, donuts and pizza. Robertson also dressed as Santa Claus, bringing cheer to the students ahead of finals week.
The Department of Mathematics is housed in the UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences.
