University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa mathematics students brought hands-on learning and creative problem-solving to Pearl City Elementary School during a STEM night event on September 26.
Graduate and undergraduate students, including two learning assistants, guided the keiki through robotics demonstrations, origami folding and a secret code cryptography challenge. The activities were designed to make math and science concepts approachable and fun for keiki and their ʻohana.
“The partnership with the UH Mānoa math department gave our students a chance to experience math outside the classroom and it was great to see how excited students were while working at the different stations,” said Pearl City Elementary Curriculum Coordinator Caryn Nunokawa. “It was also wonderful to see student engagement and how the volunteers made math both fun and meaningful for everyone.”
Among the UH participants was a math major who serves as president of the UH Mānoa Math Club. She helped organize and facilitate the evening’s activities, encouraging students to explore the creative side of math.
“I was a little nervous at first since it had been a while since I’d worked with kids, but I’m really glad we participated,” said Sakura Takahashi. “I believe early, positive exposure to STEM can make a big difference in how kids view math as they grow up.”
One moment that stood out to Takahashi was when she helped a girl who said she had never done origami before, and watching her excitement as she completed her first piece was very touching.
“Times such as these remind me why creating accessible, joyful interactions with math is so important,” said Takahashi.
Engaging students through math-inspired activities
The outreach is part of the Math Club’s ongoing effort to connect with the broader community while building a sense of belonging among students on campus. Founded to help math majors and enthusiasts collaborate in a small-department setting, the club has expanded to include participants from across disciplines who share an interest in mathematical creativity.
Throughout the year, the club hosts monthly gatherings ranging from arts-based math projects to technical skill workshops. Past events have included hyperbolic crochet sessions, where participants create models of curved geometry using yarn, and tutorials on LaTeX, a typesetting program used for scientific writing.
“We want to show that the Math Club isn’t just about solving math problems, but about building community while exploring math-related creativity!” Takahashi said.
“Events like the Pearl City Elementary STEM Night and the Math Club’s campus activities show how math can connect people of all ages,” said Department of Mathematics Associate Professor Yuriy Mileyko. “Whether it’s inspiring curiosity in young students or building community among our majors, these experiences remind us that math is both creative and collaborative.”
Information about upcoming Math Club events is available through its Discord community and on Instagram at @uhm.mathclub.
The Department of Mathematics is housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Natural Sciences.
