by Carrie Beamer
Horizon Reporter
Friendly banter can be heard from outside the hallway of Laidlaw 125 on Friday afternoons as people who share passions of math and science congregate. This is the Math Club.
“Although all of our members’ passions lie in different places, each of us are very interested in each other’s passions,” said Math Club president, Michael Sullivan. “This has definitely opened up possibilities for our club.”
Sullivan finds it very exciting when a collection of students share similar passions for a subject for different reasons. “Whether you are a science or math major or not, we all know the stigma and intimidation of these subjects,” he said. “I encounter students every day who don’t understand why anyone would want to go into these fields, so having the opportunity to converse and socialize with other students who share each others interest at some level is a breath of fresh air.”
Jonathan Stone, a Math Club member and Whatcom student double majoring in mathematics and computer science, has always been interested in math. “Recently I have begun to see how we use math in our daily lives,” he said. “Math really is the key to everything we do.”
The Math Club held their first official meeting on May 20. Four officers and eight students were in attendance, plus their advisor, Crystal Ravenwood. “We are all very optimistic about increasing this number,” Sullivan said.
The Math Club is planning fundraising opportunities, service learning opportunities and preparation for Orca Day on June 8 where they will have a booth. “In the future we hope to show films/documentaries pertaining to math, special topic lectures and help each other with problems that have been puzzling ourselves and many more activities,” said Sullivan. The Math Club’s “Inaugural Pizza Pi Party” was held to attract more members.
Being a mathematical genius is not what this club is about. “This club is about exploring curiosity and pursuing passions,” said Sullivan. “We absolutely do not want to exclude anyone based on their educational experience.” It is for anyone with a passion or interest in math and science.
“We are a group of laid back individuals, of all different majors, working together to explore the mysteries of math,” said member, Jonathan Stone. “We want to reach out to others with an interest in math, and to teach math to others as well as ourselves.”
“The structure is very informal and welcoming,” said Sullivan. “After a long week of classes it’s a place to have some fun with math and science.”
Sullivan hopes to see positive growth in the club and get over the initial “break-in” period. “I hope that through this club we can all gain some direction, have our passions fueled and make some academic connections while we are at it,” he said.
He would also like to see the Math Club not only gaining something for itself but also getting involved on campus and giving back to the community. “Mostly I hope to continue to see the great enthusiasm that has been expressed this far,” he said.
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Meetings will be held every Friday at 3 p.m. in LDC 125 (with the exception of the June 17 meeting, which will be in LDC 127). Meetings consist of discussing what members would like to see happen in the club and much more. “The possibilities are endless,” Sullivan said.
Anyone interested is welcome to email Mike Sullivan at mikesully3@gmail.com.
