KU News Release

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will host several mathematics workshops in April in conjunction with national Math Awareness Month. Unraveling Complex Systems is this year’s theme.

More than 300 elementary, junior high and high school students will head to the KU campus to participate in a math competition Saturday, April 2, in 406 Snow Hall. Participants will tackle mathematical solutions to complex questions such as, How do epidemics spread? How do birds flock? How do stock markets operate? Prizes will be awarded to the top students in four categories: 3rd-4th grade, 5th-6th grade, junior high (7th-9th grade) and senior high (10th-12th grade).

Two campus workshops for sixth graders from two Lawrence elementary schools, Hillcrest and Schwegler, will demonstrate how math is used in daily lives. The workshops will be from 9:30 to 11:15 a.m. April 6 and 13 in 306 Snow Hall.

Math Awareness Month activities will focus on complex systems from natural entities such as living cells, insect colonies and whole ecosystems to man-made inventions like power grids, transportation networks and the World Wide Web. The students will learn that deciphering the mathematics behind such systems can unravel well-structured networks and discernible patterns in natural and artificial structures.

Area schools planning to participate in the math competition are listed below.