October 15, 2005
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Breed Leadership Center

A Day of Collaboration, Competition, Creativity, Camaraderie and Celebration Of Women and Mathematics

Columbia College is pleased to announce the Fifth Annual Math Day for Girls to be held on Saturday, October 15, 2005.

Sponsored by the Department of Mathematics and Computing, this special day offers an exciting opportunity for motivated students to explore the beauty, power, and usefulness of math and computer science. They will enjoy learning about careers and women's contributions in math and computing and other related fields. Students will participate in a variety of workshops and hands-on activities.

Students will also be involved in an individual written contest, a Math Jeopardy team competition, and an Egg-Drop Contest. In addition, there will be a workshop especially for accompanying teachers and parents, who may also participate in other workshops scheduled for students.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

Math Day for Girls is open to female students in grades 7 through 12. Students are expected to be accompanied by an adult such as a teacher or parent.

FEES

There is a fee of $6 per person (students and accompanying adults) to help defray the cost of materials, lunch and snacks.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

THE WRITTEN COMPETITION

All registered student participants are expected to take the written competition in the morning. Level 1 is for students who have not completed Algebra II, and Level 2 is for those who have passed Algebra II. The tests will consist of 30 multiple choice questions. The top individual scorers will receive awards in the form of Columbia College Scholarships, medals and other prizes.

THE MATH JEOPARDY TEAM COMPETITION

A Jeopardy Team consists of 2 or 3 members from a school as identified in the registration form. This competition is just like the Jeopardy show on TV. There will be one competition for the high school level and one for the middle school level. Each competition will consist of an elimination round and a final round. The champion from each level will receive a trophy and other prizes.

THE EGG DROP CONTEST

This year, participating schools may enter up to 2 entries in the Egg-Drop contest. Each team of 1 - 4 members will build in advance, a contraption that will hold a raw egg (provided by CC) that is to survive 2 drops. The first drop is from a distance of 25 ft from the ground. If the egg survives, there is a second drop from a distance of 40 ft from the ground. The team whose egg survives both drops and has the least weight will be the winner. The contraption can be built from any material but must have a maximum dimension of 12 inches in any direction. Parachute-type contraptions are not allowed.

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

Winners of the different competitions will receive the following awards:

For each of the individual written contest levels

• The top scorer will receive a $1,000 per year scholarship for four years for a total of $4,000;
  
• The second place winner will receive a $750 per year scholarship for four years for a total of $3,000;
  
• The third place winner will receive a $500 per year scholarship for four years for a total of $2,000.

These scholarships are applicable towards matriculation and other school fees at Columbia College. The top five scorers will also receive additional prizes including plaques, medals, books or calculators. For the team competitions, each of the top three teams will receive a certificate and other miscellaneous prizes.

THE WORKSHOPS and FILMS

Several concurrent workshops are scheduled in the morning and afternoon. There is a special session for teachers in the morning entitled “Programming in Alice's Wonderland” to be conducted by Madeleine Schep of Columbia College and RoxAnn Stalvey of the College of Charleston.
Titles of other planned workshops include:

• MathMagic
  
• Waiting to Exhale
  
• How to Build Straw Bridges
  
• Puzzles, and more.

In addition, several films will also be shown. These are To Dream Tomorrow, the story of Ada Lovelace who is considered to be the first computer programmer, Donald Duck and Mathmagic, When Engineering Fails, The Passionate Statistician: Florence Nightingale, The Theorem of Pythagoras, and others.