School of Information Technology Associate Professor Steve Sugden has been sharing his passion for mathematics and information technology with school students as part of the Mathematicians in Schools program run by the CSIRO.
Dr Sugden has been working with a number of local schools including Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, St Michael’s College, Broadbeach State School, AB Patterson College and most recently All Saints Anglican School.
He has conducted a number of lessons on mathematics, drawing students’ attention to the patterns and reasoning behind number systems and challenging them to see beyond just numbers on a page.
Dr Sugden has also worked with maths teachers to demonstrate new ways to enrich learning in the field, often using the Excel spreadsheet program to graphically illustrate mathematical and computing principles.
His work with AB Patterson College has been particularly helpful to a year ten student in the school’s Gifted Education program. The student was given a project to research dimension theory and Dr Sugden mentored the student throughout the process.
“I met up with the student and provided him with advice and resources throughout the project. I was able to attend when he presented the final report recently and it was great to see his progress throughout the semester, culminating in an excellent presentation,” said Dr Sugden.
The School of Information Technology is committed to continuing to support schools’ mathematics and information technology programs and encouraging students to explore the career opportunities in the field.