President Luis Abinader was at the Children’s Library (BIJRD) on Monday, 14 December 2020 for the inauguration of the Mathematics Experience Hall (Sala de la Experiencia Matemática). Professor Jin Akiyama of Tokyo University of Science developed the new mathematics hall for the city of Santo Domingo. Akiyama is a Japanese mathematician best known for his appearances on Japanese prime-time television (NHK) presenting magic tricks with mathematical explanations. He is director of the Mathematical Education Research Center at the Tokyo Unversity of Science and professor emeritus at the Tokai University.
The hall seeks to introduce young students to mathematics in an interactive way. President Abinader highlighted the hall is designed to stimulate curiosity through hands-on encounters with the relationship of objects and theory.
The Pythagorean theorem and Pascal’s Triangle are explained. Children can get a grasp of the many geometric forms. Students are introduced to the marvels of statistics and the way numbers are so much already a part of the human body and nature.
The governmental ProSoli, the Embassy of Japan and the BIJRD helped build the mathematics facility.
Japanese ambassador Makiuchi Hiroyuki says the new hall is even a new tourist attraction. He said tourists from all the world can come to a place where people can overcome their fear of mathematics and instead discover the wonders of mathematics. He said just the same way people come to the Dominican Republic to enjoy the beaches, young people can make a stopover at the BIJRD and learn mathematics and sciences in a fun way.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
Wikipedia
DR1 News
15 December 2020