One of the largest classrooms on the University of Guam campus was packed on Saturday, Nov. 16, for the 14th UOG Math Day, where 70 middle and high school students and teachers gathered to celebrate their passion for math.

UOG Math Day, which began in 2008, aims to inspire students to pursue math in college and build confidence for STEM careers.

This year, for the first time, middle schoolers joined the high schoolers in a team competition covering algebra, geometry, statistics, and calculus.

Event organizer Dr. Hideo Nagahashi shared that many participants have gone on to pursue advanced degrees in the mainland U.S. guest speaker Daichi Matsumoto from Japan led an engaging lecture, challenging students to find patterns and share discoveries without being given answers.

Dr. Maika Vuki, UOG’s Interim Associate Dean, called math a “universal language” and praised the students as the future generation of STEM.

In the middle school quiz competition, 11 teams competed with three tying for first place:

Hanyoung Park and Chanyoung Park, Luis P. Untalan Middle School
Kelly Cho and Melody Cho, St. John’s School
Derrick Yan and Donggeon Kim, St. John’s School

In the high school algebra, geometry, and statistics competition, 14 teams competed with the following winners:

First place: Alick Zhao and Noah Kim, St. John’s School
Second place: Yaxin Liu and Celina Kim, Harvest Christian Academy
Third place: Claire Suh and Offeia Yordy, St. John’s School

In the high school pre-calculus and calculus competition, 12 teams competed with four tying for first place:

Chaemin You and Ye-Jun Yeo, Harvest Christian Academy
Vivian Wen and Shiyori Shibahata, Harvest Christian Academy
Leon Park and Sihoo Kim, John F. Kennedy High School
Chanju Lee and Zunaid Jafar, St. John’s School

Math Day is supported by a Docliani Mathematics Enrichment Grant from the Mathematical Association of America.