My Eventful Few Weeks

Hi,

The past few weeks have been a blur of exciting events at my workplace, and somehow, I'm involved in almost everything. It’s a huge relief to see everything wrap up smoothly, and I'm happy to be able to contribute from a small-time judging gig to coordinating a major workshop.

My adventure started two weeks ago when I was put in charge of a workshop for 50 secondary school teachers, co-organized with Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Pulau Pinang. The mission? To get them excited about teaching SPM Math and Add Math with GeoGebra. We showed them how to use this dynamic software to make equations and graphs jump off the screen, turning abstract concepts into hands-on fun. It's safe to say we armed them with some new tricks to make even the most math-phobic students crack a smile. 😊

The event was hosted at our lab, which comfortably accommodated 50 math and additional math teachers from across Penang.

I learned so much about handling students from the coaching session, especially from the experienced teachers.

And then, just last week, I faced a completely different kind of challenge, chairing a gathering of Complex Analysis mathematicians. This was so far out of my comfort zone, I might as well have been on another planet! 😂As an applied mathematician, my world is all about real-life problems and practical solutions. These brilliant pure mathematicians, on the other hand, are the trailblazers who work on mind-bending and abstract theories. I was so nervous about being the go-between for these academic titans, I'm surprised I didn't trip over my own words. But hey, I'm glad I managed to handle the sessions, and everything went off without a hitch. What a relief!

A small, intimate gathering of pure mathematicians focused on complex analysis.

Chairing that session was challenging since I didn't speak the pure mathematics language, but it was a fun way to learn.

And to cap it all off, I was in the judging team for the ever-popular Math Debate at our school's recent Math Carnival that brought in students from all over Penang and Kedah. I volunteered to be a judge for the debate, one of the many activities planned for the primary and secondary school kids. These kids were given just 30 minutes to prepare their arguments before convincing us to accept or reject a proposal. After a few rounds, the energy in the room was electric! It was a blast seeing these young minds in action. 

The first round of the debate with full view of the public. Very interesting.

Heading the judging team for the next few rounds.

It's been a busy but incredibly rewarding time, a perfect reminder that the best experiences often come from jumping into the deep end. Now that most events I am involved in are over, the next few weeks will be a bit more manageable, so I can finally concentrate on my own projects. Phew!