During the days the participants from the organising university, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STUBA) offered practical demonstrations on the use of the Wolfram Mathematica software in the teaching of mathematics, hands-on workshop on the benefits of using the GeoGebra tool and the presentation on the many possibilities of LaTeX.
The DigiSTEM project group, including Marianna Leikomaa, Kirsi-Maria Rinneheimo and Leena Katto from TAMK, also had the privilege of attending the Starmus Festival, and a lecture given by Dr. Kathryn Thornton, a NASA astronaut, about the STS-49 Intelstat Rescue 1992. Doctor Thornton gave an exciting recount on how the Intelstat rescue mission was designed and planned to happen, and what actually happened. The crew encountered some very unexpected problems and had to solve them on very short notice and with very little additional equipment. As a result, they had to undertake the first 3-person space walk in history, which also turned out to be the longest one to that date. The mission was successful!
The second day of LTT activities begun with history combined with the present day. The International day of celebrating women in science was on the 12th of May, to commemorate 12.5. Maryam Mirzakhani (12.5.1977-14.7.2017).
Dr. Daniela Velichová gave a presentation about the life and the achievements of Mirzakhani. We were also able to hear the experiences of attending women mathematicians, both from the online participants and the people present live. The importance of imagination in mathematics was highlighted in Velichová’s presentation about Mirzakhani, as well as in the comments from the contemporary mathematicians.
Text: Kirsi-Maria Rinneheimo
Picture 1: DigiSTEM archive
Picture 2: Marianna Leikomaa
