'Hunting Yellow Pigs' film shows a singular approach to math education

Cornell professor Steven Strogatz, a master math educator, credits a small, quirky summer program at Hampshire College with teaching him how to teach mathematics.

Strogatz, the Susan and Barton Winokur Distinguished Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Mathematics and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences, appears in a new film, "Hunting Yellow Pigs," that celebrates the Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM) and its unconventional approach to math education. The Department of Mathematics will host a screening with filmmaker Ming-I Huang on March 24 at 4 p.m. in Schwarz Auditorium, room 201 in Rockefeller Hall, preceded by a meet and greet at 3 p.m. Visit the film website to register.

Anyone can access and enjoy this film, said Jon Roberts, the film's executive producer and an alumnus of HCSSiM.

"While the film touches on what math is, it doesn't teach much, if any, mathematics," he said. "Rather, it shows how to build a community that optimally creates, innovates, solves problems and discovers new knowledge in any field. Such communities revolve around human relationships. This film is really a love story on many levels."

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.