AIMS celebrates International Mathematics Day | Education

The African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana will host a high-level virtual forum on March 15, 2021, to commemorate International Mathematics Day which highlights the role of mathematics in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 agenda of the United Nations.

March 14 of each year has been set aside to celebrate the beauty and importance of mathematics and its essential role in human development. The project to proclaim March 14 by UNESCO as International Mathematics Day (IDM) was led by the International Mathematical Union (IMU).

The celebration of International Mathematics Day (IDM) expands Pi Day to include the full spectrum of mathematics. The IDM also seeks to highlight the role of mathematics in organizations, modern society including economy, finance, health, transport systems, telecommunications etc. in search of human well-being. Each year a new theme is announced to spice up the celebration, spark creativity, and shine a light on the connections between math and all kinds of fields, concepts and ideas.

Following the successful celebration of the first MDI in 2020, AIMS Ghana, as a Category II Institute of the UNESCO Center of Excellence, will lead Ghana in the celebration of the second MDI under the theme ‘Mathematics for a Better World “.
Due to restrictions in mass gatherings due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s celebration will take place online and will be streamed on the social media pages of AIMS Ghana (YouTube: AIMS Ghana; Facebook – @ butgh) from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays. March 15, 2021.

The keynote speaker for the celebration is Ghana’s Minister of Education, Hon. Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum. High level dignitaries including Mr. Abdourahamane Diallo, UNESCO Representative in Ghana and Professor Mohammed Salifu, Director General of the Higher Education Commission of Ghana will present messages of goodwill during the virtual celebration.
Activities to celebrate International Mathematics Day 2021 will include:

● Round table on the theme: Mathematics for a better world by panelists composed of students from the following programs: AIMS Regular Master; Master for Mathematical Sciences for Teacher (MMST), Girls in Mathematical Sciences Program (GMSP), Africa Master for Machine Intelligence (AMMI) and an alumnus.

● Poster sessions demonstrating the beauty of mathematics to make the world a better place by the AIMS research center
● Imagine quotes from students and alumni

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) is the premier Pan-African non-profit center of excellence for postgraduate training, research, teacher training and public engagement in mathematics and related sciences. Our mission is to enable Africa’s brightest students to flourish as independent thinkers, problem solvers and innovators capable of propelling Africa’s future scientific, industrial, educational and economic self-reliance. Founded in 2003, AIMS currently has six centers across Africa; South Africa, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania and Rwanda.

AIMS Ghana is the third node in the AIMS network. Created in 2012 as part of the AIMS Next Einstein initiative; AIMS Ghana is a partnership between the Government of Ghana and the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences – Next Einstein Initiative. AIMS Ghana was also upgraded to UNESCO Category II Center of Excellence status in 2018.

The partnership is focused on creating a transformative ecosystem – an ecosystem that directly enables the transformation of Ghana and Africa by building human capacities and skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

AIMS Ghana builds on a solid foundation of excellence, in collaboration with government partners; the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of the Environment, Science and Technology and the private sector. The government of Ghana in agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); made AIMS Ghana a UNESCO Category II Center of Excellence status.