Pi Patrol visits area schools in honor of Pi Day

Pi Patrol members Bill Crist, Kate Alcott, and Bianca Little visited Watson Williams School on Pi Day to talk with students and share some Pi-related goodies. Other Pi Patrol members, Chris Komarony, Ben Bewick, and Marv Meissner visited Conkling School in Utica.

In celebration of Pi Day, the unofficial holiday of SUNY Polytechnic Institute (known one day a year as SUNY ‘PI’), a fleet of vehicles dubbed the Pi Patrol visited elementary school students throughout the Utica area March 14 to present a special Pi-themed math and science mobile education program.   SUNY PI educators and outreach staff will immerse students in engaging hands-on lessons and activities, before treating participants to a “Pizza-pi” party.

“Pi Day provides an excellent opportunity for us to get young students excited about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) which are driving New York State’s 21^st century economy,” said SUNY PI President and CEO Dr. Alain Kaloyeros. “Through the Pi Patrol and its fun and interactive demonstrations, we hope to support the lessons being taught in area schools and inspire a new generation of innovators.”

For its inaugural year, the Pi Patrol visited Watson Williams Elementary School and Conkling Elementary School where volunteers worked with 4-6^th graders during each school’s respective after-school programs. Students learned that the mathematical constant Pi, commonly approximated as 3.14159, is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter and is often represented by the Greek symbol π.  The program highlights the importance of and uses for Pi and includes several hands on experiments and demonstrations.

Pi Patrol members Bill Crist, Kate Alcott, and Bianca Little visited Watson Williams School on Pi Day to talk with students and share some Pi-related goodies. Other Pi Patrol members, Chris Komarony, Ben Bewick, and Marv Meissner visited Conkling School in Utica.

“The magic number pi was represented by edibles of various size, allowing us to demonstrate and calculate the mathematical relationships between surface area, circumference, and radius,” said SUNY Poly K-12 Outreach Director Elizabeth Rossi. “And of course, once we worked out our calculations, we ate those delicious edibles – pizza and cookies.”

At the conclusion of the educational component of the program, students enjoyed free pizza, including a pie with pepperoni strategically placed in the shape of the Greek symbol, “π.”

Pi Day is celebrated around the world on March 14 because the date reflects the ratio: 3/14 or 3.14.  It is also the birthdate of Albert Einstein, who was born March 14, 1879.

The Pi Patrol is made up of volunteers from SUNY Poly Professor Robert Payne’s Professionalism in the workplace class, along with members of the Civil Engineering Club and the Office of Continuing Professional Development.