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Computer Science Unplugged and Related Projects in Math and Computer Science Popularization

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The Multivariate Algorithmic Revolution and Beyond

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 7370))

Abstract

Mathematics popularization is an important, creative kind of research, entangled with many other research programs of basic interest — Mike Fellows

This chapter is a history of the Computer Science Unplugged project, and related work on math and computer science popularization that Mike Fellows has been a driving force behind, including MEGA-Mathematics and games design. Mike’s mission has been to open up the knowns and unknowns of mathematical science to the public. We explore the genesis of MEGA-Math and “Unplugged” in the early 1990s, and then the sudden growth of interest in Unplugged after the year 2003, including the contributions from many different cultures and its deployment in a large variety of contexts. Woven through this history is the importance of story: that presenting math and computing topics through story-telling and drama can captivate children and adults alike, and provides a whole new level of engagement with what can be perceived as a dry topic. It is also about not paying attention to boundaries — whether teaching advanced computer science concepts to elementary school children or running a mathematics event in a park.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Tim Bell

  2. School of Engineering and Information Technology, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, 0909, Australia

    Frances Rosamond

  3. Logwood Stone, Moscow, Idaho, USA

    Nancy Casey

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  1. Tim Bell
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  2. Frances Rosamond
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  3. Nancy Casey
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information and Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.089, 3508 TB, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Hans L. Bodlaender

  2. School of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research, Victoria University, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand

    Rod Downey

  3. Institute of Informatics, University of Bergen, Postboks 7800, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Fedor V. Fomin

  4. Computer and Automation Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA SZTAKI), Pf. 63, 1518, Budapest, Hungary

    Dániel Marx

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Bell, T., Rosamond, F., Casey, N. (2012). Computer Science Unplugged and Related Projects in Math and Computer Science Popularization. In: Bodlaender, H.L., Downey, R., Fomin, F.V., Marx, D. (eds) The Multivariate Algorithmic Revolution and Beyond. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 7370. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30891-8_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30891-8_18

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