The Rice Athletics Department and the Rice University School Mathematics Project (RUSMP) welcomed more than 3,500 students from area school districts (Aldine ISD, Alief ISD, Alvin ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Deer Park ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Houston ISD, Humble ISD, Klein ISD, Sheldon ISD, Spring ISD, and Spring Branch ISD) to the annual “School House Mania” event that was held in Rice University’s Tudor Fieldhouse. Students at this event had the opportunity to participate in educational activities and to attend the men’s basketball game between Rice University and St. Edward’s University. Students cheered the Owls to victory!

Prior to the basketball game, members of the RUSMP team guided students through several interactive activities that focused on mathematics and science. Dr. Anne Papakonstantinou, Director of RUSMP, led students on a visual tour of Rice University through a slideshow that highlighted the history and mathematics found on campus. Students were encouraged to identify the geometry they observed in the slides displaying architecture found on the campus of Rice University.

Dr. Susan Troutman, RUSMP’s Director of Secondary Programs, then introduced students to the game “Sammy Says.” In this game, a version of the game “Simon Says,” students were urged to follow only the directions given by Sammy, the mascot of the Rice Owls. As students played this game, they demonstrated their knowledge of computation and geometry by physically modeling their answers.

As the basketball teams practiced on the court, Dr. Richard Parr, RUSMP’s Executive Director, provided mathematical clues to guide students in determining the jersey numbers for members of the Rice Owls men’s basketball team. The Rice basketball players, as well as the students’ teachers, were elated when students correctly identified the players’ jersey numbers after solving the clues given in “Guess My Number.”

Following a brief review of geometric transformations, the stands were rocking as students and teachers danced to the Transformation Shuffle! Students then had the opportunity to participate in a tour of Houston through a slideshow in which students answered questions related to science and mathematics. The mathematics theme continued during breaks in the basketball game when students were challenged to answer trivia questions related to real-world situations.

A teacher who brings her students each year to School House Mania commented: “This event provides an opportunity for my students to visit Rice as a reward for hard work during the fall semester.”