Pi Day 2024

Date: Thursday, March 14

Location: Creveling Lounge, CC 201

Registration and Submissions: 

Registration

Pi Day 2024 Volunteer Registration

Become a Pi Day Volunteer

This is a "For Students, By Students" event. The goal is to promote the ownership of your math learning, to encourage you to talk about mathematics, to share your joy of learning mathematics, to develop better attitudes and mindsets needed to learn mathematics, to discover ways of overcoming difficulties or anxiety in learning mathematics, to connect mathematics with real-life applications, and to celebrate and share your victories in understanding mathematical concepts.

Deadline to submit your research poster presentation: Monday, March 4

(If you need Pi Club to print your poster, you must submit it online by March 4.)

We would like to invite you to make posters to showcase your research learning and present it at the Pi Day Conference!

Activity/Demo/Games/Presentation Form

10:00 AM - 12:20 PM: Visit in-person in CC 201

  1. Student Research Poster Presentations
  2. Interactive STEM Activities/Demonstrations/Games presented by
  • Cal State LA Math Department
  • Cal State LA Math Club
  • Caltech Astronomy Department
  • Caltech LIGO Lab
  • PCC Astronomy & Physics Club
  • PCC Biology Club
  • PCC Chemistry Club
  • PCC Data Science Club
  • Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
  • PCC FAB LAB
  • PCC MATE ROV Team
  • PCC Math Success Center
  • PCC Pi Club
  • PCC She Codes Club 

     C.  Internship and Career Opportunities: Representatives from Caltech, JPL, PCC Freeman Center for Career and                                Completion, and more, will explain various opportunities and answer questions.                                                                               D.  Flyer for JPL Opportunities: a flyer with an overview of the different internship programs

AMP, Aerospace Mentorship Program, GALCIT, Caltech: Opportunities of AMP internships

Presented by: Liza Bradulina, AMP Administrative Support

Biology:  Math in Nature!

The PCC Biology Club will be showing off the geometry found in a variety of organisms, with demonstrations of leaf physiology, histological samples, as well as an experiment to help you understand how the form of a planktonic organism helps it stay afloat! 

By Lily Garibyan, Melika Zadehmorshedbei, Prof. Kelley Voss

Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Kelley Voss

Cal State LA:   Crochet a Mobius Strip

We introduce the fascinating geometric shape called the Mobius Strip. Then attendees will learn how to crochet a beautiful Mobius strip and bring your product home!

Holly Kim, Tim Harris, Leonard Garcia, Students, Mathematics - Cal State LA

Faculty supervisor: Dr. Melisa Hendrata

 

Cal State LA:  Dare to Play a Game?

We play several fun games including dice games and others. How are these games related to probability?

Jonathan Davidson and Edgar Yak-De Padua, Students, Mathematics - Cal State LA

Faculty supervisor: Dr. Daphne Liu

Caltech Astronomy Department:  Drones and Wind Tunnels Resented

Presenter: Alejandro Stefan Zavala 

Caltech Astronomy Department: How Challenging it is to Build an Ornithopter as in Dune 2

Presenter: Xiaozhou Fai

Caltech Astronomy Department: Inflated Balloons, Deflated Marshmallows

Presenter: Noel Esparza-Duran 

Caltech LIGO Lab:  The Spandex Universe

Our understanding of gravity changed dramatically when Eistein proposed his famous theory of General Relativity. A consequence of this new mathematical understanding were gravitational waves: ripples through the fabric of space time. We will show how a simple spandex sheet and some marbles can nicely illustrate this fabric of space time and the motion of objects within it. This activity aims to 'visualize' gravity and curvature and initiate a discussion about gravitational waves.

Presenters:

Dr Jonah Kanner, Director, The Gravitational Wave Open Science Center - Caltech

Dr Virginia d’Emilio, Postdoctoral Research Scholar - Caltech 

Mr Alvin Li, Fifth-year Physics PhD Student, Gravitational-wave Physics Related Research - Caltech 

Career Technology Education (CTE) Division: Collaborative Robot Call the Universal Robot (UR) 3e

The UR3e is the smallest industrial collaborative robot arm, which processes in tight workspaces, such as on bench-tops or within production machinery.

Presenter: Prof. Jacob Tucker

 

Chemistry:  Engage with the Log Scale!

How much more acidic is stomach acid (pH 2) than water (pH 7)? In this interactive demonstration, you will be able to perform a colorful chemical reaction to determine when you have reached pH 7 (maybe a bit above 😊 ). There will be a discussion of the logarithm scale for pH and prizes for guessing the correct volume needed to neutralize the other solutions!

By Prof. Ted Donnell (Chemistry Instructor)

 

Culinary Art Program:  Decorate a Pi-Themed Cake with Culinary Arts!

Come decorate a Pi-themed cake with our Culinary Arts Department. 30 minutes to decorate. 10 participants for each round. All participants get prizes!  Best of luck to you all!

Presented and judged by Giselle Marquez and Veronica Galicia Gomez

Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Colleen Nanno

Data Science & She Codes:  Spotify Data Science Demo

We've all heard of Spotify Wrapped, but how does it work? In this demo by the She.Codes and Data Science clubs, we'll go over how Spotify collects your data, how it's organized, and even analyze your own. By giving us your Spotify account, we'll be able to access your music profile and visualize your top artists, genres, music style, and more. If you haven't heard of Spotify or data analysis before, don't fret. An introductory presentation will give all the important info for how it works and how you can analyze data yourself!

Presented by Logan B. Giralt de Spelder, Felicia Chen, Queency Tan, Malena Lodi, Linn Khant Thuya, Kelly Lwin, Sophie Chen, Sophia Luu, Bighani Lometillo, Jocelyn Zhu, Myat (Victor) Khant

Faculty supervisors: Dr. Erin Shaw & Dr. Jamal Ashraf

Electronic Team: Project-Based Learning With Electronics

Description: Demonstration of planned path and line-following autonomous robot using Arduino platform. also showcasing other student projects such as electronic dice, DIY power supply and converter unit, digital clock, And ping-pong game. 

Presenters: Sonia Shtonov, Jack Cheng

Freeman Center of Career and Completion: Preparation and Opportunities of Career and Internships

Presenter: TBA

Math Success Center:  Math Game "Chomp"

UC Berkeley professor David Gale developed the game of Chomp. Chomp is a two-person strategy game that consists of choosing blocks of chocolate squares from a larger chocolate bar. The goal is not to eat the last piece of chocolate which contains poison!   

Presenters:Prof. Julius Duthoy and MSC Team

Math Success Center:  Math Game "Digit Memorization"

Do you have what it takes to be the pi-digit memorization champion? Start studying the digits of Pi to participate in our digit memorization contest. The rules are simple, say as many digits of Pi as you can, and we will see who has the most memorized. The winner will receive a prize!

Presenters: Prof. Julius Duthoy and MSC Team

Math Success Center:  Math Game "Sprouts"

Mathematicians John Conway and Michael Paterson created the game of Sprouts at Cambridge University in the 1960s. The game can be played with just two people, a pencil, and a piece of paper. Gameplay consists of drawing dots and lines until a player can no longer connect a line with a playable dot. Participants will have a chance to recognize a pattern that decides who wins along with mathematical formulas that dictate the maximum and minimum number of moves.

Presenters: Prof. Julius Duthoy and MSC Team

PCC MATE ROV Team: Mini ROV Demonstration (Interactive Activity)

Lancer Lumineers team members will guide the students about how to control the underwater remote-control vehicles (ROV). The students will have a chance to control the mini ROV in the water container. The team members will also explain about the MATE ROV competition and the real-life usages of these ROVs. 

 

Physics & Astronomy Club: Gyroscopic Precession

Gyroscopic precession is the phenomenon where a force applied to one part of the rotating body results in a change in direction due to angular momentum and torque. This gyroscopic effect causes the wheel's axis of rotation to shift in a direction perpendicular to the applied force, resulting in a gradual change in the wheel's orientation over time.

Presenter: Nyra Dikranian

Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Maria Okuonkova

Pi Club: An Intuitive Proof of the Area Formula of a Circle: By Integrating the Circumferences of a Series of Concentric Circles

By imaging a dense series of concentric circles, you can prove the area formula of a circle yourself.

Pi Club: Math Game "Set"

Find different card among two other cards, regards to their shape, color, shading, and compete with another student and see which person spends less time. The game can be played by 4 people. 

Presenter: Anisha 

Pi Club: Math Game "Kanoodle Extreme"

A small box of 12 connected spheres, with different shapes. What you need to do is to choose a difficulty level, which will decide how many building boxes from the box to be removed. The more that are removed, the harder to put back blocks in a good combination such that all the blocks are fixed into the box. This game can be played by one or more people. 

SHPE - Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers: "Autonomous Lego Robots"
       
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. David Martinez

 

Pi Day 2024 Welcoming Remarks

12:20 PM - 12:30 PM in CC 201

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

Logan Giralt de Spelder, President, Pi Club - PCC

Carrie Starbird, Dean, Mathematics - PCC

Veronica I. Jaramillo, Dean, Natural Science - PCC

Dr. Daphne Liu, Department Chair, Mathematics - Cal State LA

 
12:30 PM - 1:50 PM: Research and Internship Panel

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

Jared Ashcroft, Professor, Engineering (Co-Moderator) - PCC

Jared Ashcroft is a Chemistry professor at Pasadena City College and the Center Director for the Micro Nano Technology Education Center, actively involved in bringing MNT technical education programs to community colleges. He earned his BS in Chemistry from Long Beach State and Doctorate in Chemistry from Rice University. His doctorate work and subsequent studies at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab focused on nano-based medical diagnostics and therapeutics. His current undergraduate research group focuses on building underwater remotely operated vehicles and studying electronic behaviors of conjugated nanomaterials.

 

Jillian Blatti, Ph.D., Professor, Chemistry (Co-Moderator) - PCC

Jillian L. Blatti, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Pasadena City College (PCC), where she teaches Organic Chemistry, General/Organic/Biochemistry, and the Environmental Sciences. She leads an undergraduate research group at PCC and her research focuses on bio/nanotechnology and the development of innovative educational activities that promote equity in science education and contribute to diversity in the STEM workforce. She is a Co-Principal Investigator on an NSF Future Manufacturing grant in collaboration with Caltech, UCLA, and UCSB that centers on the development of novel nucleic acid-based manufacturing technologies to fabricate materials of the future; Jillian leads the education and workforce development aspect of this effort. This includes training a diverse future STEM workforce with relevant skills and character traits for success in careers pertaining to science and education. Jillian was part of the algae biotechnology community as a graduate student at the University of California, San Diego, where her research aimed to engineer fatty acid biosynthesis in microalgae toward sustainable bioenergy. This is also where Jillian began her outreach program for underrepresented students focused on modern science and technology, which has evolved significantly throughout her time at PCC. Along with her research group, she has developed engaging laboratory activities regarding systems thinking and sustainability science, engineering algae and synthesizing algae biodiesel, making natural artistic paints and other endeavors at the art-science interface, and DNA nanotechnology; these lessons are implemented in her courses at PCC and in science outreach to underrepresented communities. Outside of science, her interests include music composition and performance, creating nanoart, exploring Nature, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and hanging out with her family and Bengal cat.

 

Dr. Sander Vermeulen, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate, Physics - Caltech

Sander Vermeulen, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral scholar research associate in physics at Caltech. He researches fundamental physics using interferometry and works on experiments and theories for detecting quantum gravity, dark matter, and gravitational waves using laser interferometers. He obtained his PhD from Cardiff University (UK) in 2023 and graduated from the University of Groningen (The Netherlands) in 2019. Outside of science, he enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and traveling.

 

Angel Chavez, Ph.D. Candidate, Mathematics (Combinatorial Dynamical Systems) - University of Minnesota

Angel Chavez is a third-year Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota, where he is studying Combinatorial Dynamical Systems under Arnd Scheel. Angel obtained a bachelor degree at CSULA in 2019. At CSULA, while under the guidance of Daphne Liu he published 5 papers in various combinatorics topics. At the same time, Angel was a working an internship at JPL for 2 years. 

 

Taneeka Anand, Student, Psychobiology - UCLA

Taneeka Anand is a third-year transfer student at UCLA, where she is pursuing a degree in Psychobiology (BS). Her journey into the realm of research commenced at Pasadena City College, where she actively engaged in various undergraduate research programs, sparking her passion for intellectual exploration. Presently, Taneeka balances her academic pursuits with a role as a medical assistant and contributes to research at a bioengineering lab at UCLA. As Taneeka continues her journey at UCLA, she remains eager to make meaningful contributions to both academia and the medical field.

 

Britney Castaneda-Camacho, Student, Biology - UCLA

Britney Castaneda-Camacho is a first-generation transfer student at UCLA currently pursuing a BS in Biology. Her passion for research was sparked during her participation in the 2023 cohort of PCC Nanostars, where she focused on isolating reactions in DNA condensates. In addition to serving as a board intern for TransferMed, a club dedicated to supporting transfer students on the pre-medical track, Britney actively engages in community outreach by mentoring children in underserved Los Angeles communities through UCLA's BruinCorps Program. Britney hopes to continue her impactful community work while pursuing her aspirations in the medical field.

 

Reina Salman, Student, Chemical Engineering - PCC

Reina Salman is a third-year community college student at Pasadena City College (PCC), where she's studying to transfer as a Chemical Engineering major to University of California, San Diego (UCSD). There, she hopes to take advantage of their excellent nanotechnology and materials engineering program, where she will aim to complete her B.S. in ChemE with a specialization in nanoengineering. During her time at PCC, Reina has delved into diverse research projects spanning from bone histology to ecology and bioinformatics. Her most recent research experience, under the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Jillian Blatti, Co-PI of the project, was in an NSF Future Manufacturing Research Internship on DNA Nanotechnology.  Her group’s work has since been accepted for poster presentation at the 2024 National Conference on Undergraduate Research and is slated for future publication. Beyond her academic pursuits, Reina is committed to fostering STEM engagement, particularly among young women and underrepresented student demographics. She eagerly anticipates joining Dr. Blatti and her Nanostar cohort in outreach initiatives, guiding aspiring students through scientific exploration and facilitating interactive STEM activities. Currently, she is a member of Dr. Julia Greer’s materials science and engineering research group, working on a project in solid-state physics and single crystal growth using novel methods. When not doing research or studying for classes, Reina also passionately works as a Chemistry Supplemental Instruction Leader and as the President of the Middle Eastern North African (MENA) club. Outside of her academic pursuits, she finds enjoyment in going on hikes, reading, playing musical instruments, and rock-climbing.

Vanessa Malabanan, Masters Student, Computer Science - Georgia Institute of Technology

Vanessa Malabanan is first year student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she is pursuing a master's in computer science. Her undergraduate degree is in accounting, but she later found her passion for computer science at PCC and decided to change careers. In 2023, she was an apprentice software engineer at Niantic where she worked on Unity tools for Marvel World of Heroes and in 2022, she participated in the Snap Engineering Academy.

 

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM: Python in Science Workshop

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

Dr. Maria Okounkova, Professor, Natural Science - PCC

Workshop Description: Computing is a vital component of all modern STEM research, and in this workshop, we'll begin to explore the intersection of science and computing. We'll program various simulations in Python together using Google Collaboratory, spanning various fields of physics and astrophysics. All you need is a laptop or tablet with a web browser.

 

3:00 PM - 3:50 PM: Arduino Workshop: From Hardware Setup to Data Transmission

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

Workshop Description: In this workshop we'll delve into the fascinating intersection of technology and computing. Together, we will have hands on experience and utilize a Python program to perform the sensor interfacing for an underwater ROV.

Min Aung Paing, Student, Computer Science - PCC

My name is Min Aung Paing. I am an international student majoring in Computer Science. I am also a part of the Mate ROV software Team. I am really passionate about coding, and I am eager to build my career out of it. Excited to meet you guys on Pi Day and search for some knowledge about what I do for the Mate ROV Team.

 

Myat (Michael) Thiha, Student, Computer Science - PCC

I am a sophomore year student at Pasadena City College majoring in Computer Science. I also work as a math tutor at the Math Success Center and am part of the PCC Mate ROV Competition software team. I am transferring to a 4-year university this Fall and am really excited about it. My goal after transferring to a university is to pursue a career in software development or any related fields. Looking forward to seeing you guys on Pi Day!

 

Linn Khant Thuya, Student, Computer Science - PCC

My name is Linn, and I am a second-year student at PCC majoring in Computer Science. I plan to transfer to a 4-year university next year, and my goal is to pursue a career in software engineering or a field related to it. I am part of the MATE ROV team at PCC, and you can also see me tutoring at the Writing, Math and CAS centers on campus! We put so much effort into this event, and looking forward to working with you guys on Pi Day!

 

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM: Career & Internships Panel

Watch live in-person in CC 201 or watch live on Zoom

Veronica I. Jaramillo, Dean of Natural Science Division (Co-Moderator) - PCC

Dr. Veronica I. Jaramillo’s background in chemistry and mathematics, and interest in equitable education, have fostered her career in the community college. Dr. Jaramillo began her academic path at Moravian College earning a bachelor’s degrees in both mathematics and Chemistry. She then continued her studies at the University of Arizona where she earned her doctorate in Physical Chemistry. Her thesis involved the study of low temperature reaction dynamics of important chemical reactions in the stratosphere. After, Dr. Jaramillo worked at a startup company, Calhoun Vision, where she developed irradiation systems and techniques.  Then she followed her passion for teaching and has been a chemistry faculty for the last 15 years at the community college and is currently the Dean of Natural Sciences at Pasadena City College. Dr. Jaramillo has been the principal investigator on a NSF grant devoted to incorporating early research experience for community college students. She has published a chapter and papers devoted to improving Chemical Education. Dr. Jaramillo has also been dedicated to community science outreach and has been an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on both the local and national level. Dr. Jaramillo was awarded the Agnes Anne Green Distinguished Service award and honored as a 2021 ACS fellow in recognition for her research, extensive work with students in science education, and her impact on diversity in the STEM workforce through work with minority and economically disadvantaged students, as well as for her excitement, enthusiasm, and innovation of chemistry outreach through her service on the ACS Committee on Community Activities and to the Southern California local section.

Marilyn Johnson, Co-Coordinator, BlackSTEM Program (Co-Moderator) - PCC

For the past 23 years, Marilyn Johnson has been very active in Pasadena City College Student Outreach efforts, with a focus on inclusion and belonging for our diverse student populations. Notably in coordinating the Bridges to the Future Program (with CSULA and UCLA) as well as being involved in several facets of PCC' s MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) program, in addition to many other minority focused STEM undergraduate research programs. In her current role as the Co-Coordinator of the Pasadena City College BlackSTEM PCC program, an academic empowerment program, she is aware of the need for high quality undergraduate research opportunities for minority students, as well as career exploration in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). As a Classified Information Technology Services staff member she is confident that these targets can be met with innovative ideas and support in partnership with the PCC Division of Institutional Equity, Diversity and Justice. She believes IEDJ division has provided the support needed to close our equity gaps, with a focus on inclusion and belonging. As a community college classified staff member, she has seen the power of stepping out of her comfort zone with creative ideas that are not based in traditional classroom instruction.

 

Dr. Peter Castro, Professor, Chemistry - PCC

Dr. Peter Castro did his undergraduate work in Chemistry at California State University under the supervision of Dr. Carlos Gutierrez. Initially his major was Physics, because he wanted to pursue engineering. However once introduced to organic chemistry by Dr. Gutierrez and doing undergraduate research, he changed his major to chemistry, with a goal of becoming an Organic Chemist. At UCLA he worked with Professor Francois Diederich on the synthesis of large macrocyclic molecules that could swallow small molecules. In his post-doctoral research at UC Irvine under the mentorship of Dr. Larry Overman. Dr. Castro went from making very large molecules in large quantities to making very small natural products in small quantities. This was all training for his big step into the pharmaceutical area. 

He landed a job working at DuPont, a big company that made everything from plastics to paints to pharmaceuticals. While a career at DuPont paid well, Dr. Castro grew restless. He was offered a job at CSULA. He was to supervise undergraduate students and mentor them in their research. From there he moved on to teaching organic chemistry. In a few short years he was applying for jobs at community colleges. 

Dr. Castro has been at PCC since 2011. He teaches chemistry 22 and Organic Chemistry. He shies away from teaching general chemistry because math gives him hives.

In his spare time he does photography and antique watch restoration. His favorite movies include classics like Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, Reservoir Dogs, Joker and Bambi.

 

Cuong (Mark) V. Luu, Instructor, Physics - Monrovia Unified School District

After earning degrees in Anthropology and Environmental Earth Science at the University of California, Berkeley, Mark has returned to San Gabriel Valley to continue his dream of traveling to European historic sites by embarking on a language journey here where he spent consecutive summers immersing in Paris, and Toledo. His STEM interest has oriented Mark towards working in diverse neighborhoods, as he currently teaches Physics at Monrovia Unified, facilitates workshops for the Upward Bound programs, and supports Calculus students at PCC. He also supervises and advises robotics at Monrovia High School. He has been successful in communicating with parents and students through various languages that he reads, writes, and speaks in some capacity. These include Chinese, French, Spanish, and Vietnamese, two of which he is a native speaker while the others he learned by studying them abroad.

 

Dr. Jie Zhong, Professor, Mathematics - Cal State LA

Dr. Zhong received his PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Southern California in 2013. After graduation, he spent one year as a postdoc fellow under the CREST (JST) program at Ritsumeikan University in Japan. Then he came back to the US and joined the University of Central Florida for a visiting assistant professor position. During the fall semester of 2015, Dr. Zhong was a postdoc fellow in the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley. Prior to joining Cal State LA, he was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Rochester for two years. Dr. Zhong's research lies in the theory of probability and its applications. Recently, he has focused on the design of new machine learning and data science algorithms and is supervising a large group of undergraduate/graduate students conducting various research. As a continuation collaboration since the PIC math program funded by MAA, last semester, Dr. Zhong's group partnered with the City of Los Angeles’ Data Team, and developed an interactive data visualization tool that helps residents understand crime trends in neighborhoods, as well as delivering valuable scientific analysis to better serve our local communities

Yeab Guracha, PCC Alum, Graduate - UCI

Yeab Guracha is a first-generation medical student and PCC alumnus. While at PCC, Yeab worked as a tutor at the Science Village, assisting students in subjects including biology, chemistry, calculus, and anatomy. Yeab's introduction to undergraduate research began at Pasadena City College, where he and his classmates embarked on an independent study research project, later presenting their findings at the Southern California Academy of Sciences (SCAS) conference. After transferring to UC Irvine, Yeab further immersed himself in research, joining the Neuroscholars Program. There, he contributed to an ongoing research project involving innovative noninvasive brain imaging techniques using fluorescence microscopy. Following his graduation from UC Irvine with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Yeab sought to gain clinical experience as an EMT. Currently, Yeab is preparing for the next chapter of his journey as he anticipates beginning medical school this summer at Charles Drew University, the only historically black medical college west of the Mississippi.

 

Rachel Gilyard, PCC alum, Graduate student in Computer Science - CSUN

Currently interning at the Nevada National Security Sites and will be starting her new job as a Software Engineer at Oracle next January.

 

Resources for Your Pi Day Poster/Presentation

Examples of Pi Day Posters:

Chance to Win a Gift Card

Every instructor and student who submits their Pi Day survey online will have a chance to win a gift card. Deadline: TBA

T-Shirt Design Contest!

Participate in the T-Shirt Design Contest to win a gift certificate up to $100!

  • Theme for Pi Day T-Shirt 2024:  "I can do it!" (3 colors maximum)
  • T-Shirt Design Submission Deadline: February 25, 2024

Submit Your T-Shirt Desgin

Every poster-participating student and instructor will receive a certificate in the award ceremony, receive one raffle ticket, and will be entered for a chance to win a gift certificate up to $100.

Pi Day Survey

View our past Pi Day Events