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

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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