COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed, which is FANTASTIC! But, it’s still too risky for us to get together for ISC’s annual 3.14-mile “Pi K” Run followed by Trivia & Pie Party. BUT WE WON’T LET A STUPID VIRUS STOP US FROM CELEBRATING PI DAY!!!!! Here’s the plan:

1. REGISTER:
All registrants receive this year’s awesome Pi K t-shirt they can wear proudly to show their respect for math and support of science outreach. Register by midnight March 14 at http://PiDayRun.org to get this year’s awesome PiK t-shirt delivered to your door.

Help us raise even more awareness of the importance of science by registering for Charity Bib. Engage your friends and family in fundraising in support of science outreach. Raise $314 and your registration fee is waived! To do so you don’t register through eventbrite, but must register through the Charity Bib page: https://bit.ly/PiDayCharityRun.

2. “RUN” 3.14 something:

Sometime before afternoon on March 14, you should run, walk, skip, cartwheel, or saunter 3.14 miles, which is a little more than a 5K. (It’s the honor system. We won’t know if you spent 3.14 hours on your couch.) You can also go 3.14 kilometers, furlongs, acres, leagues, or city blocks if you choose.

3. PLAY TRIVIA:

The first 200 people who register on Eventbrite or Charity Bib will be sent a Zoom link the morning of March 14 to join us online at 3:14pm (pi/pi ) that afternoon, or 6:28pm (2pi-pi ) that evening. Everyone must choose only one trivia session; prizes are the same for both.

We’ll use the Kahoot platform for trivia. ISC’s Game Master will share the question screen, and players use their own phones (or an alternate tab on a computer) to select answers. You’ll toggle to Kahoot.it or open the Kahoot app on your phone, and enter the Game PIN once it’s on the screen. If you haven’t used Kahoot before, you can download it prior to the 14th. It’s not necessary to use the app, but some find it easier than switching between tabs on your computer.

4. PRIZES:

One Trivia Winner for each session will receive their choice of a t-shirt or mask from ISC’s Science Swag Store! Check out the goods at https://bit.ly/ISCscienceswag.

Creative Route – if you use a running app that maps your route (e.g., Strava, MapMyRun, etc.), we will award the winner of the most creative rpi-, pie-, or math-related route their choice of a t-shirt or mask from ISC’s Science Swag Store! To be eligible, you must submit your route to PiDay@IllinoisScience.org with the subject line “Route Contest” no later than 12:00noon (CT) Sunday, March 14. Entries will judged by ISC’s volunteer Pi Day committee who are generous geniuses and so their decision is final.

All proceeds support the STEM outreach efforts of Illinois Science Council, an independent 501c3 nonprofit based in Chicago that offers creative and engaging science programs for teens and adults.

2021 Pi K T-Shirt:
The 2021 Pi K t-shirt is a softstyle unisex cotton tee available in sizes XS – 2XL. The front logo is not some esoteric equation. It simply indicates this ia a “Pi K” as opposed to a 5K run, and the exponent number indicates this year, 2021, is the 9th annual event. The back of the shirt gives a nod to the pandemic and virtual nature of this year’s event with an image of the COVID-19 virus replacing the decimal in 3.14. The “dividing line” between 3.14 and ISC’s logo is not a line at all; up close it’s a long sequence of digits of pi.

Significance of Pi:

Pi, in case you don’t remember, is abbreviated to 3.14 but continues indefinitely. To date, it has been calculated by computer to over 1.2 trillion digits. Competitions exist for reciting the most digits by memory. As the world’s most famous mathematical constant, Pi is important to many formulas used in mathematics, science, engineering and statistics.