Students gathered in the math lab Wednesday, March 15 in celebration of Pi Day for a free slice of pie, provided from generous donations made by LMC staff. Various pies lined the table: lemon, apple, cherry, chocolate, pumpkin, and cheesecake. Most were store-bought, but a few staff members went the extra mile to make a pie themselves. A can of whipped cream was provided for those who wanted it, and many did.

Math Lab Coordinator Julio Guerrero jokingly told students who piled whipped cream onto their plates “You’ve got more whipped cream than pie!”

The date and time of the Pi Day celebration is a reference to the mathematical constant pi, which is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. The first six numbers of pi are 3.14159, which is why pi day is celebrated specifically on 3/14 at 1:59 p.m. The table had a sign explaining Pi Day and its creation in 1989 at the San Francisco Exploratorium, with scientists, mathematicians, and the public marching in circles and eating fruit pies. The date also happens to commemorate the birthday of Albert Einstein.

One student who partook in the celebration, Nana Abena Adade, gave her thoughts on the pie, “I’ve had four slices so far and they’re all pretty good. I liked the cherry and the cheesecake best, but if I had to pick a favorite, definitely the cheesecake.”

The cheesecake seemed to be one of the most popular picks, behind apple, which ran out first.

Another student, Megan Salinas, said, “I got the cheesecake. It’s amazing, but cake is still better than pie.”

Math Lab Coordinator Julio Guerrero and Administrative Assistant Abby Duldulao organized the event. Guerrero explained the process of getting the pies together.

“We usually just send out an email to everyone, and we buy a few ourselves,” Guerrero said. “We didn’t count them but we got at least 15 pies, maybe even 20. More than we did last year, which is great.” 

Duldulao, who has helped with Pi Day for 4 years now said, “It’s something nice we can do for the students, to give them a break. A lot of them are taking tests around this time, so they can come out of the lab from studying and just take a breath. It’s also a good time for them to bond with the staff, because the Math Lab Coordinator is out here walking around getting to know them.”