OREM — Utah Valley State College will host its third annual Math Awareness Week starting today. Participants can expect Sudoku tournaments, an "Amazing Math Race" and keynote speaker David Irvine, co-founder of the Blackjack Institute and one of the original members of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Blackjack Team, a group of students from MIT who formed an after-school club and won millions of dollars around the world attempting to beat blackjack.

As an undergraduate at MIT, Irvine was recruited to the team and refined his blackjack skills playing in casinos all over the country. The team is the basis for the bestselling book, "Bringing Down the House" and the major motion picture, "21," scheduled to be released at the end of the month.

"With respect to the concern of promoting gambling, I can tell you that what we do is not gambling," said Irvine. "It is hard for some people to believe, but what we did was calculate the mathematics behind the game of blackjack and develop a strategy to beat it. We only played blackjack because it could be beaten."

Irvine will be telling the real story of his blackjack experience, not the Hollywood interpretation.

Also included in Math Week is the "Amazing Math Race," a play off the hit TV show, "The Amazing Race."

"The 'Amazing Math Race' competition doesn't require great math knowledge, just the ability to find answers to clues that have a math twist," said Kathryn Van Wagoner, math lab manager. "I'm really hoping the students will participate and have a lot of fun."

With many more events scheduled, students will experience practical math applications that appeal to a broader audience. For more information and scheduling, visit the calendar at www.uvsc.edu or call 801-863-8411.