WWU to host Second Annual WWU Great Puzzle Hunt April 1

Western Washington University will host The Second Annual WWU Great Puzzle Hunt at 10 a.m.-3 p.m., with awards at 4:00 p.m., on Saturday, April 1, in Red Square. Registration is now open.

Everyone is invited, regardless of puzzle-solving experience.

Teams of four to six puzzle hunters will travel on foot throughout campus solving a collection of puzzles (logic puzzles, word scrambles, trivia, etc.) Prizes are awarded to the first top three teams in each division. There will be additional prizes for teams that travel the greatest collective distance, have the best team names and more.

This year Western is opening up the event to the general public with divisions for high school students, college students, alumni and community members. Each team member under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The goal of the hunt is to mobilize minds, highlight connections among fields and break down barriers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields by building multidisciplinary teams to solve puzzles requiring a multitude of different skill sets.

“I think it is important to have a society of critical thinkers,” said Millie Johnson, associate professor and coordinator of the Puzzle Hunt. “I wanted to put on an event where it would be fun to think, without any rules or barriers.”

In this puzzle hunt, it’s to the teams’ advantage to recruit members with knowledge of music, art, humanities and social sciences, as well as science and mathematics.

“Participating in the Puzzle Hunt is a great way to stretch mental muscles, bond with teammates and have fun,” Johnson said.

The Great WWU Puzzle Hunt coordinators are seeking volunteers to assist at the event and sponsors to help cover expenses for the event. Current co-sponsors are Western’s College of Science and Engineering, the Associated Students, Whatcom Educational Credit Union and ActionSprout.

 Registration prices are per-person. Early bird registration is through March 10: Students $5, Non-Students $10. Regular registration is March 11- 30: Students $8, Nonstudents $15. Registration is now open. Click here to sign up.

For more information about the Second Annual WWU Great Puzzle Hunt, to register, volunteer or donate visit: https://greatpuzzlehunt.com/ or contact Millie Johnson at Millie.Johnson@wwu.edu or (360) 650-3459.

 

 

Participants in the inaugural WWU Great Puzzle Hunt attempt one of the hunt's brain-teasers on Saturday, April 10, at WWU. Photo by Amanda Raschkow / WWU Communications and Marketing intern