Alan Russell’s class sits at circular tables surrounded by a room full of large screens projecting specific folding directions. The students have paper in their hands, folding and refolding in succinct motion. This is math origami, an upper level general studies course that teaches students a new type of math.

Russell, an associate professor of mathematics, plans for his students to make 1,000 cranes to recreate the Virginia Tech logo on a piece of plywood. He hopes to give it to the school as a remembrance of the shootings last spring.

Origami originated with the creation of paper in China around the first century. The art of folding paper primarily stayed in Asia, only venturing sporadically beyond the Far East through trade. After the Moor invasion, origami gained popularity in Spain. The crane, which is regarded as the universal symbol for origami, was replaced by the parajita as the symbol for paper folding in Spain. Origami continued to spread through Europe before coming to America in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Today, modern folders use computers to document their creations that can consist of hundreds of steps.

Features Editor: Leigh Ann Vanscoy - 11/07/07