If you have ever wondered who would win in a fight between a kangaroo and a red squirrel, you’re not alone. Modeled after NCAA March Madness in basketball, March Mammal Madness (MMM) is an annual tournament of simulated combat competition among animals. MMM is back for 2022! Now through March 14, get your bracket, pick your winners and follow the competition on Twitter, Facebook or the March Mammal Madness Library Guide.
The MMM tournament is headed by Katie Hinde, an associate professor in ASU’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change and the Center for Evolution and Medicine. Working with a team of scientists, Hinde creates the brackets each year and imagines who would win based on science. Factors like environment, illness, physiology and metabolism all contribute to predicting the outcome of an encounter, with an element of randomness thrown in. Just like in real life, the unexpected can occur.
10 years of teamwork and growth
Since the first tournament in 2013, MMM has grown from a few friends having fun on Twitter to nearly 50 educators, scientists, artists, librarians and other individuals who voluntarily contribute their time and expertise in order to bring a method to the Madness! Likewise, since 2017, MMM has provided outreach and educational materials to help teachers and students use the tournament in the classroom. Each year, more and more educators incorporate the tournament into their curriculum. This year, over 6000 educators signed up in advance to participate, indicating MMM will reach over half a million students!
As the tournament has grown, so have the needs of the community. The MMM Library Guide has become the official home of the tournament, supported by the ASU Library’s KEEP Institutional Repository to share and archive educational materials, research, and other resources created by the MMM team. Anali Maughan Perry, scholarly communication librarian at ASU Library, said “By hosting tournament materials on the MMM Library Guide and KEEP Collection, we provide a reliable home as well as a .edu URL that makes it easier to ensure K-12 educators and students will have access. Additionally, these platforms allow us to track downloads and views, so that we have a data-informed picture of the real reach and impact of the tournament.”
As the tournament plans for the future, the ASU Library and the March Mammal Madness team continue to strengthen their partnership and prepare to meet the needs of the growing community of fans, educators, and students.
Don’t miss these 2022 MMM events!
Thursday, Feb 24, 2022
Community Conversations: A look inside the Annual March Mammal Madness Tournament
Join MMM editor-in-chief Katie Hinde and scholarly communication librarian Anali Maughan Perry to kick off the 10th annual tournament with information on how to play, a round up of resources available to fans, teachers and students and a return of the lightning round.
Friday Feb 25, 2022
To celebrate the 10th Annual March Mammal Madness Tournament in 2022, the folks at MMM Headquarters have planned an all-day Festival! Designed for the classroom, the MMM team will discuss career paths to wildlife biologist, animal behaviorist, paleontologist, geneticist, and scientific illustrator. Students can learn key info about the 2022 combatants adaptations, & environments. Join us for one segment or stay the whole day! View the Poster for links and details
Want to learn more and join in on the fun?
Visit the MMM hub on the ASU Library’s website today.