A man dubbed the Human Calculator has been meeting schoolchildren and teachers all over the Island this week to get them excited about mathematics.

Mike Byster, a former US commodities trader believed to have one of the fastest brains on the planet, has been brought here by the Investment Bermuda charity and the Berkeley Institute board of governors to meet students and teachers at Berkeley, CedarBridge Academy, Clearwater Middle School, Harrington Sound Primary School and Saltus Grammar School.

Mr. Byster, who is visiting the Island with wife Robin, said: "Our goal is twofold: we want to get the students excited about math, and more importantly, we want to get the teachers excited about it.

"We're spending about an hour and 15 minutes with the kids; however, if I can convince teachers these mind and memory techniques work, the teachers will have a more longstanding effect on the students."

Mr. Byster, from Chicago, met with Premier Ewart Brown at Cabinet on Monday. Dr. Brown said: "Our schools are filled with dedicated teachers constantly looking for new ways to motivate students. I think Mr. Byster's remarkable mathematical talents and techniques will do exactly that."