Join Collegium Institute and the Penn Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society for our Fall 2022 Magi Project Lecture on math and human flourishing featuring distinguished mathematician and author, Prof. Francis Su. Prof. Su writes:
“Math is more than just a way to describe the world, and it is more than just a set of skills, like doing arithmetic or factoring a quadratic. Math is a deeply human enterprise that fulfills basic human longings, such as for beauty and exploration and truth, and when properly engaged, it builds virtues like persistence, creativity, and a competence to solve problems you've never seen before. Reframing math in this way—around virtues—offers a more attractive way to welcome people to see math as an intrinsic part of life, and to teach it in a more inclusive way. An incarcerated man—now my friend—has helped me see this more clearly than ever before.”
Francis Su is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and a former president of the Mathematical Association of America. In 2013, he received the Haimo Award, a nationwide teaching prize for college math faculty, and in 2018 he won the Halmos-Ford writing award. His research in geometric combinatorics includes many papers co-authored with undergraduates. His work has been featured in Quanta Magazine, Wired, and the New York Times. His book Mathematics for Human Flourishing (Yale UP, 2020), winner of the 2021 Euler Book Prize, offers an inclusive vision of what math is, who it's for, and why anyone should learn it.
As part of our Magi Project for Science and Theology, this lecture is made possible through the support of ‘In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide’ (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this module’s materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation. To learn more about the Magi Project, click here.
We are also very grateful to this event’s cosponsors, which include the University of Pennsylvania Department of Mathematics; the Penn School of Engineering's Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics; the Wharton School of Business Department of Statistics and Data Science; Drexel University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society; Penn School of Engineering's Department of Computer and Information Science; and Eastern University’s Department of Mathematical Sciences.
Date & Time: Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 7:00pm ET
Location: University of Pennsylvania
Amado Recital Hall in Irvine Auditorium
3401 Spruce Street
Philadelphia PA, 19104
RSVP: This event is free to attend. Please click the button below to RSVP.