Alumna Mona Merling ’09 Wins Association for Women in Mathematics 2025 Joan and Joseph Birman Research Prize
The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) has awarded Bard math alumna Mona Merling ’09 the 2025 Joan and Joseph Birman Research Prize in Topology and Geometry. “I would not be here today without the many amazing women I was lucky to have as role models at every step of the way,” she says and cites “my undergraduate mentor at Bard College, Lauren Rose, who early on inspired me about both research and teaching.”
Alumna Mona Merling ’09 Wins Association for Women in Mathematics 2025 Joan and Joseph Birman Research Prize
The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) has announced that Bard math alumna Mona Merling ’09 has won the 2025 AWM Joan and Joseph Birman Research Prize in Topology and Geometry. Merling was recognized for her innovative and impactful research in algebraic K-theory, equivariant homotopy theory, and their applications to manifold theory.
“I would not be here today without the many amazing women I was lucky to have as role models at every step of the way: from my math teacher back in Romania, Mihaela Flamaropol, who ignited my passion for math competitions; to my undergraduate mentor at Bard College, Lauren Rose, who early on inspired me about both research and teaching; to some of the senior leaders in my field who initiated and fostered the Women in Topology Network, Maria Basterra, Kristine Bauer, Kathryn Hess, and Brenda Johnson, who I was very privileged to be able to collaborate with as part of these workshops and who have always served as a huge inspiration and a source of endless support to me and other younger women in homotopy theory,” said Merling, who is currently associate professor of mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania. She was previously a J.J. Sylvester Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Johns Hopkins University, and received her PhD in Mathematics at the University of Chicago in 2014.
In a statement, AWM wrote: “Merling is an exceptional researcher whose work in algebraic topology has both depth and breadth. She is a recognized authority on equivariant homotopy theory and its applications to equivariant manifolds. Her recent work generalizes and reinterprets results in differential topology in the equivariant context. Her work is the first progress seen in decades on certain foundational questions about equivariant manifolds.”
The AWM Joan & Joseph Birman Research Prize in Topology and Geometry serves to highlight to the community outstanding contributions by women in the field and to advance the careers of the prize recipients. The prize is awarded every other year and was made possible by a generous contribution from Joan Birman, whose work has been in low dimensional topology, and her husband, Joseph, who was a theoretical physicist specializing in applications of group theory to solid state physics.
Associate Professor of Physics Paul Cadden-Zimansky and three recent Bard graduates Li-Heng Henry Chang ’23, Ziyu Xu ’23, and Shea Roccaforte ’21, have coauthored the cover story in the July 2024 issue of the American Journal of Physics. Their peer-reviewed research article, “Geometric visualizations of single and entangled qubits,” presents a new way of visualizing the phenomenon of quantum entanglement between two interacting objects.
Bard Physicists Paul Cadden-Zimansky, Li-Heng Henry Chang ’23, Ziyu Xu ’23, and Shea Roccaforte ’21 Coauthor Cover Story in the American Journal of Physics
Associate Professor of Physics Paul Cadden-Zimansky and three recent Bard graduates in physics and mathematics Li-Heng Henry Chang ’23, Ziyu Xu ’23, and Shea Roccaforte ’21, have coauthored the cover story in the July 2024 issue of the American Journal of Physics. Their peer-reviewed research article, “Geometric visualizations of single and entangled qubits,” presents a new way of visualizing the phenomenon of quantum entanglement between two interacting objects. Intended for a range of audiences—from students just starting to learn about concepts in quantum mechanics to active researchers who are using quantum bits ("qubits") to create new types of computers, sensors, and secure communication systems—the article focuses on visual tools and maps that can be used to complement the formal mathematics and algebra of quantum mechanics.
On the occasion of the Rubik’s Cube’s 50th anniversary, Associate Professor of Mathematics Lauren Rose was interviewed on the Today Show and quoted in the New York Times about using the Rubik’s Cube as a teaching tool. The Rubik’s Cube has 43 quintillion permutations. Rose, who can solve the cube in under a minute, uses the Rubik’s Cube to teach both math majors and non-STEM majors.
Professor Lauren Rose Interviewed on the Today Show and in the New York Times about Using the Rubik’s Cube as a Teaching Tool
On the occasion of the Rubik’s Cube’s 50th anniversary, Associate Professor of Mathematics Lauren Rose was interviewed on the Today Show and quoted in the New York Times about using the Rubik’s Cube as a teaching tool. Invented by Erno Rubik in 1974, the Rubik’s Cube has 43 quintillion permutations, and an estimated one in seven people in the world have played the puzzle. Rose, who can solve the cube in under a minute, uses the Rubik’s Cube to teach both math majors and non-STEM majors. “I can get students who hate math to learn how to solve the cube and then I can say, ‘You know, you just did math,’” says Rose. She believes the Rubik’s Cube’s enduring appeal is that it is “so fun and accessible.”
Hannah Park-Kaufmann ’24, who is graduating with dual degrees in piano performance and mathematics, has won a Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for graduate-level study at Stanford University. Park-Kaufmann will pursue a master's degree in computational and mathematical engineering at Stanford University School of Engineering. After completing her master’s degree at Stanford through Knight-Hennessy, she will matriculate into the PhD program in applied mathematics at Harvard University, a program to which she has already been accepted. As a pianist, Hannah became fascinated by human fine-motor movement. She aspires to help more people reach mastery in physiologically complex professions by using experiment, theory, and computation to explore what simpler patterns might underlie our movements, and turning this understanding into new educational paradigms.
At Bard, Hannah was president of the Association for Women in Mathematics Chapter, tutored mathematics in New York state prisons through the Bard Prison Initiative, and gave a TEDx talk on a research study she designed and led at MIT on the physiological correlates of healthy versus injury-prone piano playing. She participated in the Polymath Jr., Emory and CMU mathematics REUs, and has coauthored multiple papers published in peer reviewed journals. Her teams’ projects won first place at the international hackathon HackMIT in the tracks Sustainability (2022) and Education (2023, with Elliot Harris ’24). She is the recipient of the Bard Distinguished Scientist Scholar Award, the Community Action Award, the Mind, Brain and Behavior Award, the Seniors to Seniors Award, and the Conservatory Scholarship.
Established in 2016, the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship program seeks to prepare students to take leadership roles in finding creative solutions to complex global issues. Scholars receive full funding to pursue any graduate degree at Stanford and have additional opportunities for leadership training, mentorship, and experiential learning across multiple disciplines.
Bard Mathematician Lauren Rose Gives Talk at Hope College about Her Card Game, Quads
The Mathematics and Statistics Department at Hope College invited Bard Associate Professor of Mathematics Lauren Rose to give an interactive discussion to faculty and students about the card game Quads, which she invented with Jeffrey Pereira ’13, who helped design Quads as part of his Senior Project. During her talk “Quads: A SET-like Game with a Twist,” Rose explained the rules of the game—players try to create as many quad groupings as they can, given several conditions—and participants had a chance to try their hand at it. “SET is a popular card game that you can teach a five-year-old (because you don’t need to be able to read) but there’s a ton of math in it,” said Rose. “SET contains three cards … so we asked, ‘What if we did four cards?’” Although the rules are straightforward, the game and its variations apply mathematical concepts including combinatorics, probability, geometry, and algebra. Rose and other mathematicians continue to study the underlying layers of math and logic that drive the game play. The paper, “How Many Cards Should You Lay Out in a Game of EvenQuads,” coauthored by Tim Goldberg ’02, Raphael Walker ’21, Julia Crager ’23, Felicia Flores ’23, Darrion Thornburgh ’24, and Daniel Rose Levine ’24, was recently published the journal La Matematica. The cards in the official Quads game, published as EvenQuads by the Association for Women in Math, feature images and biographies of female mathematicians on one side, which Rose hopes will encourage women to consider entering the traditionally male-dominated field of mathematics.
Bard College Named a Top Producer of Fulbright Students for 2023–24
Bard College is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2023–24 Fulbright students and scholars. Each year, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the lists annually.
Seven graduates from Bard received Fulbright awards for academic year 2023–24. Getzamany “Many” Correa ’21, a Global and International Studies major, and Elias Ephron ’23, a joint major in Political Studies and Spanish Studies, will live in Spain as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs). Biology major Macy Jenks ’23 will be an ETA in Taiwan. Eleanor Tappen ’23, a Spanish Studies major, will be an ETA in Mexico. Juliana Maitenaz ’22, who graduated with a BA in Global and International Studies and a BM in Classical Percussion Performance, was selected for an independent study–research Fulbright scholarship to Brazil. Bard Conservatory alumna Avery Morris ’18, who graduated with a BA in Mathematics and a BM in Violin Performance, won a Fulbright Study Research Award to Poland. Evan Tims ’19, who was a joint major in Written Arts and Human Rights with a focus on anthropology at Bard, received a Fulbright-Nehru independent study–research scholarship to India. Additionally, Adela Foo ’18 won a Fulbright Study Research Award to Turkey through Yale University, where she is a PhD candidate in art history.
“As an institution, Bard College is proud and honored to be included in the list of Top Producing Fulbright Institutions for 2023-2024,” said Molly J. Freitas, Ph.D., associate dean of studies and Fulbright advisor at Bard. “We believe that Fulbright's mission to promote and facilitate cross-cultural exchange and understanding through teaching and research is in perfect alignment with Bard's own institutional identity and goals. We wish to extend our congratulations to our newest Fulbright awardees and reiterate our gratitude to the faculty, staff, and community members who have supported these students during the Fulbright application process and throughout their time as Bard students.”
“Fulbright’s Top Producing Institutions represent the diversity of America’s higher education community. Dedicated administrators support students and scholars at these institutions to fulfill their potential and rise to address tomorrow’s global challenges. We congratulate them, and all the Fulbrighters who are making an impact the world over,” said Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program.
Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United State and the people of other countries.
Bard Conservatory Alumna Avery Morris ’18 Awarded Fulbright for Research in the Czech Republic
Bard Conservatory alumna Avery Morris ’18, who graduated with a BA in Mathematics and a BM in Violin Performance, has been selected for a prestigious Fulbright Study Research Award for 2023–24. Her project, “Gideon Klein’s Lost Works and the Legacy of Czech Musical Modernism,” aims to bring to light the early works of Czech composer and Holocaust victim Gideon Klein (1919–1945), which were lost until they were discovered in a suitcase in the attic of a house in Prague in the 1990s. She will live in Prague for the upcoming academic year and continue her research on Klein, which has been a focus of her studies at Stony Brook University, where she is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance.
Seven Bard College Graduates Win 2023 Fulbright Awards
Seven Bard College graduates have won 2023–24Fulbright Awards for individually designed research projects, graduate study, and English teaching assistantships. During their grants, Fulbrighters meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The Fulbright program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Bard College is a Fulbright top producing institution.
Juliana Maitenaz ’22, who graduated with a BA in Global and International Studies and a BM in Classical Percussion Performance, has been selected for an independent study–research Fulbright scholarship to Brazil for the 2023–24 academic year. Her project, “Rhythm and Statecraft,” seeks to identify Brazilian percussion and rhythms as a method of cultural communication. Maitenaz aims to conduct her research in São Paulo and will focus on how percussional elements in the Brazilian traditions of Carnival and Samba School performances are instrumental to the country’s statecraft and national identity. The goal of her research is to examine international communication and collaboration through cultural and musical diplomacy. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to learn more about the role Brazilian percussion plays as an inspiring means of cultural communication,” Maitenaz said.
Evan Tims ’19, who was a joint major in Written Arts and Human Rights with a focus on anthropology at Bard, has been selected for a Fulbright-Nehru independent study–research scholarship to India for the 2023–24 academic year. His project, “From the River to Tomorrow: Perceptions of Kolkata’s Water Future,” studies the perceptions of Kolkata’s water future among urban planners, infrastructure experts, and communities—such as those who work in river transport, fishing, and who live in housing along the banks—most vulnerable to water changes along the Hooghly River. He will analyze the dominant narratives of the city and river’s future and reference scientific and planning literature in understanding the points of confluence and divergence between scientific and colloquial understandings of the river, particularly as different stakeholder communities approach an uncertain water future. “In light of urban development and climate change, Kolkata’s water is facing significant change over the coming decades,” said Tims. “It is crucial to understand the complex, layered relationships between stakeholder communities as they seek to negotiate an increasingly uncertain water future.” While in India, Tims also plans to teach a climate fiction writing workshop. In 2021-2022, he was Bard’s first recipient of the yearlong Henry J. Luce Scholarship, which enabled him to conduct ethnographic research on Himalayan water futures and lead a climate writing workshop in Nepal and, later, in Bangladesh. Earlier this academic year, Tims won the prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship to China. As an undergraduate at Bard, Tims also won two Critical Language Scholarships to study Bangla in Kolkata during the summers of 2018 and 2019.Read an interview with Tims about Southeast Asia's place in contemporary climate fiction here.
Elias Ephron ’23, a joint major in Political Studies and Spanish Studies, has been selected as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) to Spain for the 2023–24 academic year. While in Spain, Ephron hopes to engage with his host community through food, sharing recipes, hosting dinner parties, and cooking together; take part in Spain’s unique and visually stunning cultural events, like flamenco performances, and Semana Santa processions; visit the hometown of the great poet and playwright Federico García Lorca; and, as a queer individual, meet other queer people. “Having learned Spanish, French, and German to fluency or near-fluency, I understand that language learning requires many approaches. Some are more commonly thought of as ‘fun’ or ‘nascent’ modes of learning, while others more clearly resemble work. I hope to marry this divide, showing students that language learning is both labor and recreation; they may have to work hard, but it can be a great deal of fun, too,” said Ephron. In addition to his work as a writing tutor in the Bard Learning Commons, Ephron has received multiple awards, including the PEN America Fellowship and the Bard Center for the Study of Hate Internship Scholarship.
Eleanor Tappen ’23, a Spanish Studies major, has been selected as a Fulbright ETA to Mexico for the 2023–24 academic year. Tappen has studied abroad in Granada, Spain, received her TESOL certification (which involved 40 hours of training), volunteered in a local elementary school in the fall of 2022, and works as an ESL tutor at the Learning Commons. For Tappen, a Fulbright teaching assistantship in Mexico is an intersection of her academic interest in Mexican literature and her passion for accessible and equitable language learning. During her Fulbright year, Tappen intends to volunteer at a local community garden, a setting she found ideal for cross-cultural exchange and friendship during her time at the Bard Farm. She also hopes to learn about pre-Colombian farming practices, whose revival is currently being led by indigenous movements in Mexico seeking to confront issues presented by unsustainable industrial agricultural practices. “I’m thrilled by the opportunity to live in the country whose literature and culture have served as such positive and significant points in both my academic and personal life. During my time as an ETA in Mexico, I hope to inspire in my students the same love of language-learning I found at Bard.”
Biology major Macy Jenks ’23 has been selected as an ETA to Taiwan for the 2023–24 academic year. Jenks is an advanced Mandarin language speaker having attended a Chinese immersion elementary school and continuing her Mandarin language studies through high school and college, including three weeks spent in China living with host family in 2015. She has tutored students in English at Bard’s Annandale campus, as well as through the Bard Prison Initiative at both Woodbourne Correctional Facility and Eastern New York Correctional Facility. She also has worked with the Bard Center for Civic Engagement to develop curricula and provide STEM programming to local middle and high school students. “As a Fulbright ETA, I hope to equip students with the tools necessary to hone their English language and cultural skills while encouraging them to develop their own voices,” says Jenks. While in Taiwain, she plans to volunteer with the Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps, which offers medical care to rural communities, or with the Taipei Medical University in a more urban setting to further engage with the community and learn more about Taiwan’s healthcare systems and settings. With her love of hiking, Jenks also hopes to explore various cultural sites including the cave temples of Lion’s Head Mountain and Fo Guang Shan monastery and enjoy the natural beauty of Taiwan.
Bard Conservatory alumna Avery Morris ’18, who graduated with a BA in Mathematics and a BM in Violin Performance, has been selected for a prestigious Fulbright Study Research Award for 2023–24. Her project, “Gideon Klein’s Lost Works and the Legacy of Czech Musical Modernism,” aims to bring to light the early works of Czech composer and Holocaust victim Gideon Klein (1919–1945), which were lost until they were discovered in a suitcase in the attic of a house in Prague in the 1990s. She will live in Prague for the upcoming academic year and continue her research on Klein, which has been a focus of her studies at Stony Brook University, where she is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance.
Getzamany "Many" Correa ’21, a Global and International Studies major, has been selected as an ETA to Spain for the 2023–24 academic year. Correa was an international student in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary. As an international student in high school, she started an initiative called English Conversation Buddies with the State Department-sponsored American Corner in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has received her TESOL certification (which involved 40 hours of training) and worked as an ESL tutor at the Learning Commons. In Spain, Correa hopes to create a book club that introduces students to diverse authors writing in English, study Spanish literature, and host dinners with the locals she meets. She also plans to volunteer with EducationUSA and support students applying to colleges and universities in the U.S. “A year-long ETA in Spain will allow me to experience a culture and language central to my academic and personal interests, leverage my background in education while furthering my teaching experience, and make meaningful connections through cross-cultural engagement,” says Correa.
The Fulbright US Student Program expands perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue. Fulbright creates connections in a complex and changing world. In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright US Student Program offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. us.fulbrightonline.org.
Three Bard Alumni/ae Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Three Bard College alumni/ae—Beatrice Abbott ’15, Megumi Kivuva ’22, and Tobias Golz Timofeyev ’21—have been awarded competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships for the 2023 award year. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) aims to “ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States” and “seeks to broaden participation in science and engineering of underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans” through selection, recognition, and financial support of individuals who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers early in their careers.
Beatrice Abbott ’15, who majored in political studies at Bard, has won a fellowship for the field of social sciences. She is a master’s student in geography at the University of Kentucky. Her research interests include evidence/forensics, critical migration studies, critical cartography and geographic information systems (GIS), and visual culture.
Megumi Kivuva ’22, who majored in Spanish studies and computer science with a concentration in Experimental Humanities at Bard, has won a fellowship for the field of STEM education and learning research. Kivuva is a PhD student in computing education at the University of Washington. Their research “aims to broaden participation in computing education for Black and refugee students,” and they “use community participatory research to understand the barriers to accessing computing education and codesign interventions to make computing education more accessible to these communities.”
Tobias Golz Timofeyev ’21, who majored in mathematics at Bard, has won a fellowship for the field of mathematical biology. He is a PhD student in mathematical sciences at the University of Vermont. The fellowship will allow him to focus on his research project, "Decoding Parallel Processing in the Brain using the Connectome Eigenfunctions."
As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. The five-year fellowship period provides a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, as well as access to opportunities for professional development. NSF Fellows are anticipated to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. Each year, the NSF receives more than 12,000 applications to the GRFP program, which has awarded fellowships to its selected scholars since 1952.
Reem-Kayden Center5:00 pm EST/GMT-5 Join our December graduating seniors as they present their senior project research!
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Albee 3rd Floor Math Lounge6:00 pm – 8:00 pm EST/GMT-5 Association for Women in Mathematics is hosting a math-themed cookie decorating event. Snack and beverages included! Everyone is welcome.
Friday, November 22, 2024
Reem-Kayden Center Laszlo Z. Bito '60 Auditorium1:30 pm EST/GMT-5 Majoring (or interested) in math or physics but unsure about whether grad school is right for you?
The Distinguished Visiting Professorship of Mathematics and Physics is sponsoring a panel discussion, Q&A, and networking event with recent alums, admissions administrators, and faculty. We’ll talk about what MA and PhD programs are out there, what they are like, and how to optimize the rest of your time spent at Bard.
Open to all Bard students, especially those moderated in mathematics or physics.
Panelists:
Chuck Doran Distinguished Visiting Professor of Mathematics and Physics, Bard College
Hal Haggard Associate Professor of Physics, Bard College
Andrew Harder Director of Graduate Admissions, Mathematics Department, Lehigh University
Stefan Mendez-Diez Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Bard College
Clara Sousa-Silva Assistant Professor of Physics, Bard College
Santanu Antu Graduate Researcher, Yale Quantum Institute
Hannah Park-Kaufmann Knight-Hennessy Scholar, Stanford University
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Reem-Kayden Center Lobby5:30 pm EST/GMT-5 Come and join us for a game night! Refreshments for all and prizes for winners. Games to play include: Quads, SET, Rubik's Cube Solving/Mosaics and more.
Friday, October 25, 2024
Reem-Kayden Center4:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Join our summer research students as they present their work!
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
George D. Rose, Bard class of ’63 Reem-Kayden Center Laszlo Z. Bito '60 Auditorium3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Since Galileo, the goal of scientific understanding is to explain complex phenomena with a compact description, a model. Yet today, artificial intelligence –specifically, machine-learning using neural nets– has engendered a radical departure from traditional approaches. Machine-learning using neural nets is not grounded in a unifying theory. There are no hypotheses being tested. Instead, the goal is to find parameters (often billions of them) that can capture the phenomenon under consideration and to then utilize the parameters predictively. This approach has met with stunning success in multiple venues, but it is no longer science as we have come to know it.
Where do we go from here? In this talk, George D. Rose will address this question using the protein folding problem as an example.
Monday, September 30, 2024
Campus Center, Yellow Room 21411:45 am – 12:30 pm EDT/GMT-4 You are warmly invited to join us for an insightful coffee chat with Caitlin Myers, Professor of Economics at Middlebury College, who will be discussing her latest research on the impact of anti-abortion legislation on women.
Professor Myers' research examines issues related to gender, race, and the economy, with a particular focus on the effects of reproductive policies. Her work has been published in journals including the Journal of Political Economy, the Journal of Labor Economics, the Journal of Human Resources, and the Journal of Public Economics. It also has been featured by media outlets such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Salon, Vice, and Vox.
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Sylvester James Gates, Jr. Clark Leadership Chair in Science, Distinguished University Professor, and Regents Professor at the University of Maryland Blithewood5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 In 1995 Edward Witten, described by Brian Greene as “a million times smarter than we are,” proposed a solution to the “quantum gravity problem” that evaded Stephen Hawking. Until 2020, no solution consistent with Richard Feynman’s view of quantum theory had been found. Einstein believed “...science and art tend to coalesce,” and following this connection the speaker and two PhD students found the first such solution. This talk describes how artwork solved a mathematics problem. Reception to follow
The inaugural MathScape combines an international workshop on cutting-edge research in mathematics with a public lecture linking to the arts and humanities. MathScape 2024 features the mathematics used by the physicists in their quest to create a “theory of everything”.
MathScape 2024 is supported by Chuck Doran, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Mathematics and Physics
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Monday, May 20, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Albee Third Floor Math Lounge1:30 pm – 3:30 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Monday, May 6, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Albee Third Floor Math Lounge1:30 pm – 3:30 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Monday, April 29, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Friday, April 26, 2024
Yitzhak Melamed, Johns Hopkins University Hegeman 20412:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 In this paper I discuss the axiomatic manner in which Spinoza’s Ethics has been written, Spinoza’s reasons for choosing this manner of exposition, and its development throughout Spinoza’s writing career.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Albee Third Floor Math Lounge1:30 pm – 3:30 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Monday, April 22, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Albee 3rd floor Math Lounge7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Albee Third Floor Math Lounge1:30 pm – 3:30 pm EDT/GMT-4 A great place to study math, meet with your study group, and consult with a math tutor.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Geillan Aly, Compassionate Math Reem-Kayden Center Laszlo Z. Bito '60 Auditorium1:30 pm – 3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 The field of STEM offers many personal and professional rewards. However, emotions may stand in the way of such rewards. In this workshop, we will explore imposter syndrome and other socioemotional phenomena which may affect one’s ability to engage with and succeed in a field as competitive and demanding as those in STEM. Participants will have an opportunity to explore and reflect on their feelings towards studying STEM. Participants begin by reflecting on and sharing their previous learning experiences to place these experiences in context, learning that: (1) they are not alone; (2) their experiences are likely not tied to them as an individual, but are a result of sociohistorical forces. This allows students to think deeply and critically about how they approach their studies. Participants then reorient themselves based on these new realizations and their motivation to succeed. This reorientation includes strategies and tips for studying, focusing on learning mathematics in particular. Finally the workshop gives participants an opportunity to work on a mathematical problem, setting the stage for a positive opportunity to engage with mathematics and their other studies. All participants are encouraged to participate in small-group and whole session discussions throughout the program, reducing the “I’m alone” stigma and forming bonds with others in the group. They are also encouraged to continue working and studying together after the workshop is completed.
Dr. Geillan Aly, the Founder of Compassionate Math, is a math educator who centers the socioemotional factors that contribute to success in mathematics. She holds the fundamental assumption that learning math is both an emotional and cognitive endeavor. A former award-winning Assistant Professor who has taught for over fifteen years, Dr. Aly transforms math classrooms through engaging professional development and student-focused workshops that center emotions while establishing a culture of engaging with rigorous mathematics. She received her PhD in Teaching and Teacher Education and Master’s in Mathematics from the University of Arizona. Underlying Dr. Aly’s work is a dedication to equity and social justice. She enjoys traveling and seeing live music and is an avid chef, wife, and mother to a beautiful boy.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Hegeman 1066:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Come celebrate Pi Day with us by enjoying pizza, pie, and games!
Friday, March 8, 2024
Sophia Stone, Lynn University Hegeman 204A12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5 Plato reserved high esteem for mathematics, even saying in the Laws that learning mathematics was a necessity, that without the use or knowledge of mathematics, ‘a man cannot become a God to the world, nor a spirit, nor yet a hero, nor able earnestly to think and care for man.’ Bertrand Russell remarks on this passage in The Study of Mathematics, “Such was Plato’s judgment of mathematics; but the mathematicians do not read Plato, while those who read him know no mathematics, and regard his opinion upon this question as merely a curious aberration,” (Russell 1963, p. 85).
Reflecting on Bertrand Russell’s ruminations about Plato, it is well known, though we no longer have direct evidence, that before the entrance to Plato’s Academy was the inscription, “no one should enter here unless he is a geometer.” Sprinkled throughout Plato’s dialogues are geometry problems (Meno), statements about the Odd and the Even (Phaedo, Euthyphro, Parmenides), and of course, that well known claim in his Republic VII, 526g-527c that while there are two kinds of numbers, those used in practical endeavors like star gazing and military soldier formation on the one hand, and those that can only be grasped in the mind on the other, that even those who are slow at calculation or reasoning, if they are educated in it, even if they gain nothing else, improve and generally become sharper in thinking than they were. So if mathematics, and especially the study of geometry, improves the quality of the soul and makes it easier to see the form of the Good (526e-527b6-8), then could Plato’s treatment of mathematics in his dialogues tell us something about his theory of forms?
In this talk, I’ll lay out some of the problems of understanding Plato’s theory of forms and why we have yet to solve these problems. While Plato saw the form-sensible relation as essentially a non-expressible mathematical relation, contemporary scholars commonly think of the form-sensible relation in terms of sets and its members. My own view is that we are unable to solve the problems of understanding Plato’s theory of forms because of our own advances in mathematics.