Announcements
Dr. Eugenia Cheng, Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will be visiting the TCU Department of Mathematics as a Green Honors Chair. Dr. Cheng has a Ph.D. from the Cambridge University. She is a mathematician, educator, author, public speaker, columnist, concert pianist, composer, and artist who has been interviewed on NPR, BBC, and "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." She will be giving the following lectures:
- Wednesday April 2nd, 6:30-7:30pm, Moudy 141, 2805 South University Drive, Fort Worth,
TX 76109
Is Math Real? How simple questions lead us to mathematics' deepest truths
Where does math come from: from rules in a textbook? From logic and deduction? Not quite. In this talk Eugenia Cheng will argue that math comes from human curiosity - most importantly, from asking questions. Many people are discouraged from asking these questions in school, thinking they’re too simple to be taken seriously, or being told that their questions are stupid. But often, these simple-sounding questions lead to wondrous mathematical revelations. Dr Cheng will take us on a journey of discovery starting with questions like "Why does 2x3 = 3x2?" and "What's the point of maths?", leading us into research-level abstract mathematics. The journey will take us via food, music, hair-styles, and other unexpected topics, revealing how profound insights can emerge from seemingly unlikely sources, and showing that being the kid who asked “But, why does 1+1=2?” could be more important than being the kid who always got the right answers.
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Thursday, April 3rd, 4:00-5:00pm Sid Richardson Hall, Lecture Hall 1, 2955 South University Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76109
Gender in Math, Science and Beyond
The question of why women and minorities are under-represented in mathematics is complex and there are no simple answers, only many contributing factors. I will focus on character traits, and argue that if we focus on this rather than gender we can have a more productive and less divisive conversation. To try and focus on characters rather than genders I will introduce gender-neutral character adjectives "ingressive" and "congressive" as a new dimension to shift our focus away from masculine and feminine. I will share my experience of teaching congressive abstract mathematics to art students, in a congressive way, and the possible benefits this could have for everyone in mathematics, not just women.
You can read more about Dr. Cheng at her website.
If you are a CSE student looking for need or merit based scholarships, please check out the options at Horned Frog Scholar Search. Most application deadlines are in March and April so don't delay in looking into these opportunities!