On Friday June 8 the Math department and library have planned the following activities in and around the library:
10:00am-10:30am The History of the Math Department
406 Malott
Did you know that one of Andrew Dickson White’s first two hires as president was Evan Evans, the first chair of the Department of Mathematics? Or that Elbert Cox PhD ’25 was the first African-American to earn a doctorate in mathematics in the United States? Come see a presentation by Ravi Ramakrishna ’88, mathematics chair, about the history of the department and its many twists and turns.
10:45am-11:15am Talk and exhibit: Crocheting and Math
420 Malott
What do crochet and mathematics have in common? Come find out at the Mathematics Library exhibit. Adjunct Associate Professor (retired), Daina Taimina uses her creativity in crocheting hyperbolic planes to teach this mathematical concept. Taimina’s crochet creations will be on display, along with her 2012 Euler Prize-winning book and the recently released second edition titled “Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes: Tactile Mathematics, Art and Craft for all to Explore”.
11:30am-noon & 1:00pm-1:30pm Showcase Math Toys in the library
420-C Malott
All day we will have lots of amazing math toys and sculptures for you to pick up, handle, and play with. Professor, geometer, and toy master Robert Connelly will be on hand from 11:30am-noon and 1:00 to 1:30 pm to explain these beautiful geometric structures and answer your questions. Children are welcome!!
10am-3pm All-Day Kids Activities in the library
420 Malott
Children are welcome to join their parents in the Mathematics Library. There will be a scavenger hunt among the stacks. Mathematical toys and puzzles will be on display and available to play with in Room 420-C. We will have repeated showings of the movie Flatland, a Journey of Many Dimensions (2007; 35 minutes), suitable for children 8+ (and kids 6-8 years accompanied by parents) in Room 420-D. For those who have never seen a 3D printer at work, you can witness a mathematical surface being constructed from tiny plastic spaghetti strings.