Dr. Francis Su, who is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and a past president of the Mathematical Association of America, will present the address “Mathematics for Human Flourishing” at Hope College on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 5:30 p.m. in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall.
The presentation is through Hope’s Gentile Interdisciplinary Lectureship in the natural and applied sciences. The evening will also include a book-signing in the lobby immediately following the talk.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Su’s presentation follows the title of his book, “Mathematics for Human Flourishing,” which publisher Yale University Press describes as “written for a wide audience but especially for those disenchanted by their past experiences.”
“For mathematician Francis Su, a society without mathematical affection is like a city without concerts, parks, or museums. To miss out on mathematics is to live without experiencing some of humanity’s most beautiful ideas,” the publisher notes. Su, the press continues, “weaves parables, puzzles, and personal reflections to show how mathematics meets basic human desires — such as for play, beauty, freedom, justice, and love — and cultivates virtues essential for human flourishing. These desires and virtues, and the stories told here, reveal how mathematics is intimately tied to being human.”
Su has received national recognition as a mathematician and educator. In 2013, he received the Haimo Award, a nationwide teaching prize for college mathematics 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. “Mathematics for Human Flourishing” (2020), winner of the 2021 Euler Book Prize, has been translated into eight languages.
The Gentile Interdisciplinary Lectureship at Hope was established in 2005 by faculty colleagues, former students, and friends of Dr. James Gentile. Gentile joined the Hope faculty in 1976 and served as dean for the Natural and Applied Sciences Division from 1988 to 2005, when he became president of Research Corporation, a private foundation in Tucson, Arizona, that supports basic research in the physical sciences. After retiring from Research Corporation, he returned to Hope to serve a two-year appointment as dean from July 2013 through June 2015.
Su’s visit is made possible by a gift to the Gentile Lectureship from the Kavli Foundation of Oxnard, California. The Kavli Foundation is dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of humanity, promoting public understanding of scientific research, and supporting scientists and their work.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar
Graves Hall is located at 263 College Ave., between 10th and 12th streets.