ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer Podcast Series: Mathematically Uncensored

This summer MoCAT is hosting a summer podcast series. We will be listening to and discussing the Mathematically Uncensored podcast. Our first meeting will be Thursday, June 3 at 6PM. We will meet every two weeks during the summer!

What is the Euler characteristic?

This is the last entry of our What Is? series of introductory math talks aimed at undergrads interested in popular advanced math topics. This Thursday, April 29, Luis Torres will talk about:

What is the Euler characteristic?

In 1750, Leonhard Euler noticed that any polyhedron made up of V vertices, E edges, and F faces satisfies the equation V-E+F = 2. This formula is known as Euler's polyhedron formula and is a particular instance of what later became known as Euler characteristic. Join us for a fun journey through history full of surprises and mysteries as we learn about Euler and his polyhedron formula; how the Greeks missed the formula entirely; how Descartes almost discovered it; how 19th century mathematicians widened the formula's scope; and how 20th century mathematicians discovered that every shape has its own Euler characteristic. Along the way, we'll see a lot of examples and applications, some of them beautiful and unexpected!

This event will take place on Zoom.

AAPI Solidarity Statement

During the pandemic, we have seen an increase in racist and xenophobic rhetoric, as well as an increase in hate crimes, including bullying, harassment, and violence against Asian Americans. According to the Stop AAPI Hate National Report, more than 2,500 anti-Asian incidents were reported across 47 states in a five-month period (from March to August 2020). Hate incidents were reported by women at a rate of 2.3 times the rate of men (from March 2020 to Feb. 2021). And last week, there were the Atlanta-area shootings that led to the deaths of eight people, including six Asian women.

We support and stand in solidarity with the members of our community that have been affected by these traumatic events, and we, as part of the math community, should continue to actively combat the stereotyping and racism which fuels these incidents.

We would like to invite you to join our conversations about racism against Asian Americans in mathematics and in our broader communities. We have also compiled a list of readings and resources including articles to read, organizations to contribute to, and workshops to attend. These can serve as a step towards creating a better community for ourselves and each other.

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