Evelyn Lamb and more...

 Into the weekend....:

1) Hope this isn't too confusing, but for now will still be calling the interviews I do the "Math-Frolic Interviews" but posting them over at my companion blog (for longer pieces), MathTango. The newest one, with Evelyn Lamb of Scientific American is now up:

http://mathtango.blogspot.com/2013/03/evelyn-lamb-of-scientific-american.html

So grateful to Evelyn for taking part and sharing her story. Check it out!

2) Below, a delightful post from the Wolfram folks explaining why the newly-opened Museum of Mathematics has no logo (...because it has an infinity of them):

http://blog.wolfram.com/2013/02/28/behind-the-scenes-at-the-national-museum-of-mathematics-meta-logo/

3) "The Aperiodical" blog has begun a new podcast series, they're calling "All Squared," with first edition (a diversity of topics) here:

http://aperiodical.com/2013/02/all-squared-number-1-maths-out-loud/

4) Finally, here's more of Keith Devlin talking about the evolution of his math MOOC:

Nerdy News...

couple more education tidbits today….

1) a "triumph of the Nerds" piece on Nate Silver (possibly you've heard the name somewhere lately) and the possible influence that his ascendency could have for improving math education:

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/12/why-nate-silver-can-save-math-education-in-america/

…a quick couple of lines therefrom:

"Math is taught as computation rather than a means of exploration and discovery. Instead of engaging in meaningful problems and learning in depth rather than breadth, kids are assigned frivolous, repetitive problems. And finally, the way math is generally taught has no relevance to real life."

"Sol Garfunkel and David Mumford in a New York Times Op-Ed summed it up nicely: 'Imagine replacing the sequence of algebra, geometry and calculus with a sequence of finance, data and basic engineering'."

2) I won't spend too much time focusing on the newly-opened Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) in NY city (since it is of somewhat local/regional interest, and there are a jillion articles available on it -- see HERE), but this NY Times article (which includes criticisms) is too good not to pass along:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/14/arts/design/museum-of-mathematics-at-madison-square-park.html?_r=0

…and again, a quickie excerpt:

"For those of us who have been intoxicated by the powers and possibilities of mathematics, the mystery isn’t why that fascination developed but why it isn’t universal. How can students not be entranced? So profound are the effects of math for those who have felt them, that you never really become a former mathematician (or ex-mathematics student) but one who has 'lapsed,' as if it were an apostasy….
"The goal, each principal emphasized in conversations this week, was to show that math was fun, engaging, exciting. MoMath is a proselytizing museum. And despite its flaws, it is exhilarating to see math so exuberantly celebrated. And while fourth through eighth are said to be the intended grade levels, it is hard to imagine a younger child or mature adult not drawn in by some exhibits here. In many ways the sensations of the displays are more compelling than the explanations of their content. "

(p.s... one other thing I learned from the article, that I was unaware of, is that there is a Museum of Sex (or MoSex) nearby to MoMath!! -- insert your own joke here ______________).

Doors About to Open...

(Galton Board)

New York city's brand spanking new $22 million Museum of Mathematics (known as 'MoMath') finally has its public opening tomorrow, to begin exciting young minds about mathematics. No doubt there will be a slew of press articles (actually there already have been) on this grand new destination. Here is one from yesterday:

http://www.sciencefriday.com/blogs/12/13/2012/momath-exhibits-for-ending-math-apathy.html

From the article:

"While MoMath’s hands-on exhibits may get kids excited about math for the day, Cindy Lawrence, the museum’s associate director, wants that excitement to stick with them for the rest of their lives. She suggests that math isn’t just an interesting hobby--it’s a lucrative career. 'The biggest employer of mathematicians in the United States is the National Security Agency. There aren’t enough qualified people to fill the available positions. It’s the same for companies like Microsoft and Raytheon,' Lawrence says."

…I'm tempted to say, 'Ohhhhh, to be a kid again!'… but, then, in a sense, I've always thought those of us who love mathematics are already eternally kids!! ;-)

YouTube channel for MoMath:

http://www.youtube.com/museumofmathematics

Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Mathematics

One of the earliest posts I ever did on this blog concerned my own childhood fascination with a large Galton box (or quincunx) demonstration at a museum in my home state many decades ago… The below George Hart video of MoMath gives a hint of how much museum demonstrations have progressed since then!:

Museum of Math

NY Times reports on the New York Museum of Mathematics to open next year:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/science/28math.html?_r=1

It will be the only strictly mathematics museum in the entire nation.

“There are all sorts of myths about mathematics out there, math is hard, math is boring, math is for boys, math doesn’t matter in real life. All these are cultural myths that we want to blow apart.”  (from the article)

Boston Museum

Nice article from Boston Globe on the "Mathematica" exhibit at  their city Museum of Science, still enthralling young and old after all these years:

http://tinyurl.com/329upk5

(I was especially heartened to see the quincunx or Galton Box  mentioned which I previously wrote about as one of my joys as a youngster; although it is only designated in the article as a "probability" demonstration.)