Two years ago, mathematician Steven Strogatz was appointed the inaugural Susan and Barton Winokur Distinguished Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Mathematics in the College of Arts & Sciences. Ever since, he has been busy with outreach activities. And on Monday, June 9, his latest endeavor will reach as many as 144 million people: a four-part series running in the New York Times.
"Math, Revealed" will be a dynamic, visually-oriented introduction to the idea that math is part of everyday life, according to Strogatz. Instead of ordinary scientific illustrations drawn by an artist, a photographer will use real objects to illustrate the mathematical principles. For example, instead of a diagram of a pentagon, the artist is using five same-size pencils laid out in a five-sided shape.
"The premise of the series is that everything in math starts with something tangible," Strogatz said. "The visuals are extremely cool and unusual. It's almost like a cinematic approach. As you scroll, different blocks of text come up along with different images."
In addition to the published series, which will run consecutively on Mondays beginning June 9, each of the columns will be adapted into teaching materials as part of the New York Times' free Learning Network. Award-winning teacher Patrick Honner will develop the learning activities that middle and high school teachers will be able to use.
Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.
