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Gentile Lecture: “Mathematics for Human Flourishing” with Dr. Francis Su

This is a past event.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023 5:30pm

The Office of the Dean for Natural and Applied Sciences is pleased to welcome Dr. Francis Su to campus as this year’s Gentile Lectureship speaker.

Francis Su is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and a Past President of the Mathematical Association of America. In 2013, he received the Haimo Award, a nationwide teaching prize for college math 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. His book Mathematics for Human Flourishing (2020), winner of the 2021 Euler Book Prize, has been translated into 8 languages.  It offers an inclusive vision of what math is, who it's for, and why anyone should learn it.

Dr. Su’s presentation follows the title of his book: “Mathematics for Human Flourishing.” People often think of maths as just a set of skills, like doing arithmetic or factoring a quadratic. Yet amazingly, maths is a deeply human enterprise that can meet basic human longings, such as for beauty and exploration and truth, and can build virtues like persistence, creativity, joy and wonder. In an era where computers and AI can outperform humans at skills, we must reclaim the importance of mathematics as a vehicle for developing virtue. An incarcerated man — now Dr. Su’s friend — has helped him see this more clearly than ever before.

For more information about Dr. Su and his work, please visit francissu.com.

A book signing will take place immediately following Dr. Su’s presentation. Admission is free and all are welcome - please join us!

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.

Past lecturers include:
2005 Dr. Marilyn Aardema, Proctor and Gamble
2006 Dr. Kellar Autumn, Lewis and Clark College
2007 Dr. Jeremy Edwards, University of New Mexico
2008 Dr. Brett Bouma, Massachusetts General, Harvard Medical School
2009 Dr. Paul Schaap, Lumigen
2010 Ms. Sheila Tobias, Education Consultant
2011 Dr. Joaquin Ruiz, University of Arizona
2012 Dr. Barbara Given, Michigan State University
2013 Dr. Thomas Cech, University of Colorado Boulder
2015 Dr. Cherry Murray, Harvard University
Dr. Jay Demas, St. Olaf College
Dr. Laura Listenberger, St. Olaf College
2016 Dr. Andrew Christlieb, Michigan State University
2018 Dr. Peter Agre, Johns Hopkins University
2019 Dr. Valerie Taylor, Argonne National Laboratory
2019 Mr. Ira Flatow, Science Friday
2021  Dr. Sherri Mason, Penn State Erie, the Behrend College
2022  Dr. Michael Guillen, Science Reporter, Author and Speaker

Dr. 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.

  • Victoria Antony

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