Francis Su, Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and former president of the Mathematical Association of America, delivered the Carleton convocation address on Friday, October 11 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. His address was titled, “Seeing the unseen: the enchantment of mathematical beauty.”
In his talk, Su tackled multiple questions, including: What is the nature of beauty? How does it make us feel? Surprisingly, he says, mathematics can help us understand beauty, because math is about seeing the unseen, and such beauty can draw us to experiences of joy in much the same way that art or music can stir the soul. For those who have never glimpsed this beauty, Su tried to describe what experiences of mathematical beauty feel like. As beauty comes in many forms, and experiences of beauty contribute to a flourishing life, mathematics holds something for everyone, Su says, “even those of us who have not seen ourselves as ‘math people.’”
Su’s 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 (Yale University Press 2020), was the winner of the 2021 Euler Book Prize and has been translated into eight languages. It offers an inclusive vision of what math is, who it’s for, and why anyone should learn it.
In 2013, Su received the Haimo Award for distinguished teaching of college-level mathematics, a nationwide prize for college math faculty. In 2018, he won the Halmos-Ford Award for Mathematical Writing from the Mathematical Association of America. Three of his articles have been featured in Princeton Press’ “Best Writing on Mathematics” list in 2011, 2014, and 2018. He authors the popular Math Fun Facts website and is the creator of MathFeed, the math news app.
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations
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