Mathematician and author Francis Su will speak at the UNCP

PEMBROKE – American mathematician and author Francis Su will present a lecture titled “Mathematics for Human Flourishment” on October 20 at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Upchurch Auditorium in James A. Thomas Hall.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. It is organized by the Department of Philosophy and Religion and the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

Su’s lecture is inspired by his book, “Mathematics for Human Flourishing,” published by Yale University Press, which won the 2021 Euler Book Prize from the Mathematical Association of America.

Professor Su shows how math is more than just a way of describing the world and more than just a set of skills, like doing arithmetic or factoring a quadratic equation. On the contrary, mathematics is a deeply human enterprise that responds to fundamental human aspirations, such as beauty and truth; when properly engaged, it develops virtues such as perseverance, creativity, and skill in solving problems you’ve never seen before.

Su is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and past president of the Mathematical Association of America. In 2013 he received the Haimo Prize, a national teaching award for middle school math teachers, and in 2018 he won the Halmos-Ford Writing Prize. His research in geometric combinatorics includes many papers co-authored with undergraduate students. His work has been featured in Quanta Magazine, Wiredand the New York Times.