Dr. Winkler will launch “A Year of Puzzles” with exciting public programs at MoMath for all ages and abilities
NEW YORK (PRWEB) SEPTEMBER 03, 2019
The National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) announces the appointment of research mathematician and puzzle master, Dr. Peter Winkler, as MoMath’s second Distinguished Chair for the Public Dissemination of Mathematics beginning September 1, 2019. Dr. Winkler will launch “A Year of Puzzles” with exciting public programs at MoMath for all ages and abilities. He succeeds Dr. Manjul Bhargava, Fields Medalist and Princeton Professor, who held the Inaugural Distinguished Chair for the Public Dissemination of Mathematics at MoMath.
“We’re honored to announce that Dr. Peter Winkler has been selected as MoMath’s second Distinguished Chair for the Public Dissemination of Mathematics because he presents math in ways that have broad popular appeal and connect with people of all ages and math abilities,” explained Cindy Lawrence, CEO and Executive Director of MoMath. “Dr. Winkler’s expertise in math and puzzles will present mathematics to our community in new and exciting ways and lead MoMath’s ‘Year of the Puzzle.’”
Dr. Peter Winkler is William Morrill Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Dartmouth College. He specializes in combinatorics, probability, and the theory of computing, and will launch and lead “A Year of Puzzles” at MoMath. He will give lectures at the museum, teach mini-courses, and participate in a series of MoMath events and initiatives.
“You don’t need to be a researcher or math teacher to appreciate the beauty of mathematics, any more than you need to be a composer or performer to enjoy music,” said Dr. Winkler. “Being good at math is great, but not necessary. Being unafraid of math, and a bit curious, is enough to give any child or adult a big advantage.”
Before teaching at Dartmouth, Dr. Winkler was an Assistant Professor at Stanford University and later became Professor and Chairman of Mathematics and Computer Science at Emory University. While at Emory, he solved a notorious problem that had arisen at Bell Labs and was later appointed as Bell Labs’ Director of Fundamental Mathematics Research. In 2003, he spent a year at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton before moving to his present position at Dartmouth. Dr. Winkler is the author of two collections of mathematical puzzles, “Mathematical Puzzles: A Connoisseur’s Collection” and “Mathematical Mind-Benders.” His book on cryptography in the game of bridge, “Bridge at the Enigma Club,” was nominated for Bridge Book of the Year by the International Bridge Press Association.
Dr. Winkler is the recipient of prestigious Mathematical Association of America’s Lester R. Ford and David P. Robbins awards, has written 160 research papers, and holds a dozen patents in marine navigation, cryptography, holography, gaming, optical networking, and distributed computing.
Dr. Winkler’s first public series at MoMath will include a six-session mini-course on “How to Solve Mathematical Puzzles.” Designed for visitors with at least a high-school level understanding of mathematics, the series will examine how each puzzle has its own logic and how to think mathematically when solving them. The six sessions will be held on the following Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. at MoMath:
- Tuesday, September 17
- Tuesday, September 24
- Tuesday, October 1
- Tuesday, October 15
- Tuesday, October 29
- Tuesday, November 5
In addition, Dr. Winkler is presenting “Probability and Intuition,” a series of exclusive dinner events for business executives exploring probability, decision theory in the context of puzzles, and how math plays an important role in shaping our intuition. This series will be held on the following Thursdays at 7 p.m. at MoMath:
- Thursday, September 19
- Thursday, October 17
- Thursday, November 7
- Thursday, December 12
The Distinguished Chair for the Public Dissemination of Mathematics is an annual program supported by the Simons Foundation.
About the National Museum of Mathematics
MoMath, the only math museum in North America, is located at 11 East 26th Street on the northside of popular Madison Square Park in Manhattan and is open seven days a week, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. For more information, visit momath.org.
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