Author: loganj

The only one of its kind in North America, the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath, for short) opened last December in New York City. MoMath is designed to spark the public’s interest in mathematics and how it applies to the world around us. Interactive exhibits, geared toward 4th-8th graders, highlight the versatility and wonder of math. This museum even offers a traveling “Math Midway, ” which is available for schools to rent!  Click here to view a CBS News report on the Museum of Mathematics that showcases a few of the museum’s greatest features. To access MoMath’s official website, click here.

Dr. Cary Oberije, a postdoctoral researcher in The Netherlands, has found that mathematical models can be used to accurately predict patients’ responses to treatment. Prediction models were used to analyze lung cancer patients’ likelihood of survival and suffering from further complications. Currently, mathematical models are not widely used in medicine, but Dr. Oberije’s findings suggest a bright future for integrating mathematics into medicine. Read more about the study here.

A University of Rochester study shows that baboons are able to understand numbers. Experimenters showed the monkeys peanut-filled cups and the monkeys then chose which cup contained more peanuts. Read more about the experiment and its conclusions here.

Software Engineers at SpaceX recently participated in a crowd-sourced interview on Reddit. One person asked, “What experience/schooling does one need to get a job with SpaceX?” SpaceX responded (in summary), “Study math and know your sorting algorithms.” Read more about SpaceX and their coding systems here.

In most math competitions, girls underperform relative to their male classmates. Brigham Young University economist Joe Price has shown that girls can perform as well as boys when the competition format is adjusted. With this new understanding, researchers can focus on helping girls perform better in competitive environments. Read more about the study here.