Ideas

The “Paths to Math” series comes to a close with this special edition video, featuring one of our most beloved veteran mathematicians: Distinguished Visiting Professor Karen Uhlenbeck. Watch to see Karen describe the introduction to calculus course that awakened her love for math and her spirited female colleagues in Chicago, who helped to dispel any lingering doubts about being a woman mathematician.

This selection of books provides a peek into the treasure-trove of scholar publications from the Schools of Historical Studies and Social Science that have been promoted via the Institute’s social media channels in the past six months.

During the 2023–24 academic year, the School of Social Science hosted a special theme year titled PLATFORM. To offer a view into their work, some of the theme year participants share thoughts on what the word "platform" means to them, and how "platform" serves as a useful concept in their research.

"Imagine that you are blowing a soap bubble using a simple wand. Why does the bubble that you create take the form of a sphere? Why not an ovoid? Or a cylindrical shape? Or something totally random?" Explore the minimization principles that govern such systems with geometric measure theorist Paul Minter, who serves as a Veblen Fellow in the School of Mathematics.

Clara Latham, Martin L. and Sarah F. Leibowitz Member and Edward T. Cone Member in Music Studies in the School of Historical Studies, describes the contradictions that inspire her work, which surround the perceptions of musical labor with particular reference to music technology.

Director's Visitor Katharina Heyden discusses her ongoing project with Director and Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg, which seeks to think collaboratively about the religions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism using the concept of co-production as a methodology. 

"From our cherished teatime tradition to celebratory dinners, the Institute fosters its unique network of intimacy, illumination, and understanding by gathering its community around the table," writes archivist Caitlin Rizzo. "The Shelby White and Leon Levy Archives Center is home to a range of documents which speak to dining at IAS, from dinner menus to seating charts."

Sierra Lomuto, Member in the School of Historical Studies, describes taking inspiration from Albert Einstein's notion of spacetime as a way of thinking about a truly global history of the medieval period. 

The largest live autonomous vehicle traffic experiment ever conducted began the week of November 18, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee. While this experiment used 4 miles of highway, 288 cameras, and an impressive command center, one of its most vital resources was equations on a blackboard. In front of one of these blackboards was Benedetto Piccoli, Visitor in the School of Mathematics.

This installment of the “Paths to Math” series features Paul Minter, Veblen Research Instructor (2022–23) and Veblen Fellow (2023–27) in the Institute’s School of Mathematics. Watch to see Paul describe how, despite being discouraged from applying to an elite school, his passion for mathematics brought him from a small U.K. seaside town, to Cambridge University, and then to IAS.