Long Divison: Why We Love/Hate Math

Mathematician Robert Fefferman will give a talk, "America's Love-Hate Relationship with Mathematics," at 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 14, in the Francois Classroom E-117, Umbeck Science Mathematics Center, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. He will give a second talk, "Was Fourier Right or Wrong? An Invitation to Fourier Analysis," at 4:00 p.m., Monday, April 14, in A-219, Umbeck Science Mathematics Center. The 4 p.m. talk assumes knowledge of calculus.

Both lectures are free and open to the public.

Fefferman is Dean of the Physical Sciences and Max Mason Distinguished Service Professor in Mathematics at the University of Chicago. He has been active in mathematics education for more than 15 years, working with public elementary and high schools in Chicago, including teaching in the Summer Institute for the Development of Mathematics Teachers in Chicago Middle Schools, the Mathachievement program for Chicago Public School teachers in grades K-8, and the Collegiate Scholars Program, a partnership between Chicago Public Schools and the University of Chicago. His research focuses on harmonic analysis, partial differential equations and probability theory.

The lectures are part of the MathTalks series sponsored by Dale Nelson of Bloomington, Illinois. A 1958 Knox College graduate, Nelson is an actuary and national authority in the field of automobile insurance. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics at Knox and a master's degree at Princeton University.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 45 states and 44 nations. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.