The Department of Mathematics at Baylor University began a new lecture series in 2008 aimed at undergraduate and graduate students as well as area high school students and high school teachers of mathematics. Lecturers chosen for this series will be renowned mathematicians with a special penchant for teaching mathematics and a clear enthusiasm for the subject. The goal of this series is to interest and attract students to mathematics and mathematics education. Funds have been made available for this lecture series by Baylor University; special thanks are due to Dean Lee Nordt of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Previous Speakers: John Oprea (2008-09), Brian Conrey (2009-10), William Dunham (2010-11), David Bressoud (2011-12)

Fifth Annual Baylor Undergraduate Lecture Series in Mathematics

Speaker: Keith Devlin

Dr. Keith Devlin, National Public Radio's "Math Guy", will be the fifth speaker in the Baylor Undergraduate Lecture Series in Mathematics when he visits Baylor University from October 2-5, 2012.

Devlin earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from King's College London and his Ph.D. degree in mathematics from the University of Bristol. He is a consulting Professor of Mathematics at Stanford University, co-founder and Executive Director of Stanford's Human-Sciences and Technologies Advanced Research Institute, co-founder of Stanford's Media X university-industry research partnership program, and a Senior Researcher in Stanford's Center for the Study of Language and Information.

He is the author of 31 books and more than 80 research articles. He is recipient of the Pythagoras Prize, the Peano Prize, the Carl Sagan Award, and the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics Communications Award. In 2003, he was recognized by the California State Assembly for his "innovative work and longtime service in the field of mathematics and its relation to logic and linguistics." His latest research work has focused on the development of new tools and protocols to assist intelligence analysis and the development and use of videogames in mathematics education. Devlin is actively engaged in promoting the public understanding of mathematics and its role in modern society, topics on which he lectures extensively around the world.

For a poster advertising Professor Devlin's lectures, click here.

The titles, and abstracts, for his two lectures are:

Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 4:00 pm - D109 (Baylor Sciences Building)

Leonardo Fibonacci and Steve Jobs

Abstract: The first personal computing revolution took place not in Silicon Valley in the 1980s but in Pisa in the 13th Century. The medieval counterpart to Steve Jobs was a young Italian called Leonardo, better known today by the nickname Fibonacci. Thanks to a recently discovered manuscript in a library in Florence, the story of how this little known genius came to launch the modern commercial world can now be told.

This lecture is based on Devlin's latest book The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetical Revolution (Walker & Co, July 2011) and his co-published companion e-book Leonardo and Steve: The Young Genius Who Beat Apple to Market by 800 Years.

Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 4:00 pm - 344 SR

First Person Solvers: Rethinking Mathematics Education in the Video Game Era

Abstract: Most current math ed video games such as Dimension M and online video resources such as Kahn Academy are essentially new delivery mechanisms for traditional instruction. In the coming decade we should see classroom pedagogy start to change in dramatic ways. This talk will look ahead to the coming revolution.

This lecture is based in part on Devlin's new book Mathematics Education for a New Era: Video Games as a Medium for Learning, published in March 2011 by AK Peters.