
Show Notes
If I said the word “mathematics”, it is a fairly safe bet that reactions would be mixed. While many people love maths, the subject can provoke quite a different response in others. It is common for folks to be transported back in time to childhood memories of formulae written on classroom whiteboards in what feels like a different language.
However, mathematician, concert pianist, and author Dr Eugenia Cheng – is on a mission to change that perception of the subject she loves and showcase the joy, creativity and wonder of maths, and how it underpins our everyday lives, from the food we eat to the entertainment we consume. Dr Suze Kundu caught up with Eugenia ahead of her talk at the Ri in June 2024 in the spectacular Faraday Lecture Theatre to talk about the creativity, wonder and relatability of maths, and how we can all engage with it in ways that bring us joy.
Read more here and watch the episode here.
Series lead and interviewer: Dr Suze Kundu, Director of Researcher and Community Engagement, Digital Science. Filming and production support: Huw James, Science Story Lab. Filmed in the Faraday Lecture Theatre at The Royal Institution. Recorded in June 2024.
More from Speaker Series
Deborah Blum is an acclaimed science journalist, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and Director of the Knight Science Journalism program at MIT. With a career spanning decades, she has worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between science and the public through her compelling storytelling and her commitment to advancing science literacy. Her influential books, including The Poisoner’s Handbook and The Poison Squad, explore the intersection of science, history, and societal impact, earning her widespread recognition. At the Knight Science Journalism program, Deborah leads efforts to train and support journalists worldwide, fostering a global community dedicated to improving the quality of science communication and addressing pressing challenges like misinformation and declining public trust in science.
For our host Suze, the countdown to Christmas means three things - excitement, new gadgets, and an almost daily dose of Disney in one form or another. So, since it's December, let's tick off a hattrick of all three of those boxes with this special extra-long conversation with Dr Danny Hillis - inventor, innovator, and the founder of Applied Invention. Want to avoid that annual appraisal or procrastinate around your 2025 planning? Grab a drink and a chocolate orange, and spend 50 minutes hearing from the legend that developed the knowledge graph that provides the foundations for Google Search.
As the Aaron Sorkin global political drama that is 2024 reached its season finale in the USA in November, Suze sat down for a chat about the politicisation of research with Professor Jenny Reardon, Professor of Sociology at the University of California Santa Cruz, and the Founder of Science and Justice Research Center.
People who win awards tend to win more awards in the future. Even putting yourself forward for self-nominated awards falls along the lines of privilege and confidence. And even if you win awards, there is no guarantee that it will have a positive impact on your research career as measured by traditional metrics of success. How can we diversify the talents we celebrate and support, and ensure that no groundbreaking discoveries are overlooked, to truly tackle the global challenges we are facing as a society?
For this Speaker Series episode, Suze popped by the home of engineer and godfather of street skating Rodney Mullen in lovely Los Angeles to chat about culture, creativity and community in science and skateboarding.