Impact Activating Mathematics

Abstract: This talk will discuss experiences of Mathematicians who have immersed themselves in supporting positive social impact. Concrete examples will be given which highlight the value of being present in the room, listening and adding value with basic skills. It will also present how taking such a service approach can surprisingly lead to abstractions which pose questions which seem categorical in nature.

The talk will also highlight the value of a collaborative service approach, when working as a transdisciplinary mathematician, which is often in opposition with competitive nature of Mathematics in our education systems. This observation will lead to a discussion about whether there is a different approach to education in the Mathematical Sciences which could transform societal perceptions.

Speaker bio: David is a mathematical scientist who holds a PhD in Algebraic Geometry. David spent his formative years in Niger, where he was exposed to the generosity of families and the power of community best practices and networks for those in extreme poverty.

David worked in business, writing software for banks, before tuning to a career in social impact. He embedded in a Kenyan university as a lecturer on a local salary. There he experienced first-hand the innumerable inequalities faced by talented individuals in low-resource environments.

In this African context, David first turned his mathematical skills to impact innovation to support digital and data inclusion in underserved environments and developed the collaborative innovation best practices that underpin IDEMS.

Moderator: This talk is moderated by Ted Theodosopoulus. Ted is a mathematician who, after working for years in academia and industry, transitioned to teaching at the pre-college level sixteen years ago, the last eight at Nueva, where he teaches math and economics. Ted’s research background is in the area of interacting stochastic systems, with particular applications in biology and economics.

Computer scienceMathematics

Audience: researchers in the topic

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Relatorium seminar

Series comments: The name "Relatorium" combines "relator" with the Latin root "-ium," meaning "a place for activities" (as in "auditorium" or "gymnasium"). This seminar series is a platform to relate ideas, interact with math, and connect with each other.

In this series, we explore math beyond what we usually hear in standard talks. These sessions fall somewhere between a technical talk and a podcast: moderately formal, yet conversational. The philosophy behind the series is that math is best learned by active participation rather than passive listening. Our aim is to “engage and involve,” inviting everyone to think actively with the speaker. The concepts are accessible, exploratory, and intended to spark questions and discussions.

The idea of relatability has strong ties to compassion — creating space for shared understanding and exploration - which is the spirit of this seminar! This is a pilot project, so we’re here to improvise, learn, and evolve as we go!

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