Gifted Bulletin Board

Welcome to the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.

We invite you to share your experiences and to post information about advocacy, research and other gifted education issues on this free public discussion forum.
CLICK HERE to Log In. Click here for the Board Rules.

Links


Learn about Davidson Academy Online - for profoundly gifted students living anywhere in the U.S. & Canada.

The Davidson Institute is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students through the following programs:

  • Fellows Scholarship
  • Young Scholars
  • Davidson Academy
  • THINK Summer Institute

  • Subscribe to the Davidson Institute's eNews-Update Newsletter >

    Free Gifted Resources & Guides >

    Who's Online Now
    0 members (), 88 guests, and 27 robots.
    Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
    Newest Members
    Amelia Willson, jordanstephen, LucyCoffee, Wes, moldypodzol
    11,533 Registered Users
    November
    S M T W T F S
    1 2
    3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    10 11 12 13 14 15 16
    17 18 19 20 21 22 23
    24 25 26 27 28 29 30
    Previous Thread
    Next Thread
    Print Thread
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 2,640
    Likes: 2
    B
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 2,640
    Likes: 2
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/science/28math.html
    One Math Museum, Many Variables
    By KENNETH CHANG
    New York Times
    June 27, 2011

    For everyone who finds mathematics incomprehensible, boring, pointless, or all of the above, Glen Whitney wants to prove you wrong.

    He believes that tens of thousands of visitors will flock to his Museum of Mathematics, to open in Manhattan next year, and leave invigorated about geometry, numbers and many more mathematical notions.

    �We want to expose the breadth and the beauty of mathematics,� said Mr. Whitney, a former math professor who parlayed his quantitative skills into a job at a Long Island hedge fund. He quit in late 2008 with connections to deep pockets and a quest to make math fun and cool.

    Two years ago, he and his team built a carnival-like traveling exhibit called the Math Midway, a proof-of-concept for the coming museum. It includes a tricycle with square wheels of different sizes that visitors can ride smoothly around a circular path ridged like a flower�s petals. An accompanying sign explains why: The undulating circular surface rises and falls exactly to offset the odd shape of the wheels, so that the tricycle�s axles � and the rider � remain at the same height as they move.

    Mr. Whitney hopes that colorful, interactive props will help his cause. �If we just pluck people in the street � �What adjectives would you use to describe math?� � very few of them would say, �beautiful,� � Mr. Whitney said.

    His vision has enticed large contributions. The museum, which will be at 11 East 26th Street, has raised $22 million, including $2 million from Google and a lot from individual donors (yes, there�s some hedge fund money in there).

    It remains to be seen whether a math museum can succeed. There are currently zero math museums in the United States, and the one small one that did exist, on Long Island, closed in 2006. There are plenty of science museums that cover math topics, but Mr. Whitney�s museum, nicknamed MoMath, will be devoid of dinosaurs and planetarium shows and will instead focus on the abstract.

    <end of excerpt>

    The museum web site is http://momath.org/ .


    "To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." - George Orwell
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 462
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 462
    I know where DS8 will be dragging us when it opens! Very cool, thanks for posting. I especially love the nickname MoMath smile

    Joined: Jan 2011
    Posts: 61
    B
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: Jan 2011
    Posts: 61
    now on our list of things to do in NYC!

    Joined: Apr 2010
    Posts: 2,498
    D
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    D
    Joined: Apr 2010
    Posts: 2,498
    It's very funny that the second paragraph begins with "He believes that tens of thousands of visitors will flock to his Museum..."; clearly the author of the article believes this guy is off his rocker.

    I, of course, am enthusiastic.

    DeeDee


    Moderated by  M-Moderator 

    Link Copied to Clipboard
    Recent Posts
    Help with WISC-V composite scores
    by aeh - 10/28/24 02:43 PM
    i Am genius and no one understands me!!!
    by Eagle Mum - 10/23/24 04:11 PM
    Classroom support for advanced reader
    by Heidi_Hunter - 10/14/24 03:50 AM
    2e Dyslexia/Dysgraphia schools
    by Jwack - 10/12/24 08:38 AM
    Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5