International Women in Mathematics Day event

To celebrate International Women in Mathematics Day, SMRI hosted a fun event with trivia, animated shorts and a ‘Spotlight on Women in Maths at The University of Sydney’.

Free

Geometry: The archetype of beauty

Geometry was born from practical needs in ancient civilisations. Over the years, geometry has pushed boundaries of abstract and philosophical thought, facilitated scientific discoveries, and left an imprint in the finest art pieces.

Mathematician Milena Radnovic gave a public lecture on 14 March 2024 to celebrate the International Day of Mathematics, aka Pi Day 3.14.

Free

Pi Day 2024 high school workshops

SMRI hosted two after-school workshops for high school students at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 March to celebrate the International Day of Mathematics (aka “Pi Day”).

Free

Duels and Duality: A fable about the life & mathematics of Évariste Galois

What does the French revolution, a deadly duel and squaring a circle have to do with the birth of modern algebra? SMRI’s public lecture on 14 March was part of celebrations for the 2023 International Day of Mathematics, aka Pi Day 3.14.

“Duels and Duality: A fable about the life & mathematics of Évariste Galois” was presented by mathematician Oded Yacobi of the University of Sydney.

Free

The secrets of Pi and other transcendental numbers

Esteemed algebraic number theorist Professor Frank Calegari gave a public talk on the secrets of Pi, presented by SMRI as part of his 2022 Mahler Lecture Tour .

In this talk, Frank explored a conjecture (formalized by Grothendieck) which explains how seemingly different occurrences of Pi (as well as many other interesting mathematical constants) should all be related, and how these numbers are linked to some the biggest open problems in algebra and number theory.

Free

Maths, AI and intuition with Geordie Williamson: Sydney Ideas event

SMRI Director Professor of Mathematics Geordie Williamson explored how machine learning can help with the intuitive aspects of mathematical research. Geordie carried out one of the first applications of AI in pure mathematics, in collaboration with Oxford University mathematicians and DeepMind, the AI company of AlphaGo fame. The results were published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature in December 2021.

This public event took place on 15 March 2022, co-presented with Sydney Ideas.

Free

POSTPONED: The mathematics of knots with Jessica Purcell

Since prehistoric times, humans have used knots for their functional and aesthetic value. Knots, links and braids have held decorative, artistic and spiritual significance across a myriad of cultures. For mathematicians, the study of knots has led to insights in disciplines such as geometry and topology.

Professor Purcell’s research explores some of the surprising applications of knot theory.

Free

NSW Chief Scientist’s Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series

SMRI Director, Geordie Williamson gave a talk in this ongoing seminar series which showcases excellence in research and development which is generating economic, environmental, social and technological benefits for New South Wales. The six-part series featured some of the State’s best and brightest, and highlighted its tremendous research strength across a diverse range of disciplines. […]

Free

Sydney Ideas: Can calculus cure cancer?

Cancer is a complex disease which continues to cause the premature deaths of many people. Research by clinicians and experimental biologists has dramatically improved outcomes for many patients, but further improvements are needed. in this talk, Professor Helen Byrne showed how mathematical modelling is being used to understand how tumours grow and to predict how […]

Free