Sydney Mathematical Research Institute

Maths at the Museum, including 'A magic show' by Tadashi Tokieda
2026-03-14 12:00 - 16:00 (Australia/Sydney)
International Day of Mathematics 2026: Mathematics and Hope

Saturday March 14 from 12 – 4pmSunday March 15 from 12 – 4 pm

To celebrate International Day of Mathematics, SMRI presents our Maths at the Museum program, running at the Chau Chak Wing Museum (CCWM).

The official theme of the International Day of Mathematics in 2026 is “Mathematics and Hope”. Across the weekend we will explore mathematical concepts with talks, panels, children’s activities in our Maths Craft Room as well as A magic show by Tadashi Tokieda (Stanford University). This integrated program of interactive maths activities will run across the weekend, coinciding with the opening weekend of the Biennale at the Museum! Please check back as more events are added!

Activities

A magic show, by Tadashi Tokieda

12:30 – 1:30 pm (almost sold out) and 2:00 – 3:00 pm (New slot-booking fast!) both Saturday and Sunday

Tadashi Tokieda, Stanford University

A magic show should not steal its own thunder with an abstract, but this one is easy for curious children and difficult for seasoned scientists, and you can try it yourself afterwards on friends and family!

About the presenter: Tadashi Tokieda is a professor of mathematics at Stanford. He grew up as a painter in Japan, became a classical philologist (not to be confused with philosopher) and worked a little as a plumber in France and, after PhD in pure mathematics from Princeton, has been an applied mathematician around the world. He is active in outreach e.g. via the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences and the YouTube channel Numberphile; he gave public lectures at ICM 2018 and 2022, and is slated to speak again at ICM 2026.

This event is hosted by the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute as part of our program for International Day of Mathematics. The talk will be tailored to a general audience and suitable for all ages, from children to adults! This is a free event, however registration is essential.

‘A magic show’ registration

Maths craft activities (Saturday and Sunday 12 – 4 pm)

Get creative with a variety of maths craft activities – from making ‘origami fidget spinners’ to beautiful line art and much more, these activities use mathematical concepts to make interesting and beautiful works, many of which you can take home!

Make your own flexagon, and flexagon games!

Flexagons are like the fidget spinners of the origami world; constructed of folded paper, they reveal hidden faces when the paper is flexed.

Line art

Follow simple patterns to create colourful artwork using yarn or pen. This activity explores how you can use straight lines to form curves resulting in beautiful intricate designs.

3D Fractals

Fractals are mathematical objects built from repeated copies of themselves. Visitors will construct units that will then be combined to contribute to our large-scale Menger Sponge.

Weird mirrors

Use a variety of bendy and wacky mirrors to explore concepts such as symmetry, transformation and how to map a flat image onto a 3D object! Craft your own wacky mirror to take home.

Key event details

Date & time:

Saturday 14 March & Sunday 15 March 2026

12 pm – 4 pm

Cost:

Free

Location:

The Chau Chak Wing Museum

University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

'A world from a sheet of paper' International Day of Mathematics Public Lecture by Tadashi Tokieda
2026-03-13 17:30 - 19:30
Starting from just a sheet of paper, by folding, stacking, crumpling, tearing, we shall explore a rich variety of phenomena, from magic tricks and geometry through elasticity and the traditional Japanese art of origami to medical devices and ‘h-principle’. Much of the lecture consists of table-top demos.

This public lecture is hosted by the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute as part of our program for International Day of Mathematics/ Pi Day. The talk will be tailored to a general audience and suitable for individuals from Year 10 onward. This is a free event, however registration is essential.

Tadashi Tokieda, Stanford University

Tadashi Tokieda is a professor of mathematics at Stanford. He grew up as a painter in Japan, became a classical philologist (not to be confused with philosopher) and worked a little as a plumber in France and, after PhD in pure mathematics from Princeton, has been an applied mathematician around the world. He is active in outreach e.g. via the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences and the YouTube channel Numberphile; he gave public lectures at ICM 2018 and 2022, and is slated to speak again at ICM 2026.

Key event details

Date & time:

Friday 13 March 2026

Public lecture: 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Canapés & drinks: 6:30 pm 8 pm

Cost:

This is a free event

Location:

Lecture Theatre 321, Susan Wakil Health Building, University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

Register for this event

'Irrational ways of manufacturing numbers' - A special International Day of Mathematics Colloquium (1/2) by Tadashi Tokieda
2026-03-13 12:00 - 13:00
This is meant to be light mathematical entertainment, exploring simple yet unusual phenomena involving rational, irrational, transcendental numbers. We will also glean a few open problems.

This event is part of a series of 2 colloquia for International Day of Mathematics (Colloquium 2: Pure mathematics as applied physics). For catering purposes, we would appreciate your registration if you intend to attend one or both events.

Registration

Tadashi Tokieda, Stanford University

Tadashi Tokieda is a professor of mathematics at Stanford. He grew up in Japan as a painter, became a classical philologist (not to be confused with philosopher) in France, worked a little as a plumber, before earning a PhD in pure mathematics from Princeton then practicing applied mathematics throughout the world. Active in outreach, especially via the YouTube channel Numberphile and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, he gave public lectures at the quadrennial International Congress of Mathematicians 2018, 2022, and is slated to speak again at the ICM 2026.

Key event details

Date & time:

Friday 13 March 2026

Seminar: 12 — 1 pm

Cost:

This is a free event

Location:

Carslaw 175

University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

'Is Dijkstra's Algorithm Optimal?' - A Basser-SMRI Joint Seminar by Robert Tarjan
2025-12-01 14:00 - 16:00
Dijkstra’s algorithm is a classic algorithm for doing route planning. Given a starting location it finds shortest paths from to all other reachable locations using the greedy method. Not only does it find shortest paths, it finds these in increasing order by length. A natural question is whether this algorithm is best possible. The answer depends on exactly how one poses the question. The talk will cover recent work by the speaker and his colleagues that gives the answer “yes” and briefly examine work by others that gives the answer “no.”

Join us for the first Basser-SMRI Joint Seminar, to be given by Robert Tarjan (Princeton). Basser Seminars highlight the best of computer science research. Feel free to distribute to others that may be interested. After the seminar, please join us for a special afternoon tea, held at 3 pm.

Robert Tarjan, Princeton University

Robert Tarjan is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University. He has held academic positions at Cornell, Berkeley, Stanford, and NYU, and industrial research positions at Bell Labs, NEC, HP, Microsoft, and Intertrust Technologies. He has invented or co-invented many of the most efficient known data structures and graph algorithms. He was awarded the first Nevanlinna Prize from the International Mathematical Union in 1982 for “for outstanding contributions to mathematical aspects of information science,” the Turing Award in 1986 with John Hopcroft for “fundamental achievements in the design and analysis of algorithms and data structures,” and the Paris Kanellakis Award in Theory and Practice in 1999 with Daniel Sleator for the invention of splay trees. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U. S. National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

Key event details

Date & time:

Monday 1 December 2025

Seminar: 2 — 3 pm

Afternoon tea 3 pm — 4 pm

Cost:

This is a free event

Location:

The Quad General Lecture Theatre K2.05

University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

Science at the Museum
2025-08-17 12:00 - 16:00
National Science Week 2025: Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language

Saturday August 16 from 12 – 4pmSunday August 17 from 12 – 4 pm

To mark National Science Week, the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute (SMRI) and the Chau Chak Wing Museum (CCWM) are collaborating again on a stimulating weekend for the whole family in the museum at the University of Sydney!

This year’s theme of National Science Week is ‘Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language’. Over the weekend, we will be delving into the hidden languages of nature – how do mathematics and sciences describe the world around us and allow us to push the boundaries of knowledge?

Joined by the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, we will be celebrating with a variety of activities and floor talks, culminating in an interdisciplinary panel exploring the theme. To explore how the rules of nature govern our world, join us to participate in Briony Barr’s Klein Bottle Experiment. This is a large-scale, collaborative artwork which uses rule-based play to visualise how participants interact with one another and our environment, using the hidden languages of the Universe!

Expert floor talks

Saturday 16th August

12:15 – 12:45 pm 2,000 years of twinkling

Emily Kerrison, Sydney Institute for Astrophysics (SIfA)

Twinkle twinkle little star, we know exactly what you are. Humans have been studying the stars for as long as we have looked up at thenight sky. But why do they twinkle? Do other objects in the night sky twinkle too? Come on a journey from Ancient Greece all the way to modern day Australia, as we follow a story of discovery about why things twinkle at night, and how this twinkling can be used to understand the world around us.

Emily is a PhD student in Astrophysics at the University of Sydney, with a background in both science and Classical literature. She is interested inpiecing together the stories of supermassive black holes from datasets taken all around the world, including right here in Australia. When I’m notlooking at black holes, I like thinking about how the way we do science has changed over the course of decades, centuries, and millennia.

1 – 1:30 pm Introducing Biodesign: applying science outside the lab

Phillip Gough, Design Lab and School of Life and Environmental Sciences

In the future, we will need to develop a circular economy. One that takes waste and turns it into something new, that has some value. For designers it’s important to select the best materials for circularity. Instead of materials that will last for centuries, materials should be able to be broken recycled or returned to the natural cycles. So why not work with Earth’s natural material recycling system, fungi!? This talk introduces biodesign, which applies the understanding of science to design challenges, and uses living organisms as partners to create a better, more sustainable, world.

1:45 – 2:15 pm How animal behavior can shape the environment in unexpected ways

Amelia Meier, Thriving Oceans Research Hub

This talk will explore how animal behavior can have large-scale impacts on the environment and how it can be studied using satellites and big data, with examples from Amelia’s research on species such as elephants and sharks. Understanding such behaviors helps conservationists better protect wildlife and their habitats.

2:30 – 3 pm Building huge radio telescopes (and finding tiny stars)

Kovi Rose, Sydney Institute for Astrophysics (SIfA)

We have entered the age of big data in astrophysics and radio astronomy is no exception. The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) conductswide-field radio surveys of the southern skies. With millions of radio-bright sources in the survey regions we are using new polarisationfiltering and positional cross-matching, as well as more traditionalvariability metrics, to identify interesting astronomical transients. Fromstellar radio emission to late-time supernova re-brightening, I will speakabout some of the different objects we are finding with ASKAP, including the detection of periodic bursts from an ultracool brown dwarf star.

Kovi is an astrophysics PhD candidate and LSST Data Science Fellow at the University of Sydney who uses radio telescopes to study distant starsthat go snap, crackle, and pop. Outside of research, he spends most of his time communicating science through his writing, podcasting, and memes.

3:15 – 3:45 pm Journey to the beginning of the Universe

Ciaran O’Hare, Sydney Institute for Astrophysics (SIfA)

Where did everything we see around us come from? To figure this out we need to go back 13.8 billion years to when the primordial ingredients of our Universe were first forged. I will tell you what we do and do not yet understand about the Big Bang and how the fundamental constituents of nature were created.

Sunday 17th August

12:15 – 12:45 pm Visiting poems as if they were cities (and searching for an optimal route)

Katy Gero, School of Computer Science

The Anxiety of Conception is a poetry book in which each copy of the book represents a unique tour through the poet’s memories. Written in the months leading up to and following the birth of the poet’s child, poems are ordered (and reordered) according to a “traveling salesman” algorithm. This talk will present the concept of the book and the maths used to order the poems.

Katy Ilonka Gero is a writer and human-computer interaction researcher. Her writing and poems have been published in Catapult, The HTML Review, Wired, and more. With Kyle Booten, she is the co-founder of Ensemble Park, a journal that collects literary experiments in human-computer co-writing. Her computer science research spans computational creativity, AI ethics, and the psychological impact of AI writing assistance. She is currently a Lecturer at the University of Sydney in the School of Computer Science.

12:50 – 1:10 pm Explainer: Drawing on Complexity

Briony Barr

Over the weekend, visitors will contribute to a collaborative artwork by Brisbane-based artist Briony Barr using paper and washi tape. This body of work, ‘Drawing on Complexity’ uses rule-based drawing and social dynamics to model complex adaptive systems, and has been designed in collaboration with physicist Andrew Melatos.

1:15 – 1:45 pm Finding radio stars in a haystack of black holes

Laura Driessen, Sydney Institute for Astrophysics (SIfA)

Did you know that black holes can photobomb stars? Hear about how we’ve more than doubled the known number of radio stars using Australia’s ASKAP telescope. Stars might seem easy to find, but it’s a lot trickier with black holes everywhere!

Laura Driessen is a radio astronomer and science communicator. She loves searching for hard-to-find things in the deluge of data they get from amazing radio telescopes, especially the telescopes right here in Australia. She is passionate about sharing the science and the cool astronomy being done right here in Australia. She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Sydney and Project Scientist of the Variables and Slow Transients (VAST) survey with ASKAP.

Interdisciplinary Panel: Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language

2 pm – 3:30 pm

This panel brings together experts from across the sciences to explore the theme of National Science Week 2025. Join a lively discussion with Ana Vila Concejo (Geocoastal Research Group), Jean Yang (Sydney Precision Data Science Centre), Tony Wirth (School of Computer Science), and John Voight (Magma, Computational Algebra Group), moderated by Stephan Tillmann (Sydney Mathematical Research Institute).

Activities

Dive into the Magic of the Marine World (Saturday 12 – 4 pm)

Get hands on and explore the incredible marine life found right on Sydney’s doorstep. Our interactive touch tank brings live rockpool creatures, along with coral, shells and other treasures from the reef, right to you. Learn how reefs are built over time and the geology that shapes them, as marine scientists guide you through the hidden world beneath the waves.

Blast Off! Experience the solar system with VR (Saturday & Sunday 12 – 4 pm)

Take a trip out into the solar system and beyond in a virtual reality headset! OzGrav’s amazing VR system takes you to a virtual universe full of planets, stars, black holes and of course, gravitational waves! Visitors are guided by experienced scientists to the planets, stars, and far reaching galaxies to the most extreme objects in the universe.

Maths Craft Activities (Saturday & Sunday 12 – 4 pm)

Get creative with a variety of maths craft activities – from making ‘origami fidget spinners’ to beautiful line art, and 3D-fractals, these activities use mathematical concepts to make interesting and beautiful works, many of which you can take home!

Drawing on Complexity with Briony Barr: Klein Bottle Experiment (Saturday & Sunday 12 – 4 pm)

Over the weekend, visitors will contribute to a collaborative artwork by Brisbane-based artist Briony Barr using paper and washi tape. This body of work, ‘Drawing on Complexity’ uses rule-based drawing and social dynamics to model complex adaptive systems, and has been designed in collaboration with physicist Andrew Melatos.

Key event details

Date & time:

Saturday 16 August & Sunday 17 August 2025

12 pm – 4 pm

Cost:

Free

Location:

The Chau Chak Wing Museum

University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

'Knots, graphs, and algebra: a story of surprises' National Science Week Public Lecture by Zsuzsanna Dancso
2025-08-15 17:30 - 19:30
Knots are everywhere: in the strings of our DNA, in the structure of super-strong materials, and in mathematics, where knots lurk behind all three-dimensional shapes. Graphs model social networks, transit maps, neural nets, and are one of the most basic objects in modern combinatorics. But what does the mathematics of knots have to do with the mathematics of networks? And how can we use algebra — the science of numbers, operations, and structure — to solve mysteries about both? More details and registration.

This public lecture is hosted by the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute as part of our program for National Science Week 2025. The talk will be tailored to a general audience and suitable for individuals from Year 10 onward. This is a free event, however registration is essential.

Zsuzsanna Dancso, The University of Sydney

Zsuzsanna Dancso is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Sydney. In her research she uses algebra and discrete mathematics to study knots and shapes in three and four dimensions. Zsuzsanna’s research is influenced by diverse international experiences and the collaborations she built along the way: born and raised in Hungary, she completed her PhD at the University of Toronto in Canada, and worked at multiple top research institutes and universities in North America and Australia, before joining the University of Sydney in 2017.

Zsuzsanna values the fresh perspectives that students and young mathematicians bring to the field: indeed, the project which inspired this lecture included two University of Sydney students, in addition to an international collaborator. Outside of mathematics, Zsuzsanna enjoys dance, musical theatre, and feeding people.

Key event details

Date & time:

Friday 15 August 2025

Public lecture: 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Canapés & drinks: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Cost:

This is a free event

Location:

Lecture Theatre 321, Susan Wakil Health Building, University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

Register for this event

CCWM X SMRI: Maths at the Museum
2025-03-15 12:00 - 2025-03-16 16:00
International Day of Mathematics 2025: Mathematics, Art and Creativity

Saturday March 15 from 12 – 4pmSunday March 16 from 12 – 4 pm

The official theme of the International Day of Mathematics in 2025 is “Mathematics, Art, and Creativity”. The Sydney Mathematics Research Institute and the Chau Chak Wing Museum will collaborate to mark the occasion with a special fun-filled family weekend. We will explore creativity in mathematics with talks, panels, children’s activities and performances across the weekend in the Chau Chak Wing Museum.An integrated program of activities will run across the weekend, with participating artists and activities confirmed below.

The Sound of Symmetry

ARIA-Nominated Ensemble Offspring are an innovative 8-part band known for performing at MONA FOMA, Sydney Festival and Melbourne Festival over their 23-year history. This will be a combined lecture-recital, with commentary from mathematician Artem Pulemotov and musicologist Denis Collins, who work at the interface of mathematics and music.

As this event will be popular, there is a small charge ($5) to reserve your spot

The performance will run both afternoons 12.30 – 2 pm (doors open 12.15 pm). Suitable for anyone 15 years and older.

Register for the Sound of Symmetry ($5)

Drawing on Complexity with Briony Barr

Over the weekend, visitors will contribute to a collaborative artwork by Brisbane-based artist Briony Barr using paper and washi tape. This body of work, ‘Drawing on Complexity’ uses rule-based drawing and social dynamics to model complex adaptive systems, and has been designed in collaboration with physicist Andrew Melatos.

Drawing on Complexity: Experiment 9 by Briony Barr. Photo: Greg Harm

Expert floor talks

Saturday 15th March

12:30 Henry Segerman & Rizal Muslimin, Shape-finding and Shape-solving in Architecture and Maths.

13:15 Sabetta Matsumoto, Purls of wisdom: geometry & topology in weavables, wearables and wallpaper

14:15 Briony Barr, Explainer: Drawing on Complexity

15:00 Katherine Seaton, Hitomezashi MathematicsHitomezashi is a form of stitching that originated in Edo period Japan. It is also now recognised as a form of mathematical fibre art or generative drawing. How can we stitch mathematics? The answer is using patterns, randomness or codes. But then we look at our stitching, and we find even more mathematical questions to consider.

Sunday 16th March

12:30 Katherine Seaton, Hitomezashi MathematicsHitomezashi is a form of stitching that originated in Edo period Japan. It is also now recognised as a form of mathematical fibre art or generative drawing. How can we stitch mathematics? The answer is using patterns, randomness or codes. But then we look at our stitching, and we find even more mathematical questions to consider.

13:15 Sabetta Matsumoto, Purls of wisdom: geometry & topology in weavables, wearables and wallpaper

14:15 Jared Field and Sabetta Matsumoto, A conversation about weaving, maths, and fibre engineering (Moderated by Catherine Meister)

15:00 Briony Barr, Explainer: Drawing on Complexity

Maths craft: Family creative workstations

Get creative with a variety of maths craft activities – from making ‘origami fidget spinners’ to beautiful line art and much more, these activities use mathematical concepts to make interesting and beautiful works, many of which you can take home!

Make your own flexagon

Flexagons are like the fidget spinners of the origami world; constructed of folded paper, they reveal hidden faces when the paper is flexed.

Line art

Follow simple patterns to create colourful artwork using yarn or pen. This activity explores how you can use straight lines to form curves resulting in beautiful intricate designs.

3D Fractals

Fractals are mathematical objects built from repeated copies of themselves. Visitors will construct units that will then be combined to build two large-scale objects: a Menger Sponge and a 3D Sierpinski triangle.

Weird tiling

We see tiling everywhere – there’s almost certainly some in your bathroom. All the pieces fit neatly together to cover the surface. In this tiling activity we’ll use a special shape to create some very weird tiling – it covers a surface, but without a repeating pattern.

Sashiko

Sashiko hand-stitching creates different types of lines that form geometric patterns. Visitors will be able to draw their own sashiko patterns using grid paper.

Key event details

Date & time:

Saturday 15 March & Sunday 16 March 2025

12 pm – 4 pm

Cost:

Most events are free, reservations for the Sound of Symmetry are $5

Location:

The Chau Chak Wing Museum

University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

Register for ‘Sound of Symmetry’

Artistic Mathematics: Truth and Beauty
2025-03-14 17:30 - 19:30
International Day of Mathematics Public Lecture by Henry Segerman

Dr Segerman will talk about his work in mathematical visualization: making accurate, effective, and beautiful pictures, models, and experiences of mathematical concepts. He will discuss what it is that makes a visualization compelling, and show many examples in the medium of 3D printing, as well as some work in virtual reality and spherical video. Dr Segerman will also discuss his experiences in teaching a project-based class on 3D printing for mathematics students.

The theme of International Day of Mathematics 2025 is Mathematics Art, and Creativity. In honour of the theme, University of Oklahoma mathematician and artist Henry Segerman will give a talk about his incredible mathematical visualizations. This will be a free event targeted to the general public, including interested school students. More details and registration.

Henry Segerman, Oklahoma State University

Dr Henry Segerman’s research interests are in three-dimensional geometry and topology, and in mathematical art and visualization. In visualization he works in 3D printing, spherical video, virtual, and augmented reality. He is the author of the book “Visualizing Mathematics with 3D Printing”.

Key event details

Date & time:

Friday 14 March 2025

Public lecture: 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Canapés & drinks: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Cost:

This is a free event

Location:

Lecture Theatre 321, Susan Wakil Health Building, University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

Register for this event

My Mathematical Journey: From Play To Sea!
2025-01-29 17:30 - 19:30
A SMRI & AMSI Summer School Public Lecture by Jordan Pitt

Every time I mention that I’m a mathematician to someone new, the most popular response is ‘Oh I was TERRIBLE at maths!‘ and a general vibe that I’m an extreme weirdo for not sharing in this feeling. Honestly, as mathematicians, we are a bit different but I am going to try and explain why we’re not that weird in this talk. To do this I will provide some stories of my own mathematical journey and why I ended up loving it.

In this AMSI Summer School public lecture, University of Sydney mathematician Jordan Pitt will talk about his journey in mathematics. This will be a free event targeted to the general public, including interested school students. More details and registration.

Jordan Pitt, Associate Dean Indigenous Strategy & Services and School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Sydney

Dr Jordan Pitt is a descendant of the Birri Gubba people and an applied mathematician. Like most, his passion for mathematics was sparked by a fantastic high school mathematics teacher. Since that fire ignited, he has had an academic career completing his undergraduate and PhD at the Australian National University working on numerical methods for tsunami modelling. He now studies the interaction of ocean waves and sea ice to improve climate models at the University of Sydney, continuing work begun as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Adelaide. In addition to his academic time, he has also worked at Geoscience Australia and the Australian Taxation Office on projects from modelling tsunamis to phone call times.

Key event details

Date & time:

Wednesday 29 January 2025

Public lecture: 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Canapés & drinks: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Cost:

This is a free event

Location:

SWHB Lecture Theatre 321

Level 3 Susan Wakil Health Building (D18)

University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

Register for this event

National Science Week High School Workshop: Infinity mathematics
2024-08-14 16:30
Infinity mathematics workshop, Wednesday 14 August, 16:30–18:00
SMRI will host a National Science Week after-school workshop for high school students at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 14 August 2024. The workshop is aimed at students from years 8-11 with a keen interest in mathematics. In this workshop, we will have a deeper look into counting to infinity and try to figure out if all infinities are equal or one thing can be more infinite than another one. We will explore the mathematics of infinity through discussion and solving problems.
This event will be presented by University of Sydney mathematician, Milena Radnovic.
About the presenter: Milena Radnovic is Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University in Sydney. She was born, raised and educated in Belgrade, Serbia, where she worked for many years with talented students of the Mathematical High School and did research at the Mathematical Institute SANU. Before coming to Sydney, Milena also worked as a mathematician in the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
Milena’s research work mainly focuses on geometry and dynamics. She is an enthusiastic teacher for students of all ages and levels of education.

Click here to register via Humanitix

'Zeros'
2024-08-13 17:30 - 19:30
National Science Week 2024 Public Lecture by Professor Andrej Bauer

Have you ever wondered what makes mathematicians excited about seemingly dreary tasks, such as solving equations?

In the old days, mathematicians would compete in equation solving, with their reputation, money, and jobs at stake. More than once, they invented new kinds of numbers just so they could solve more equations. This intense passion and dedication suggests an unseen, hidden beauty that compels mathematicians to invest their lives in the pursuit of solutions.

Using modern computers, we will uncover and visualize this beauty, revealing the rich and intricate structure of equation solving for everyone to see. Join us and partake in the excitement of mathematical discovery.

About the speaker

Andrej Bauer is a professor of computational mathematics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. In 1994, he received his Sc.B. in Mathematics from Ljubljana, and in 2000, his PhD in Pure and Applied Logic from Carnegie Mellon University. In 2012, he was a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, where he contributed to the development of homotopy type theory. In 2022, he received the American Mathematical Society Levi L. Conant Prize for an outstanding expository paper “Five Stages of Accepting Constructive Mathematics” published in the Bulletin of the AMS.

Bauer’s work spans foundations of mathematics, constructive and computable mathematics, type theory, homotopy type theory, and mathematical principles of programming languages. He is a co-author of the book “Homotopy Type Theory: Univalent Foundations of Mathematics” and the initiator of the HoTT library, an extensive formalization of homotopy type theory in the Coq proof assistant. He is also known for his seminal work on programming with algebraic effects and handlers.

Bauer’s interests outside mathematics include computer-generated art and aikido, in which he holds a master’s degree.

Date:

Cost

SWHB Lecture Theatre 321

Level 3 Susan Wakil Health Building (D18)

University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus

The theory of numbers: From ancient Greece to the 21st century
2024-06-24 17:30
Mahler Tour 2024 Public Lecture
SMRI was lucky enough to host esteemed number theorist Professor Matthew Emerton for a public lecture, as part of his Mahler Lecture Tour. This lecture, aimed at members of the public interested in mathematics, explained some of the key ideas in the theory of numbers, as developed over the last two thousand-plus years. Beginning with the theory of geometric constructions from ancient Greek geometry, and its relationship to the discovery and properties of irrational numbers, Matthew Emerton sketched in broad outlines how these ideas evolved, through the theory of equations and their symmetries as developed by Galois, culminating in a description of some of the contemporary aspects of the theory. The focus emphasized how symmetries of mathematical problems, some obvious but some not-so-obvious, play a hidden role in the nature of their solutions.
Speaker bio: Matthew Emerton is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Chicago. He received his PhD from Harvard in 1998, under the supervision of Professor Barry Mazur. Following a postdoc at the University of Michigan, and an Assistant Professorship at the University of Chicago, he spent ten years as a faculty member at Northwestern University before returning to Chicago in 2011. He was an invited speaker at the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians.
Professor Emerton’s areas of research are number theory, arithmetic geometry, and representation theory. He is known for his work on the Fontaine–Mazur conjecture, and for his construction (with Professor Toby Gee of Imperial College) of the eponymous Emerton–Gee Stacks, higher dimensional algebro-geometric objects which parameterize local Galois representations. Professor Emerton’s research is funded in part by both the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation.
In addition to researching mathematics and advising his own students, Professor Emerton enjoys walking and kayaking in Chicago with his wife Therese (weather permitting!), reading poetry, and long-distance running.

Unpacking the AI Survival Kit - high school workshop
2024-05-30 16:30
Audience: Ambitious high school students with a creative mindset
Abstract: This workshop will take a more in-depth look at some of the creative ways to approach solving problems that will be raised in Po-Shen’s public lecture on “Using maths to invent solutions to large-scale human problems, just in time to survive AI”, taking place on Wed 29 May. Attendance at the lecture is not a prerequisite — you only need to bring a creative mindset to learn how mathematical insights can bring transformational change using game theory, combinatorics and AI.
About the speaker: Po-Shen Loh was the coach of the USA Math Olympiad team from 2013-2023. The team achieved its first-ever back-to-back #1-rank victories in 2015 and 2016, and then again in 2018 and 2019. His research and educational outreach takes him to cities across the world, reaching over 10,000 people each year through public lectures and events, and he has featured in or co-created videos totalling over 21 million YouTube views. He is a mathematics professor at Carnegie Mellon University and his work has appeared in national and international media, from ABC News, to the Wall Street Journal, CNN, the Straits Times, and more. His first lecture tour in Australia is supported by the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute.
Event date: Thursday 30 May, 4.30pm

Registration is required for this event – please find further details and registration link below.
Parking – parking is very limited on campus. Please consider public transport

Image credit: Tara.Winstead (pexels)

Using Maths to Invent Solutions to Large-Scale Human Problems, just in time to survive AI
2024-05-29 17:30
Description: “Why are we learning this?” — this dreaded question, often received by mathematics educators, is addressed in this public lecture by Prof Po-Shen Loh and moderated by Prof Francis Su, both visitors at the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute
Abstract: In this public lecture, Po-Shen will share his story of using his maths-professor background to devise new solutions to two practical problems that affect our whole society: disease control and education. The mathematical areas of network theory and game theory feature as inspirations in his work. During the COVID lockdown, he invented a tracking app which addresses the incentive misalignment problem intrinsic in contact tracing: in the traditional approach, people are asked to isolate to protect others against infection, not to save themselves.

Po-Shen has also been working for a decade at the intersection of education and technology. His latest creation is a new, highly-scalable ecosystem for teaching secondary school students how to invent their own solutions to unfamiliar (maths) problems, powered by a unique incentive alignment structure that involves professionally trained actors and comedians collaborating with maths stars. This comes just in time, as the rise of AI necessitates more advanced skills.

This talk will be accessible to all backgrounds.

About the speaker: Po-Shen Loh is a social entrepreneur and inventor, working across the spectrum of mathematics, education, and healthcare, all around the world. He holds a PhD from Princeton University and is a mathematics professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He served a decade-long term as the national coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad team from 2013–2023. He has pioneered innovations ranging from a scalable way to learn challenging math live online at comparable engagement to live-streaming entertainment, to a new way to control pandemics by leveraging self-interest. His work has appeared in national and international media, from ABC News, to the Wall Street Journal, CNN, the Straits Times, and more.

As an academic, Po-Shen has earned distinctions ranging from an International Mathematical Olympiad silver medal to the United States Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. His scientific research considers a variety of questions that lie at the intersection of combinatorics (the study of discrete systems), probability theory, and computer science. As an educator, he was the coach of the USA Math Olympiad team when it achieved its first-ever back-to-back #1-rank victories in 2015 and 2016, and then again in 2018 and 2019. His research and educational outreach takes him to cities across the world, reaching over 10,000 people each year through public lectures and events, and he has featured in or co-created videos totalling over 21 million YouTube views.

About the moderator: Francis Su is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and a past president of the Mathematical Association of America. His research is in geometric and topological combinatorics and applications to the social sciences. His work has been featured in Quanta Magazine, Wired, and The New York Times. His book Mathematics for Human Flourishing, winner of the 2021 Euler Book Prize, has been translated into 8 languages. It is an inclusive vision of what math is, who it is for, and why anyone should learn it.

Join us for this much anticipated public lecture. Event details and registration link below.

Professor Po-Shen Loh Sydney Visit 2024
2024-05-29 00:00 - 23:59
Po-Shen Loh is a mathematics professor, social entrepreneur and inventor, working across the spectrum of mathematics, education, and healthcare, all around the world. He holds a PhD from Princeton University and is a mathematics professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He served a decade-long term as the national coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad team from 2013–2023. He has pioneered innovations ranging from a scalable way to learn challenging math live online at comparable engagement to live-streaming entertainment, to a new way to control pandemics by leveraging self-interest. His work has appeared in national and international media, from ABC News, to the Wall Street Journal, CNN, the Straits Times, and more.
Po-Shen presented at four public events in Sydney, as follows:

Public Lecture (University of Sydney)
Date: Wednesday 29 May
Title: ‘Using maths to invent solutions to large-scale human problems, just in time to survive AI’
Abstract: In this public lecture, Po-Shen shared his story of using his maths-professor background to devise new solutions to two practical problems that affect our whole society: disease control and education. The mathematical areas of network theory and game theory have featured as inspirations in his work. During the COVID lockdown, he invented a tracking app which addresses the incentive misalignment problem intrinsic in contact tracing: in the traditional approach, people are asked to isolate to protect others against infection, not to save themselves.
Audience: General public, anyone with an interest in mathematics
Registration link: Event closed.
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Seminar (University of New South Wales)
Date: Thursday 30 May
Title: ‘Uniting Game Theory, Maths & Actors To Build Human Intelligence in AI Age’
Abstract: Picture a “maths person”. Picture a “humanities person”. Picture a “drama person”. Do you picture very different people? What if someone could be everything all at once? It’s possible, and just takes intentionality, open-mindedness, and courage. It’s also the right time to think about building holistic human characteristics, because AI’s increasingly powerful capability will soon turn the job market upside down.
But can a re-orientation of education be done rapidly at scale? Fortunately, there is an area close to maths which devises solutions in which problems solve themselves even through self-serving human behavior: Game Theory.
Audience: Academics with interest in education and the future
Registration link: Event closed.
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High School Workshop (University of Sydney)
Date: Thursday 30 May
Title: ‘Unpacking the AI Survival Kit‘
Abstract: This workshop will take a more in-depth look at some of the creative ways to approach solving problems that were raised in Po-Shen’s public lecture (see above). Attendees brought a creative mindset to learn how mathematical insights can bring transformational change using game theory, combinatorics and AI.
Audience: Ambitious high school students with a creative mindset
Registration link: Event closed.
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Seminar (University of Sydney)
Date: Friday 31 May
Title: Perspectives Seminar: ‘Communicating Maths for the Public’
Abstract: Po-Shen joined us in Week 10 of the Perspectives Seminar. Loh has been very active as a public communicator of maths. He gave 200+ talks in 100 cities last year, reaching tens of thousands of people in person, and has featured in or co-created videos totaling over 21 million YouTube views. In interactive discussion, Loh discussed how he approaches public communication, what the thinks about as he prepares, mistakes he’s made, lessons he’s learned, and how we might approach the future of public communication around mathematics. Participants also reflected on their own roles as communicators of mathematics.
Audience: Mathematical scientists in academia or industry
Link: Perspectives on Mathematics webpage

Image credit: Carnegie Mellon University

International Women in Mathematics Day event
2024-05-15 17:00
Every year in May, International Women in Mathematics Day (IWMD) celebrates the achievements of female mathematicians in honour of mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to be awarded the Fields Medal for Mathematics.
To celebrate IWMD 2024, SMRI hosted a fun event, including a trivia quiz with Professor Francis Su; animated shorts on Alicia Boole’s land of Polytopes and Kovalevskaya’s spinning top; and a ‘Spotlight on Women in Mathematics at The University of Sydney’ – followed by an informal gathering with pizza.
For general information on the International Women in Mathematics Day, visit https://may12.womeninmaths.org/

Geometry: The archetype of beauty
2024-03-14 18:00
International Day of Mathematics 2024 Public Lecture
“Geometry is the archetype of the beauty of the world.” – Johannes Kepler
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.
Through her talk on “Geometry: the archetype of beauty“, University of Sydney academic Prof Milena Radnovic took us on a journey through the field of geometry.
Speaker bio: Milena Radnovic is Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Sydney. Her research interests lie in geometry and dynamical systems.
Milena was born, raised and educated in Belgrade, Serbia, where she carried out research at the Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Art and taught talented students in the Mathematical Grammar School. She has held fellowships with the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy.
In addition to mathematics, Milena loves to read, cook, exercise, and spend time with her daughter, family, and friends.

Pi Day 2024 high school workshops
2024-03-12 16:00
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”). Fold and cut theorem workshop: Tuesday 12 March, 16:00–18:00, Law Annex Seminar Room 342

Who doesn’t enjoy the relaxing feeling that comes with cutting out intricate shapes and designs from coloured paper for arts and crafts class? Sometimes, we might even find ourselves folding up our paper in clever ways such that one cut can do the work of many.
However, this poses an interesting question for mathematicians: given any shape, can we fold a rectangular sheet of paper in such a way that we can produce this shape with a single, straight cut?
We will answer this question by exploring the mathematics behind these folds and cuts in a combination of hands-on activities and discussions.This event will be presented by University of Sydney mathematicians, Thomas Zheng and Andy Tran.
The workshop is for high-school students in Sydney who are studying maths. Considering taking higher level mathematics next year or at University? Come along!

Ruler-and-compass vs origami workshop: Wednesday 13 March, 16:00–18:00, Law Annex Seminar Room 342

In this workshop we’ll explore the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid’s ruler-and-compass constructions, and their mysteries that stumped mathematicians for millennia: trisecting angles and squaring circles.

We’ll compare the ruler and compass method of construction to the Japanese art of paper folding—also known as origami—and see which one can achieve more! Can you origami-trisect an angle? Can you origami-square a circle? The answers are rooted in the concept of “field extensions”, discovered by 19th century mathematician Evariste Galois.

This event will be presented by University of Sydney mathematician Associate Professor Zsuzsanna Dancso from the School of Mathematics and Statistic’s Algebra Group.

The workshop is for high-school students in Sydney who are studying maths. Considering taking higher level mathematics next year or at University? Come along!

Math Circle School Talks - Morning and afternoon talks
2023-08-26 00:00
SMRI is hosted two talks at the University of Sydney on Saturday 26 August, presented by mathematician Quan Lam from the Berkeley Math Circle (University of California Berkeley). Copies of the slides for both talks are now available on the event page.
Numbers Are Not So Simple: Primary school maths talk 10:00–11:30 AEST
We’ll explore the topic of numbers, including: 1. The evolution of our number system 2. The importance of “zero” 3. Mysteries and patterns of numbers 4. Myths about some of the common properties of numbers We may even have time to briefly explore the mystery of “infinity”.
Event format : 1 hour talk, followed by 30 minutes Q&A. This talk is for primary school students in Sydney and their teachers. Students should be familiar with basic fractions (advanced knowledge of mathematics is not needed). Teachers of all subjects are welcome.

Register via Eventbrite (now closed)

Being Average: High school maths talk, 13:00–15:00 AEST
Join mathematician Quan Lam for this maths talk for secondary school students and teachers. We’ll explore the following topics:

1. What are some of the different kinds of “averages”? 2. When should we use them? 3. What are their applications? 4. How do we use these different types of averages and their relationships to solve difficult math problems?

Event format : 1.5 hour talk, followed by 30 minutes Q&A.
This talk is for secondary school students in Sydney and their teachers. Students should be familiar with simple algebra (advanced knowledge of mathematics is not needed). Teachers of all subjects are welcome.
Quan will also discuss Math Circles, the World Mathematics Team Championship and American/International Regions Mathematics League competitions, and maths education.

Register via Eventbrite (now closed)

About the speaker: Professor Quan Lam is a mathematics lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a key organiser of the Berkeley Math Circle, which aims to challenge younger minds with mathematical activities and competitions. Math Circles introduce kids to the wonders of mathematics and encourage them to undertake future careers linked with mathematics. Quan Lam carried out his undergraduate studies at California Institute of Technology and his graduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley. He is the Founder and Chairman of the World Mathematics Team Championship, the Chairman of the International Regions Math League and the Chairman and President of the United Math Circle Foundation.

The mathematics of twisting somersaults: National Science Week 2023 public lecture
2023-08-15 18:00
What do a space station, a falling cat, and a springboard diver have in common?
They are in free fall. But in contrast to a falling rock, they all have the ability to reorient themselves whilst they are falling.
In this talk, we’ll explore the principles behind this phenomenon. The mathematics underpinning the reorientation uses beautiful symmetries to explain the conservation laws of dynamical systems. In mathematics, this refers to systems where a function describes a point in space that is dependent on time, e.g. the swinging of a clock pendulum, or water flowing in a pipe.
Our understanding of the theory behind twisting somersaults (backed up by numerical simulations) has led to the discovery of a new dive called 513XD, which is awaiting performance at one of the next Olympics!
About the speaker: Holger Dullin is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Sydney. His research in dynamical systems employs geometric ideas to better understand a variety of problems ranging from (non-) rigid body dynamics to the gravitational n-body problem, quantum mechanics and spectral theory. He currently holds two ARC grants.
Holger received his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Bremen in Germany in 1994. He was a researcher in Boulder, Colorado, and a lecturer in Loughborough, UK before coming to Sydney in 2008. When not doing mathematics, he can be found bushwalking with his wife and son.

Women in Mathematics Day 2023 "Olga Ladyzhenskaya" film screening
2023-05-12 16:30
To celebrate Women in Mathematics Day (12 May), SMRI hosted a screening of the short documentary “Olga Ladyzhenskaya” (2022) by acclaimed filmmaker Ekaterina Eremenko.
Everyone was welcome, particularly high school and university students of all genders.
This film was first presented during the World Women in Maths meeting in 2022 and tells the story of Olga Alexandrovna Ladyzhnskaya, whose 100th birthday was in 2022. To honour her memory, the Ladyzhenskaya Prize in Mathematical Physics (OAL Prize) was inaugurated in 2022.
Find more Women in Mathematics events to celebrate 12 May.

Duels and Duality: A fable about the life & mathematics of Évariste Galois
2023-03-14 19:00
What does the French revolution, a deadly duel and squaring a circle have to do with the birth of modern algebra? This public lecture looked at the amazing (and amazingly short) life of Évariste Galois, and the ideas he developed to solve problems that had bedevilled mathematicians for centuries.
University of Sydney academic, Prof Oded Yacobi, explored the power of symmetry in mathematics, and how seemingly abstract ideas can have profound effects…even on our lives today.

View the post-event news post for a photo gallery and companion articles, as well as the event recording:

About the speaker: Oded Yacobi is Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Sydney, where he is a member of the Algebra Group. His interests are in representation theory, which is the mathematical study of symmetry and involves many other areas of mathematics such as geometry, topology, and number theory.

Oded received his PhD in 2009 from the University of California, San Diego, and before arriving in Sydney held research positions at Tel Aviv University and the University of Toronto. Outside of the university, he can be found playing soccer with his two boys, or taking unnecessary risks surfing at Maroubra Beach.

The secrets of Pi and other transcendental numbers
2022-11-23 18:00
SMRI was delighted to host esteemed algebraic number theorist Professor Frank Calegari for a public lecture, as part of his 2022 Mahler Lecture Tour.
Since antiquity, mathematicians have understood that the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter is a fundamental constant, the real number now known as Pi = 3.141529…Throughout the centuries, the number Pi has come up again and again in mathematics in many totally different contexts — as the special value of various integrals, the solution to questions in probability, and many more places.
In this talk, Prof Calegari explored a conjecture, formalised by Grothendieck, which explains how seemingly different occurrences of Pi (as well as many other interesting mathematical constants) should all be related. These numbers are linked to some the biggest open problems in algebra and number theory.
View the post-event news post for a photo gallery and companion articles, as well as the event recording:

About the speaker: Born in Melbourne, Frank Calegari attended Melbourne University as an undergraduate and completed his graduate studies under Ken Ribet at the University of California at Berkeley. He has been a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard and was a Fellow of the American Mathematical Institute from 2002-2007, and a von Neumann Fellow of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study from 2010 to 2011.
Frank joined the Faculty of Northwestern University in 2006 and since 2015, he has been a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Chicago. Frank’s numerous awards include a Sloan Fellowship in 2009 and in 2013 he become a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
Frank’s other interests include coffee, cooking, cricket, and classical piano; he performed live with Zubin Mehta and the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.
About the Mahler Lecture Tour: The Mahler lectures are a biennial activity organised by the Australian Mathematical Society, and supported by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute. The tour invites a prominent international mathematician to travel to Australian universities to deliver lectures at a variety of levels, including several public lectures.

Maths, AI and intuition with Geordie Williamson: Sydney Ideas event
2022-03-15 18:00
This public event took place on 15 March 2022. To receive updates about SMRI Public Events, please subscribe to the mailing list.
Artificial intelligence is one of the defining technologies of the 21st century. Over the last 15 years, machine learning models have learnt to perform tasks that humans find easy, such as speech and image recognition. However many problems are still out of the reach of AI, including most unsolved problems in pure mathematics.
In this talk, hosted by mathematician and MC, Adam Spencer, SMRI Director Professor 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.
Geordie and the DeepMind team used machine learning models to uncover surprising patterns in mathematical objects, leading to progress on problems that have puzzled mathematicians for decades.
View the post-event news post for a photo gallery and companion articles, as well as the event recording:
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About the speaker: Professor Geordie Williamson FAA FRS is Director of the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute and a world-leading expert in representation theory, the mathematical theory of symmetry. Among other awards, he is a recipient of the Clay Research Award, the Chevalley Prize of the American Mathematics Society and 2017 New Horizons in Mathematics Prize.
About the MC: Adam Spencer, Mathematics and Science Ambassador for the University of Sydney, is a best-selling author and science communicator.

POSTPONED: The mathematics of knots with Jessica Purcell
2021-07-15 18:00
This public lecture was postponed. For updates, please subscribe to the SMRI Public Events mailing list.

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.
When is a knot not a knot—how do you know if it can be unknotted? How do you know if two knots are the same? Professor Purcell’s ongoing research explores some of the modern tools to study knots and some of the surprising applications of knot theory, such as quantum physics, synthetic chemistry and molecular biology.
Speaker bio: Jessica Purcell is a Professor in the School of Mathematical Sciences and Associate Dean of Research (Faculty of Science) at Monash University. Her research interests are in geometry and topology, with a particular interest in 3-manifolds, hyberbolic geometry and knot theory. Professor Purcell will visit SMRI in late 2021 as part of the Domestic Visitor Program (2020 Round 2 Awardee).

NSW Chief Scientist's Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series
2019-12-03 08:00
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.
Watch the recording
More on the NSW Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series

Sydney Ideas: Can calculus cure cancer?
2019-11-12 18:00
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 they will respond to treatments. Not only this, but it is also helping to accelerate the development of new treatments such as immunotherapy and virotherapy.
Prof Helen Byrne is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Oxford. She uses mathematical models to understand problems in bio-medicine, especially in the treatment of cancer. She is also a member of the advisory board of the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute.

Dr Simon Marais Memorial Lecture
2019-11-06 06:00
‘An intriguing journey in maths’ with Dr June HuhDr June Huh is a Clay Research Fellow and a member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, USA. He applies tropical geometry and singularity theory to problems in combinatorics and other areas. He is best known in the field of mathematics for his proof of the Rota conjecture, which led him and fellow collaborating mathematicians to receive the 2019 New Horizons in Mathematics Prize as part of the Breakthrough Prize series.

Dr Huh received his Bachelor of Science from Seoul National University in 2007 and PhD in Mathematics from the University of Michigan in 2014. He was a speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2018.

Established in 2016, this the annual Simon Marais memorial lectureship commemorates Dr Simon Marais’ interest and commitment to mathematics, theoretical physics and education. The University of Sydney was entrusted to continue his passion by his family to inspire our students to pursue mathematics and theoretical physics, strengthen the research community in these fields and engage the general public in these fields of work. The inaugural memorial lecture was held in 2017.

Click here to watch the lecture

ABC Science Live on Stage – Ockham’s Razor
2019-08-15 18:00
An engaging event in which brilliant scientists told stories of their cutting-edge work. Real science told by real scientists with no notes, no slides – just great stories.
It’s all part of Ockham’s Razor – the ABC podcast for anyone with a compelling story of science. This was a jam-packed evening of short talks to intrigue, excite and inspire.
Professor Geordie Williamson (Professor of Mathematics, University of Sydney) asked, “where do ideas come from?”
Dr Kate Selway (Earth Scientist, Macquarie University) sought to unlock the secrets of the Earth’s composition from its surface.
Sheila Pham (Writer, Radiomaker, PhD Candidate, Macquarie University) examined whether we can use complexity science to improve the experience of pregnancy.
Dr Ursula Sansom-Daly (Clinician-Researcher, Clinical Psychologist, University of New South Wales) argued we need to bridge the divide between research and clinical practice.
Steve Cannane (Investigative Journalist, ABC) looked at the story of Scientology and science.

You can listen to Ockham’s Razor now via ABC Radio National, iTunes or wherever you get your favourite podcasts. Or, you can read the article.

This Sounds like Science: Why Music is Maths
2019-08-07 12:30
Why do guitars, flutes and voices sound different? How do we hear the different notes in a piece of music? Why does the sound of a whistle feel simpler than that of a violin? Most importantly, what does all of this have to do with the cover of Pink Floyd’s “The dark side of the moon”?

SMRI Director, Professor Geordie Williamson, gave an engaging public talk at the City Recital Hall and took the audience on a journey into the shape of sound and sound waves to explore the fascinating world of timbre, overtones, modes and frequencies. These ideas are amongst the most fundamental tools of modern mathematics and physics.

Learn more

This Sounds Like Science is supported by and co-curated with Inspiring Australia, the national strategy for community engagement with the sciences.
