For many people, math is cold and lifeless, a bunch of rules to follow—a way to separate people rather than a way to bring them together. It’s no wonder that many have anxiety over their math experiences. But what if we could see how math is tied to our deepest human longings—for beauty, for justice, for love? Would we see it—and ourselves—differently? Join mathematician Francis Su in conversation with Mia Chung-Yee as they discuss the broader implications of his new book Mathematics for Human Flourishing, which he wrote in collaboration with his friend Christopher Jackson, an incarcerated man who reshaped Su’s own views of what math is, who it’s for, and why anyone should learn it.

Francis Su is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, and former president of the Mathematical Association of America. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, and his research is in geometric combinatorics and applications to the social sciences. He was a sabbatical visitor to Cornell University in 2000 in the Operations Research department. He also has a passion for popularizing mathematics, frequently writing about the dignity of human beings in connection with the wonder of mathematical teaching. In 2013, he received the Haimo Award, a nationwide teaching prize for college math faculty, and in 2018 he won the Halmos-Ford writing award for a speech that inspired his book Mathematics for Human Flourishing (2020). His work has been featured in Quanta Magazine, Wired, and the New York Times.

Mia Chung-Yee, Founder and Board Chair of The Octet Collaborative, has enjoyed great success internationally as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician. In 1993, she won first prize at the Concert Artists Guild Competition and in 1997, she received the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the highest recognition for young concert artists in the United States. Mia graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, a master’s degree from Yale University and doctorate from The Juilliard School. She served as Professor of Music and Artist in Residence at Gordon College from 1991 to 2011 and joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music as Professor of Musical Studies in 2012. She has been a guest speaker and panelist at Veritas Forum events and was a fellow in the Veritas Riff program in 2014 and 2018. Dr. Chung-Yee’s introduction to the Christian study center movement occurred in 2018 when she was a guest lecturer at Cornell’s Chesterton House.

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