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Mathematics in Science and Society

Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

presenting three talks by

Richard W. Hamming


Richard Hamming is a mathematician, computer scientist, inventor of the "Hamming code" while at Bell Labs, and educator. At the Tuesday talk he will be awarded an Alumni Achievement Award by the Department of Mathematics.

Teaching from a Systems Engineering Point of View

This talk will attempt to provide some insights, drawn from a long and varied career, into the process necessary to analyze complex problems like the organization of mathematics education.

Monday, October 21, 1996, 4:00 PM, Room 314, Altgeld Hall.


Mathematics on a different planet, or, How arbitrary is our accepted Mathematics?

Our attitudes about mathematics have been heavily influenced by certain assumptions about the nature of number, reasoning and counting. This talk is an intentionally provocative thought experiment about what sort of mathematics we might have if some of those assumptions had turned out differently.

Tuesday, October 22, 1996, 4:00 PM, Room 314, Altgeld Hall.

Refreshments at 3:15 pm in Room 321, Altgeld Hall.


The Future of Electrical Engineering

Some practical suggestions for making sure that we are preparing our Electrical Engineering students for their future and not our past.

Wednesday, October 23, 1996, 4:00 PM, Room 314, Altgeld Hall.