Math & Cultural
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| Location: | San Francisco State University |
The American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute present
The 2014 AMS Einstein Public Lecture in Mathematics
Mathematics, Common Sense, and Good Luck
James H. Simons
Chair, Simons Foundation
Saturday, October 25, 2014
6:00 p.m.
Towers Conference Center
San Francisco State University
Early in his working life, James Simons was demoted from stock boy to floor sweeper. This actually turned out to be a good thing because sweeping gave him more time to think about mathematics. After receiving his PhD in mathematics, chairing a department, and working in cryptanalysis, he founded the financial firm Renaissance Technologies in 1988 and eventually made 100% of the company's investment decisions based on mathematical models, which also turned out to be a good thing as he is now one of the 100 richest people in the world. Simons is now a philanthropist who supports basic research through the foundation that he and his wife, Marilyn, created. In this lecture, Simons will ruminate on the three intertwining subjects of his careers: mathematics, finance, and philanthropy.
The lecture will be followed by a reception hosted by the American Mathematical Society and the Department of Mathematics of San Francisco State University (SFSU). To register for the reception, which begins at 7:15, use this form.
The Einstein Lecture is part of the Fall 2014 American Mathematical Society (AMS) Western Sectional Meeting (Oct. 25–26) at SFSU. The event is also part of the Bay Area Science Festival.