For Francis Su, a society without mathematical affection is like a city without concerts, parks, or museums. In this Founders Lecture, Francis will show that mathematics is an experience of the mind and, most importantly, of the heart. Su offers an inclusive vision of what mathematics is, who it is for, and how it relates to the dignity of being human.  

Francis Su is a past president of the Mathematical Association of America. He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Harvard University and is now a mathematics professor at Harvey Mudd College, a science and engineering university in California. This year, he is a visiting researcher at the Sydney Maths Research Institute. In 2013, he received the Haimo Award, a nationwide teaching prize in the United States for college level teaching of maths, and in 2018 he won the Halmos-Ford writing award. 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 eight languages. It is an inclusive vision of what math is, who it's for, and why anyone can learn it and has been referred to as “perhaps the most important mathematics book of our time”.