The Museum of Mathematics

“Glen Whitney, a Ph.D. and hedge-fund veteran, has raised $23 million for a museum that aims to get U.S. kids excited about math.”

“Perhaps the most ambitious effort to give math some sparkle comes from Whitney, the hedge-fund mathematician. He has raised $22 million to build a Museum of Mathematics, due to open this fall in New York City.”

“The Museum of Mathematics is counting the days until its opening at 11 E. 26th St., between Fifth and Madison Avenues.”

“Longwood Junior High School has taken the crown as the county’s math champs at the middle school level.”

“America’s first Museum of Mathematics, set to open in New York City this fall, began their fundraising with a MoMath Masters Tournament, an adult math competition with over 200 participants.”

“…the final rounds of the First Math Masters, which enlivened the highly successful fund-raising gala for the Museum of Mathematics, provided the same thrills, tension, quick thinking under pressure, and the collective sharp intakes of onlookers’ breaths, as a true sports event does.”

“Glen Whitney shows how to make math fun for kids.”

“Samuel Hansen spoke with the people behind the Museum of Mathematics right before the February 2012 Math Encounter talk by Jeff Weeks about the Shape of Space.”

“Come one, come all to the biggest carnival in town—the Math Midway mathematics carnival.”

“The Museum of Mathematics.. will occupy two levels of a building at the north end of Madison Square Park and offer permanent exhibit space as well as classroom space that the organization plans to rent out for private events.”

“Explore surprising aspects of math in a carnival-themed exhibition from the Museum of Mathematics.”

“MoMath will be the only museum in the United States dedicated entirely to math.”

“When MoMath opens on the edge of Madison Square Park in late 2012, kids will be able to check out interactive exhibits that bring math to life.”

“Math excites Glen Whitney. He believes it should excite you, too. This is why Whitney, a former algorithms specialist at the famously math-loving hedge fund Renaissance Technologies, has raised more than $22 million to open a New York City museum to glorify [math].”

“Developers are trying to play their cards right, hoping to make NoMad a new cultural hotspot. And they have a good start—fan favorite the Museum of Mathematics just leased a space in the neighborhood.”

“Today’s Wall Street Journal moseys over to NoMad, the neighborhood that’s been begging for the spotlight since the Ace Hotel opened its reclaimed wooden doors three years ago… things are moving in! Things like bars and restaurants and even a math museum!”

“…the proximity to the Flatiron Building offered a quirky bit of symbolism for the new Museum of Mathematics: ‘It’s the most photographed angle in New York,’ Mr. Whitney, the museum’s director, pointed out.”

“The Museum of Mathematics, which is joining the Museum of Sex in the neighborhood, chose a showroom at 11 East 26th Street as a location…”

“[Glen Whitney] approached me to tell me that he’d be opening a museum of mathematics. I was immediately entranced by the idea, and quickly offered to help”

“Advance membership to the Museum of Mathematics (from $40; momath.org). Scheduled to open next fall in a 19,000-square-foot venue bordering Madison Square Park, the not-for-profit MoMath will be something of a playground for aspiring Leonhard Eulers. Founder Glen Whitney’s M.O.: Make math cool.”

“This will be the first Museum of Mathematics in North America.”

“Visitors can see—and physically experience—how math makes the seemingly impossible not only possible, but fun.”

“Three Long Island parents who dreamed of opening a Museum of Mathematics for children in Manhattan moved their vision a step closer to reality this week when they unveiled their space on East 26th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues to journalists and potential exhibit sponsors.”

“I started this museum because I wanted people to have a chance to see the beauty, excitement and wonder of mathematics.”

“Glen Whitney, executive director and founder of the nonprofit Museum of Mathematics, talks to Bloomberg’s Patrick Cole about his goals for the project.”

“[The] Math Midway kicks off “The Year of Math,” an effort to engage students, teachers and families in the world of mathematics.”

“At the summer NCTM Board of Directors meeting, a task force was created to work with leaders of the new Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) to develop a plan for initiating and implementing a mathematics public image campaign.”

“[Glen Whitney] hopes that MoMath will be significant in establishing a mathematical culture.”

“It’s no secret U.S. students lag far behind in math compared to dozens of other countries in the developed world, but mathematicians behind a new museum are working to get students back in the race.”

“If we can get more people, especially pivotal people that are involved with kids, like teachers, improving their attitudes toward math and then make that infectious, that’s really our most likely path toward having a broader social impact.”

“Last week I attended a wonderful presentation given by Keith Devlin, a Stanford University mathematician and NPR’s “Math Guy,” on “Fibonacci & the Golden Ratio: Exposed Common Myths and Fascinating Truths” as part of the public lecture series “Math Encounters” organized by the Museum of Mathematics.”

“Do you think baseball has nothing to do with Math? Guess again! Glen Whitney has come up with some genius ways to get your kids working overtime in math while watching a ball game.”

“Celebrate the spectacular world of mathematics with the Museum of Mathematics’ free, public Math Encounters presentation series. NPR’s “Math Guy,” and Stanford University mathematician Keith Devlin discusses ‘Fibonacci & the Golden Ratio Exposed: Common Myths & Fascinating Truths.’”

“Driving trips are another fact of summer and weekend life – here are some fun math activities to do while you’re scanning the scenery out the window.”

“Maybe your summer getaway includes some lazy time on the beach. Here are a few hidden mathematical gems to look for among the sand and the shells.”

The Museum of Mathematics gained over 270 Facebook “likes” this week, which ranks as the third largest percentage increase among all museums (with more than 1,000 likes).

“Mathematician Angela Vierling-Claassen reveals how math and art inevitably collide in a free, open to the public presentation titled “From Points to Paints: How Math Altered the Course of Modern Art.””

“We want to expose the breadth and the beauty of mathematics.”

[Also see our related articles on the Menger Sponge and Water Tanks, Fire Hydrants, and Math]

“The talk was about soap bubbles, and it was masterfully presented by the mathematician Frank Morgan, a true bubble magician. Dr. Morgan, an extremely entertaining speaker, is a distinguished research mathematician whose interest is Minimal Surfaces.”

“The mission of the museum is to create the greatest amount of exciting, hands-on, informal mathematical opportunities that are out there in the world.”

“Like winnings in a casino, the kind of inspiration and stimulation of young minds that the Museum of Mathematics hopes to spark cannot be guaranteed. But by presenting innovative hands-on exhibits and focusing on the fascinating ways that mathematics is manifested in the world, the museum hopes to stack the odds in inspiration’s favor.”

“Kids and kindred spirits have fun with geometric toys during the 2010 World Science Festival Youth and Family Street Fair in New York City.”

“…people are missing out on the whole fun, beautiful world of math. They never get a chance to see [it]. I want to share that with people.”

“The Discovery Center for Science and Technology wants to kick-start young minds into mathematical gear with the Math Midway traveling exhibition.”

“Math (equals) discovery (equals) beauty (equals) fun.”

“[Math is] creative. It’s innovative. It’s just fun and amazing and a wonderful part of the human experience.”

Crain’s story on MoMath tagged as “most well-read story two days in a row!”
“Manhattan is getting a new museum. The Museum of Mathematics, a new nonprofit cultural institution created by former hedge fund executive Glen Whitney, just signed a lease for 19,000 square feet near Madison Square Park.”

MoMath news reaches the UK!

“One of the points of the Math Encounters series is for people to see ways that math touches on their lives,” Mr. Whitney said. “The fact that there’s such a thing as mathematical calligraphy, if you will, is surprising to a lot of people.”

“Michael T. Jones, chief technology advocate at Google, added: ‘By transforming the curious learners of today into the innovators of tomorrow, museums perpetuate both creativity and accomplishment. That’s why I am thrilled that Google is supporting beloved science museums including the Museum of Mathematics.’”

“Last month, MoMath drew about 350 people to Baruch College for ‘The Geometry of Origami, From Science to Sculpture,’ the first in a series of what it calls Math Encounters, programs designed to illustrate how math is woven into the fabric of everyday life.”

“We’re constantly bombarded with the message—you’ve got to read to your kids. But we also have to give them quantitative experiences.”

“How better to demonstrate the link between mathematics and art than through origami.”

“MIT Prof. Erik Demaine looks at the relationship between numbers and art as part of the “Math Encounters” series for the Museum of Math.”

“Can a hands-on math museum generate the same kind of excitement? Glen Whitney, a former algorithm manager at hedge fund giant Renaissance Technologies, thinks it can.”

“MoMath is definitely going to challenge some stereotypes about mathematics and about museums.”

“So many kids leave school with ‘bad-dentist’ experiences in math,” Brandoff says. “If you can get through to them in time and plant that seed of excitement about math, it will blossom throughout their lives.”

“It’s about getting kids to explore things on their own, with their hands,” said Tim Nissen, Chief of Design from the Museum of Math. “It’s about bringing fun and creativity to science and math.”

“Cultural appreciation of math’s beauty would fuel students’ desire to learn it.”

“The [Math Midway] series of exhibits has turned the common conception of mathematics into a three-ringed circus of well-calculated fun.”

“Math Midway gives visitors a ‘chance to explore math where there’s no one right answer, which is more true to what the essence of math is,’ said [Glen] Whitney.”

“The Math Midway, a precursor to a Museum of Math, set to open in Manhattan in early 2012, is open daily through July 6 in Stony Brook.”

“I had a jarring moment Wednesday night as I talked with some of the science, math and engineering luminaries attending the World Science Festival celebration … In the crowd was Glen Whitney, a young mathematician who excitedly explained that he was creating the country’s first Museum of Mathematics.”

“But a Math Museum, where it is dedicated to JUST math?? That sounds pretty awesome too!”

“Italy has the Garden of Archimedes. Germany has Mathematikum. The United States? In an apparent reflection of its low regard for the subject matter, the United States has zero museums devoted to mathematics. Until 2011. That’s when math Ph.D. and former hedge funder Glen Whitney plans to open a permanent museum of math in New York City.”

“If you think of math as a forest, … In school, you basically see one straight road bulldozed through it. Here at the Math Midway, you can take a stroll.”

“The underlying goal of the whole event is to get kids excited about math and let them have fun.”

“The Midway brings the hidden math all around us to life and illustrates that it is more than simply numbers on a piece of paper. Not to mention a lot of fun.”

“Indeed, a mathematical circus, of a kind, debuted in the shadow of the New York City skyscrapers that were built with engineering, and mathematical and architectural prowess.”

“Glen Whitney hopes to reinvigorate a stodgy subject with a new museum.”

“Not surprisingly, [Glen Whitney] sees math everywhere; he gives math tours, and he’s created a traveling math exhibit.”

“[I]n this age of graphing calculators and computers that do everything for us, how do we show kids how to connect math to the life they lead?”

“Whitney aims to inspire middle schoolers by taking his exhibit school to school, town to town…” Click here for Part 2

“The Kosticks were recently commissioned to create four giant twelve-piece magnetic puzzles … for the Math Midway, America’s first interactive math museum.”

“The idea behind the museum, which doesn’t yet have a home, is that math is ubiquitous, [and] supercool…”

“…Whitney has started a traveling exhibition, the Math Midway, to give the public a taste of the kind of interactive exhibits the museum will someday house.”

“[Glen Whitney] understood what a vital role a museum of mathematics could play in society. And he has set out to make that happen.”

“‘The quote of the day came from one little girl who, pointing to one of the life-size puzzles, yelled out, “Mommy, there’s math in there.” That’s one soul we’ve converted.’”

“The Math Midway was beautifully put together in a weaving of colors, demonstrations, performances, signs, brochures, ideas and people.”

“One of the goals is for people to see, large as life, what math can be,” Mr. Whitney said. “Math isn’t just about numbers. It’s about shapes, relationships between things.”

“The midway’s unique exhibits will include items such as square-wheeled tricycles and a plane of laser light that passes through plastic polyhedra to create surprising cross sections.”

“We want to show the things in math that are fresh and new and are very much related to everyday life,” he said, citing baseball, poker and traffic management as arenas where math plays a central role.”

“[Non-mathematicians] need to understand that there are more forms of math than they ever dreamed of, that the world of math is open for exploration by anybody, and that math is something to enjoy and take delight in.”