Title: Puzzles, Statistics, and Symmetry: A Mathematical Journey

Abstract: Through our numerous and extended encounters with mathematics, we all find both joy and frustration, but we also have really big misconceptions about what makes math… math. I will share my own story, weaving into the story a few puzzles, some statistical stories, and a love of symmetry. This is a broad talk aimed at anyone interested in how a mathematician might think of mathematics, touching on concepts such as pattern recognition, logical reasoning, symmetry, calculus and infinity.

Bio: Goldin is a professor of mathematics at George Mason University, and a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. She is an accomplished mathematician focusing on geometry and related combinatorics, as well as a leading expert on the use and abuse of statistics in the media. Goldin was the director of STATS at Sense About Science USA for about 10 years, working with journalists to improve mathematical communication. She was the inaugural winner of the Ruth I. Michler Memorial Prize of the Association for Women in Mathematics, an Etta Z. Falconer Lecturer on the use of statistics in the media, and has held numerous grants awarded from the National Science Foundation for her work in mathematics and statistical communication. Goldin earned a B.A. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.