In CBS's successful NUMB3RS, Charlie Eppes, a young professor at CalSci-a university modeled on the California Institute of Technology (Caltech)-uses his world-class math skills to assist his FBI agent brother Don in solving crimes.
On Wednesday, October 5, Gary A. Lorden, professor of mathematics and executive officer for mathematics at Caltech, and the show's main math consultant, will discuss his experiences and how NUMB3RS's unique combination of mathematical applications, famous unsolved math problems, and crime drama has struck a chord with the public, spurring new interest in mathematics. His talk, "Math by the NUMB3RS: How Caltech Helps a CBS Television Show Do the Math," is the first program of the 2005-2006 Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series.
"This is the first portrayal of mathematics in a prime time television series, showing the kind of research and teaching that mathematicians do in universities and how it can be used to solve real-world problems," says Lorden. He will describe the impact the show has had on public perceptions of mathematics, and even on math education.
At the end of the lecture, executive producers and series creators Cheryl Heuton and Nick Falacci, along with other special guests from the series, will join Lorden on stage for a question-and-answer session with audience members.
The talk will take place at 8 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium, 332 S. Michigan Avenue south of Del Mar Boulevard, on the Caltech campus in Pasadena. Seating is available on a free, no-ticket-required, first-come, first-served basis. Caltech has offered the Watson Lecture Series since 1922, when it was conceived by the late Caltech physicist Earnest Watson as a way to explain science to the local community.
Upcoming lectures in the 2005-2006 series include
o Joy Crisp, Mars Exploration Rover project scientist from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on "Spirit and Opportunity's Excellent Adventure in Mars Geology," November 2.
o Kip S. Thorne, Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Caltech, on "Einstein's General Relativity, from 1905 to 2005: Warped Spacetime, Black Holes, Gravitational Waves, and the Accelerating Universe," November 16.
o William A. Goddard III, Charles and Mary Ferkel Professor of Chemistry, Materials Science and Applied Physics, and director of the Materials Process Simulation Center, Caltech, on "The Coming Revolution in Pharmaceuticals," January 18, 2006.
For more information, call 1(888) 2CALTECH (1-888-222-5832) or (626) 395-4652.
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Contact: Kathy Svitil (626) 395-8022 ksvitil@caltech.edu
Visit the Caltech Media Relations Web site at: http://pr.caltech.edu/media
Written by Kathy Svitil