today we are meeting possibly one of the coolest people i’m aware of that’s still alive today, a mathematician named eugenia cheng. seriously, i love her SO MUCH. you’ll see why.
cheng is a scientist in residence at the university of chicago, where she specializes in higher-level category theory. she taught briefly at the university of sheffield, where she gained tenure and became an honorary fellow, before moving back to chicago. outside of her blooming career in mathematics and teaching, cheng is also a wildly successful concert pianist, and performs regularly in chicago and europe. she is the founder of a nonprofit organization called liederstube, with the mission of presenting classical music (specifically lieder and art song) in a casual setting.
cheng’s true passion, however, lies in the popularization of mathematics and ridding the world of mathematics phobia. she is the author of several books that intend to present mathematics in a simple and understandable manner. her most famous book is how to bake pi, an accessible introduction to concepts like mathematics and logic that draws insights from cooking and baking. among her other books are the art of logic (which i have a copy of!), an exploration of logic through the lenses of politics and social inequality, and x+y: a mathematician’s manifesto for rethinking gender (which i hope to have a copy of soon), a book that explores how cheng’s specialty of category theory can apply to gender inequality in society.
you can learn more about eugenia cheng at her website, eugeniacheng.com. make sure to check out her list of mathematics research for non-math-specialists (http://eugeniacheng.com/math/non-specialists/ ). in particular, check out this article where cheng discusses her experience as an asian women in the male-dominated field of mathematics: https://brightthemag.com/why-i-don-t-like-being-a-female-role-model-10055873ea97. though i’m loathe to pick favorites, cheng has to be near the top of the list of my favorite scientists that we’ve covered so far. perhaps it’s because of her extensive list of achievements, even outside just mathematics research. perhaps its because i relate to her as an asian non-male seeking out a role model. or perhaps it’s because her entire career is based around accessibility and approachability in mathematics, something that’s hard to find as one ventures into higher-level mathematics. regardless, eugenia cheng has been nothing but an inspiration for me, and i hope she can act as the same for some of you.
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"The fact that I’m also in a racial minority makes me unique at almost all conferences; I have met just one other female Asian mathematician at a conference, ever. However, I like to think that I’m memorable enough as a character that people would remember me anyway!"
-Eugenia Cheng
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(written 3/14/21)
