“Can mathematics help you win at Powerball? Improve your chances of finding a handsome man to date who’s not a jerk? How about prove the existence of God? While we’re at it, might the promise of such provocative explorations lure you into picking up a treatise on perhaps your least favorite subject?” writes Manil Suri in the opening paragraph of his Washington Post Book Review.

The book in question is, “How Not to Be Wrong,” by Jordan Ellenberg.

“Ellenberg’s talent for finding real-life situations that enshrine mathematical principles would be the envy of any math teacher. He presents these in fluid succession, like courses in a fine restaurant, taking care to make each insight shine through, unencumbered by jargon or notation. Part of the sheer intellectual joy of the book is watching the author leap nimbly from topic to topic, comparing slime molds to the Bush-Gore Florida vote, criminology to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The final effect is of one enormous mosaic unified by mathematics,” writes Suri.

Read the Entire Review

Books by Manil Suri

• The Age of Shiva
• The Death of Vishnu
• The City of Devi

Modern Wave, a display featuring works by cinematic arts major Dominic Martin Gilberto Marín ’13, will open this fall in the Eubie Blake Center in Baltimore. A solo exhibition, Modern Wave “is a collection of abstract paintings and photographs, inspired by urban landscapes, nature and anatomy.”

Learn more, and donate to Marín’s exhibition at its indiegogo page.

Announcing the Final Examination of Zuotang Zhang(LLC Cohort 12)

Date and Location:  June 25, 2014 at  3:30 p.m., 107 Public Policy Building

Title:  An Ethnography of Traditional Rural Folk Funeral Practice in Northwestern China

This ethnographic study will analyze data collected through field-based observations, primary ritual texts, and locally conducted interviews of the yin-yang practitioners in the three small villages of Fanmagou, Qijiazhuang, and Wangdazhuang in northwestern China. The practice referred to as yin-yang in this region is part of an archaic folk religious system that can be traced back to at least the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Despite its deep cultural roots, it is becoming endangered due to the impact of national policies (governing religion and culture) and the general adaptation to modernity in China. Due to the localized nature of this cultural system, the main research method used will be qualitative ethnographic description, with a Geertzian “thick description” approach to interpretive analysis. The collected data is roughly divided into three categories: (1) transcriptions of interviews with yin-yang practitioners and other local villagers; (2) video tapes, photographs, and field notes of local religious rituals, specifically memorial and burial rites that are led by the yin-yang practitioners, and (3) my own translations of yin-yang scriptural texts that are used in leading the rituals themselves, as well as for the teaching and training of young yin-yang apprentices. The interpretive ethnography that is produced from these rich primary sources will also be considered for its curriculum applications in two primary higher education contexts:  1) As a rich primary source for courses in Chinese culture and language – conducted in either Chinese or English language context, and 2) As a source of engaging and culturally relevant texts for courses in content-based ESOL for Chinese students (in China presumably). 

Dissertation Committee: Joby Taylor, Chair

Beverly Bickel, Co-Chair

Karl Luckert

JoAnn Crandall

Anna Shields

The public is welcome to observe.

TED Talks is coming to UMBC! For those who are not familiar with the program, TED Talks are a series of lectures that bring together the world’s leading thinkers and doers to share ideas in a variety of disciplines, including technology, entertainment, humanities, science, design, and development. Later, these talks are available online to watch for free on TED.com.

To reach a broader community and share more ideas, TED Talks has created TEDx, a program of local, self-organized events to share a TED-like experience. Although UMBC’s TED event is not organized by TED Conferences, the university is excited to be a licensee of TEDx to create deep discussions and connections. UMBC is looking for speakers with new and upcoming ideas in their fields of any discipline that correspond with the theme, “Reaching New Heights.”

Alumni, students, faculty members, staff, and community partners who are doing innovative work connected with UMBC are all welcome to partake in the university’s TEDx event.

Do you think you or someone you know would be a good candidate for a speaker at TEDxUMBC? Apply online now or nominate a speaker. The event will take place on September 13, 2014, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Contact Niranjani Chidamber at chidamb1@umbc.edu or Rebecca Behnke at behnke1@umbc.edu with any questions.