Mathematics Everywhere: Making Numbers Matter to the General Public with Maria de la Luz de Teresa

In an interview with The Day, Maria de la Luz de Teresa discussed her mission to make mathematics accessible and relatable to the general population. She believes that it is important for people to understand how mathematics applies in everyday life and how it has revolutionized various industries.

María de la Luz de Teresa gave examples such as internet searches to illustrate the impact of mathematics on efficiency. She explained how mathematical algorithms used by Google have improved search engines, making them faster and more efficient.

The researcher also talked about the contributions of historical figures like Florence Nightingale and Ingrid Daubechies to the field of mathematics. Nightingale introduced health and epidemiological statistics to nursing, while Daubechies made significant advancements in wavelet theory, leading to applications in data compression and analysis.

Maria de la Luz de Teresa emphasized the importance of women in mathematics and debunked the myth that only men can excel in the field. She highlighted brilliant women like Daubechies and Nightingale who have made valuable contributions to mathematics.

The researcher also discussed the mathematical implications of everyday technologies such as air conditioning in cars and autonomous vehicles. She explained that these technologies rely on complex mathematical concepts that engineers put into practice behind the scenes.

Maria de la Luz de Teresa will be discussing these topics at her upcoming conference “Mathematics Everywhere” as part of the 2024 Conversations series. The conference aims to show young people how math is present in various aspects of their lives and can be both interesting and fun to learn about.

In conclusion, Maria de la Luz de Teresa believes that mathematics should not be seen as a subject reserved for a select few but rather as an essential tool that everyone should understand its applications, topics, tools, and instruments present in their daily lives.