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The Lady Gaga of Mathematics

Ozy profiles Cédric Villani, the Fields-medalist-turned-math-popularizer whose flashy style and collection of spider brooches has some calling him "the Lady Gaga of mathematics."

Villani won the Fields Medal in 2010 for his work on mathematical physics, specifically gas dynamics and entropy, but he has since devoted himself to outreach activities.

In a talk in California last year, Villani summed up his philosophy of mathematical communication:

There is a way to present things so that people will come up and tell you, ’Oh, I feel so stupid and ignorant in front of you,’ and there’s another way to tell things and people will say, ’Oh, I feel so intelligent when I’m listening to you.’ And then you know you’re doing the right stuff … because you’re reflecting the light coming from the beauty of mathematics.

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Start Date: 
Thursday, April 24, 2014