Lectures on Tap - "Inside the Surprisingly Creative World of Math Research"

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: Inside the Surprisingly Creative World of Math Research

🎤 Speaker: Gabe Schoenbach

Nearly everyone has encountered mathematical thinking at some point. But for such a familiar subject, there is surprisingly little understanding of what math research actually looks like. Join us as PhD student and theoretical computer scientist Gabe Schoenbach pulls back the curtain on the surprisingly creative, intuitive, and human side of advanced mathematics.

Far from rote memorization and tedious computations, math research, as Gabe argues, is an aesthetic and imaginative pursuit—closer to music, art, and the humanities than many people realize. Drawing on his own journey, he’ll explore how his mother’s career as a professional jazz pianist and his relationship with his autistic sister have shaped the way he approaches mathematical problems.

Gabe will also tackle the fast-approaching impact of artificial intelligence on the world of math research. How might new AI tools transform the way mathematicians think, collaborate, and discover? And what does “creativity” mean when machines can suggest proofs?

Come rethink what math can be—and what it feels like to do it. Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.