Viewed through the right lens, the universal language of math connects to literature, philosophy, law, medicine, art, business, and even pop culture and current events. It underpins every aspect of our lives, from finding the perfect romantic partner to understanding how Google works. Yet few of us understand math well enough to appreciate its beauty, prompting world-class mathematician Steven Strogatz to bring math to the masses through a regular, and popular, New York Times column.

In an Augsut 6 SFI Community Lecture in Santa Fe, Strogatz shared what's worked – and what hasn’t – in his efforts to democratize math, providing compelling clues on how to connect future generations to this increasingly critical discipline.

Watch the lecture (95 minutes, August 6, 2014)

Listen to an interview with Steven Strogatz on the Santa Fe Radio Cafe (August 6, 2014)

Read the article in the Santa Fe New Mexican (August 4, 2014)

Strogatz is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cornell University and author of Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos, Sync, The Calculus of Friendship and The Joy of x.

SFI Community Lectures are broadcast live online. To watch a lecture as it happens, visit SFI's YouTube page. You can participate in the live Twitter discussion at #sfi_live or @sfi_live.

SFI’s 2014 Community Lectures are made possible through the generous support of Thornburg Investment Management.

For a complete listing of upcoming SFI community events, please check here.