Wicked good fuel for the road. T minus 2 days to MAA MathFest in Boston! ☕🍩 #MAAthFest

Keith Devlin asks: Can mathematics help us understand consciousness? Explore Part 2 of his video series. Watch now: https://maa.org/math-values/can-mathematics-help-us-understand-consciousness-part-2/

Join us for MAA MathFest Family Day on Aug. 8 for a free, fun-filled celebration of math! Enjoy hands-on puzzles, games, and activities for all ages, including a Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival and Math Playground hosted by The Young People’s Project. Register today: https://bit.ly/4g1VjCY

Did you enjoy playing backgammon at MAA MathFest 2025? Keep the strategy going with the latest Scatterplot article, "Solving The Race in Backgammon," and discover how mathematics can improve your game. Read more: https://bit.ly/4yJRYQs

MAA is in Philadelphia this week for the International Congress of Mathematicians, the first time it's been on US soil since 1986. #ICM2026

In the Boston area and looking for a free, fun way to enjoy math? Join MAA MathFest Family Day on Saturday, August 8, 10am–1pm at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. Register by July 28: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3yujXUz29OlQ0x23DKNpZLZHk29X7uuC48MKW3bnJPE31LA/viewform?usp=header

Congratulations to this year's Fields Medalists: Yu Deng, John Pardon, Jacob Tsimerman, and Hong Wang, honored today at ICM 2026 in Philadelphia. Story via @simonsfoundation.org: https://bit.ly/4psOJbU

2026 Fields Medals Awarded to Four of World’s Top Mathematicians

2026 Fields Medals Awarded to Four of World’s Top Mathematicians on Simons Foundation

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Congratulations to Team USA! At the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad in Shanghai, the six-student team organized by MAA placed 2nd overall among 117 participating teams. Read more about Team USA here: https://maa.org/news/team-usa-takes-second-place-at-67th-imo/

Mathematicians just got scooped by AI on a problem they'd spent years on. David Bressoud asks what that means for how we teach math. Read the latest Math Values: https://maa.org/math-values/modernizing-undergraduate-mathematics/

Congressman Jake Auchincloss (MA-4) joins our MAA MathFest advocacy panel, Fri, Aug 7th at 3:30pm. Hear what's at stake for math & science and how MAA is advocating for you on Capitol Hill. Learn more about the panel here: https://maa.org/events/mathfest-program/panels/#Advocacy

Lew Ludwig has a take: "should we use AI?" is the wrong question. A former Google engineer, and a line from Gandalf, helped him land on why. In his latest Math Values post, Ludwig makes his case: https://bit.ly/4wI8puL

In the latest Math Values post, Yana Mohanty argues that children's museums may hold the key to repairing America's relationship with math. She shares what she's seen firsthand in the Math Room at San Diego's New Children's Museum. Read Yana's full post here: https://bit.ly/4aW2XvY

Nearly 1 million students take College Algebra yearly, it has the highest failure rate of any intro course. Dave Kung says our curriculum hasn't caught up. His new Math Values post shares what 60 leaders agreed needs to change. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4ychJIP

Can math help us make sense of consciousness? Keith Devlin explores it in video form, Part 1 of 2. Read more: https://maa.org/math-values/can-mathematics-help-us-understand-consciousness/

In our Math Values post, Duxy Toinury reflects on math, healing, and identity in response to Aji Kang's question, "Who is math?" Read here: https://maa.org/math-values/a-response-to-aji-kangs-what-does-it-mean-to-ask-who-is-math/

Grow your teaching community with MAA OPEN Math. Join six online learning communities for undergraduate math faculty. Registration deadlines: July 9–August 11. Learn more and register: https://maa.org/resource/open-math/

The MAA is excited to announce new editorial leadership for The American Mathematical Monthly and MAA FOCUS, two voices that have informed and inspired mathematicians for generations. Welcome to the team. Read more here: https://maa.org/news-updates/

Today is the last day to save on MAA MathFest 2026 before prices rise tomorrow! Join mathematicians, educators, and students in Boston, August 5–8, for four days of learning, collaboration, and connection. Register today: https://web.cvent.com/event/ad822b5c-1850-4215-a691-11fd7c371828/

An 80-year-old math problem. A curious grad student. High-dimensional spheres. Quanta Magazine on the first breakthrough in near-diagonal Ramsey numbers in 50 years. Read here: https://www.quantamagazine.org/after-80-years-mathematicians-give-famed-erdos-method-an-upgrade-20260626/

After 80 Years, Mathematicians Give Famed ‘Erdős Method’ an Upgrade | Quanta Magazine

Decades ago, Paul Erdős used randomness to illuminate the vast and weird world of networks. Now mathematicians are making his technique even more powerful.

quantamagazine.org

A proposed federal rule could allow political appointees to override NSF grant peer review and restrict conference travel, journal subscriptions, and open-access fees. Comments close July 13. Learn more and respond: https://bit.ly/4aslnnP

Connect with fellow undergraduate math faculty through six semester-long online learning communities. Fully online, just $50, no travel required. Registration deadlines: July 9–Aug. 11. Space is limited, register here: https://maa.org/open-math-workshops/

The June/July issue of MAA FOCUS has arrived! ICM 2026 previews, a review of Proof, the story behind math course buttons building campus community, and a preview of the MAA MathFest 2026 program. Read more: https://digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com/publication/?i=866738&p=0&view=issueViewer

U.S. World Cup goalkeeper Matt Freese brings a Harvard economics mindset to the pitch. The Wall Street Journal explores how his analytical approach helped him reach soccer's biggest stage. Read here: www.wsj.com/sports/soccer/matt-freese-goalkeeper-usa-world-cup-495d3f0a?st=kMgkCx

The Harvard Data Nerd Defending America's Goal at the World Cup

Matt Freese, who holds an Ivy League economics degree, came out of practically nowhere to secure the job as the U.S. national team's starting goalkeeper--and his analytical approach has been integral to his rise.

wsj.com

What if you could get direct feedback on your grant ideas from NSF program officers? Read how prospective PIs benefited from MAA's recent Lightning Talks session and learn how the conversation continues at MAA MathFest '26 this August in Boston. Read the Math Values post: https://bit.ly/4f18nrQ

MAA MathFest 2026 heads to Boston, Aug 5–8, featuring Eugenia Cheng, Stephen Wolfram, Moon Duchin, and more. Workshops, minicourses, and programming for all levels. Prices increase June 30, register now: https://web.cvent.com/event/ad822b5c-1850-4215-a691-11fd7c371828/summary

The MAA hosted a June 15–16 Generative AI Convening, bringing practitioners & researchers together to explore AI in education, share classroom insights, and identify challenges shaping future research and policy.

In the latest Math Values post, David Bressoud argues the curriculum isn't neutral, the order we teach mathematics shapes what students believe mathematics is. Read here: https://maa.org/math-values/series-in-fdwk/

MAA member Dr. Arthur Benjamin is taking mathematics Off-Broadway this summer! That Math Show runs June 11–Aug. 16 at Theater 555 in NYC. Get tickets at https://bit.ly/49VWkt3, and catch Art at MAA MathFest too! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4e7NtFG

That Math Show

THAT MATH SHOW brings the beauty, wonder, and magic of mathematics to the stage. From the company that produced over 800 performances of THAT PHYSICS SHOW and THAT CHEMISTRY SHOW, The Science Theater ...

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Pop culture can open the door to math research. Three mathematicians argue that meeting students where their interests already are can expand who sees themselves belonging in mathematics. Read more: https://bit.ly/4uxQYeV

Lew Ludwig thinks the question in math ed isn't whether to use AI, it's how to use it well. He shares practical strategies for faculty: structured prompting, markdown for cleaner outputs, and troubleshooting when AI misses the mark. Read his full Math Values post: https://bit.ly/4ukJQCt