Math/Maastricht, an alternative guide to the city

What do the Basilica of Saint Servatius, the bear pit at Aldenhofpark and the gate to the university library have in common? One: they’re special places to visit, and two: they all somehow remind Maastricht University’s math-oriented researchers of their work.

Associations open a window into someone’s mind. To some, the smell of cookies takes them back to their grandparents’ house during summer breaks. Others are caught off-guard by a song on the radio, triggering memories of their wedding dance. On a practical level, perhaps the rain makes you wonder whether you closed your bedroom window that morning, or the act of crossing a bridge suddenly reminds you of the origin of your field of work (and yes, that last thought belongs to a mathematician).

On International Pi Day, we celebrate mathematics by presenting Math/Maastricht: a collection of twelve stories, each exploring an association between math research and a location in the city. Together, they form an alternative city guide, pointing out places of interest both in Maastricht and in the math-oriented research landscape at UM.

Math/Maastricht

Math/Maastricht online and in person

The series features researchers from the Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering (Faculty of Science and Engineering) and the Department of Quantitative Economics (School of Business and Economics), who offer a glimpse into their world by taking the reader to the site of their associations.

Starting today, all stories are online at www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/mathmaastricht.

 

Until April 19, the Art and Heritage Committee also shows a photo exhibition featuring some of the project’s highlights in the UM building at Minderbroedersberg. Full details about the Math/Maastricht exhibition can be found here.