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Frank Islam Athenaeum Symposia Speaker Series

Social Justice: Community Wellness
If you conceive it, you believe it, you can achieve it.
A powerful philosophy created by Mr. Islam which drives the Athenaeum Symposia.

Our distinguished speakers offer timely, stimulating topics delivered by today's leading experts in international affairs, social science, the humanities, arts, politics, and economics. These events encourage meaningful conversation, critical thinking, and intercultural understanding around our collective experiences.

Through a generous gift from philanthropist and civic leader Mr. Frank Islamnew window (to the effect that his remarkable story of immigrant success is told in a documentary filmnew window), all events are free and open to the community.

This year’s speakers will explore the theme of Social Justice: Community Wellness. Our goal is to inspire respectful exchange of ideas among the Montgomery College community and the larger Montgomery County community, advancing the kinds of meaningful conversations that are ever-more important.


Frank Islam Athenaeum Symposia Spring 2023 Speaker Series
The Big Bang of Numbers - Creating a Culture for Universal Mathematical Engagement

Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 5:00-6:30 PM, Germantown Campus, Globe Hall. - View Event Flyer (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader - Link opens in new window)

Dr. Manil Suri
manil suri's book

Mathematical achievement has been shown to be affected by racial and economic differences, with inadequate performance cutting off untold numbers of students from STEM careers of their choice. Fostering math engagement amongst adults can help improve opinions about the subject and prevent negative views being passed down to children. The author will discuss his book, The Big Bang of Numbers, which provides an entertaining introduction to mathematics for both mathematicians and non-mathematicians, by showing how it could arguably be used to build the entire universe.

Dr. Manil Suri was born in Mumbai in 1959 and is a distinguished university professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is the author of numerous books. His fiction has been translated into 27 languages, longlisted for the Booker Prize, shortlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award, LA Times Book Award, PEN/Hemingway Award and the W. H. Smith Literary Award, and has won the McKittrick Prize and the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among others. He is a former contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, for which he has written several widely read pieces on mathematics, India, and LGBTQ+ issues. He lives with his husband in Silver Spring, Maryland.


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These events fulfill the Multicultural Diversity Training requirement for MC employees. 
To reserve space for classes or to request accommodations for an event, email or call 240-567-1845. 

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