This is a past event.

Please join the Department of Mathematical Sciences as we welcome Dr. Andrew Fiss, Associate Professor of Technical & Professional Communication here at Michigan Tech. With an undergraduate degree in mathematics and graduate degrees in history and philosophy of science, he works at the intersection of technical communication and STS and has been an invited speaker at math events in the US and UK.

Title: Singing Math: American College Traditions from Book Burnings to Observatory Parties, 1880-1930
Abstract: “Singing Math” is a practice that linked American colleges particularly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A part of broader college singing traditions, it stood apart because of its subject matter: mathematical sciences. Noting how math songs were sung especially in homes, theaters, observatories, and outdoors, this talk explores stories of book burnings at Yale and Ohio Wesleyan; theatrical productions at MIT, Purdue, and Michigan Tech (when it was known as the Michigan College of Mines); and observatory parties at Vassar Observatory, Lick Observatory, and Harvard Observatory. Overall, it argues that math songs are a form of technical communication, one that has enjoyed large reach, particularly because of its multiple meanings and varied practices.

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Location: Rekhi Hall, Room G005

Date: Friday, April 17, 2026

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Refreshments will be provided.