News & Events

Math Literacy Summit to feature key “Futurama” producer and writer

September 21, 2010

Ken Keeler, who was instrumental in the creation of “Futurama,” and once developed and proved a math theorem to explain one episode’s plot twist, will be the keynote speaker for the fourth annual Math Literacy Summit. The Math Literacy Summit, which is designed for parents, educators and others, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 2, at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. The Math Literacy Summit is free and open to the public.

“Math literacy is crucial in almost every aspect of everyday life,” says Sam Kaplan, associate professor of Mathematics at UNC Asheville and lead organizer of the Math Literacy Summit. “We need math not just for shopping and budgeting, but for diet and health care, and math has applications in all kinds of creative arts. Our keynote speaker, Ken Keeler, exemplifies this.”

Keeler holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University and worked at AT&T’s Bell Laboratories before becoming a successful television writer. He has written for David Letterman, “The Simpsons” and various sitcoms. Keeler is also credited with writing nine episodes of “Futurama” and was executive producer for the show’s first four seasons.

In addition to Keeler’s talk, the Math Literacy Summit will offer tips for parents on helping their children with homework, and workshops that explore links between math literacy and public health, art and music. Other workshops topics include the future of math instruction and high tech applications.

The Math Literacy Summit is produced by UNC Asheville’s Math Department, with the support and assistance of Asheville City Schools, Buncombe County Schools, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, RBC Bank, and AT&T. For more information, call Sam Kaplan at 828.232.5192 or go here.