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A Field Guide to Mathematics

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Short stories about mathematicians and mathematics

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Aug 31, 2026
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  1. Invest in Human Mathematicians!
    Aug 31, 2026 · original
    I have contributed an entry to the “ Proofs and Prompts ” blog, with the same title as this post, which you can find here . The paragraph below is just the start. In one of the most special and emotional moments I have witnessed during a mathematics conference, Benedict (Dick) Gross’s face unexpectedly appeared on all three of the large screens of the auditorium 10-250 and, after some initial surprised gasps, the audience went completely silent. For the duration of the video (about ten minutes), the number theorists gathered at MIT for the “ Gross–Zagier formula, 40 years later ” conference watched quietly, and some of us with teary eyes, while Gross explained to us how the formula came to be, in a collaboration that already is a beautiful and critical moment in the history of mathematics. … [Continue reading “ Invest in Human Mathematicians ” at the Proofs and Prompts blog]
  2. Updated “MaC Fund”: The MathAndCobb Fund for Mathematical Exploration
    Jan 27, 2025 · original
    I have decided to upgrade the scope of the MathAndCobb Fund. You can have a look here at the previous announcement. As I explained in my previous post, my content generates “content creator funds” and I decided to give back to the math community, and create my own mini-grant. The MaC Fund was, until now, aimed at graduate students who were going to attend a conference, and the fund provided each student $80-$150. You can see the list of previous recipients and awards here . Now I want to widen the scope of the funding opportunity, and call it the MathAndCobb Fund for Mathematical Exploration , and the latest award was $200. Or “ MaC Fund for ME “, for short. The fund, as before, will be awarded every two months or so (next deadline will be Feb 15th, and the award will be announced on March 1st). The following are the eligibility criteria : 1) Highschool, college undergrads, or graduate s
  3. MathAndCobb Fund: Deadlines and Recipients
    Jun 3, 2024 · original
    This post will be updated with deadlines to apply for the “ MathAndCobb Fund for Mathematical Exploration ” and also with a list of recipients. Deadlines and Previous Recipients: July 2026 (Award of $250): Please read the new eligibility criteria ! Applications are due July 1st. April 2026 (Award of $250): the AMW Chapter at the University of Albany . January 2026 (Award of $250): Caylee Spivey (UConn) November 2025 (Award of $250): Ameen Hussain (Colorado State University) September 2025 (Award of $200): Andrew Canada, Austin Eilers, and Ayden Edwards, founders of CASE ( Crosby Association of STEM Excellence ) . May 2025 (Award: a coffee machine for their learning center): The Math Learning Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison). March 2025 (Award of $150): Swati (University of South Carolina) December 2024 (Award of $150): Bryson Kagy (North Carolina State University) October 2024 ($
  4. Announcing the “MaC Fund for Math Grad Student Travel”
    May 2, 2024 · original
    UPDATE: the MaC Fund has been updated! See this post for updated eligibility . As you probably know, I am on TikTok (@mathandcobb) , and I have been regularly posting videos there since January 2021. I am considered a “content creator” and as part of the Content Creator Program , I am rewarded based on the views that my videos get. Not a lot of money! But enough that I have been thinking for a while how to give back to the community (the mathematical community and also the TikTok community of my followers). Thus, I have decided to create a fund to share my earnings with grad students in mathematics! It’s just a drop in the bucket… but every drop helps! We shall call it the “ MaC Fund for Math Grad Student Travel ,” or the “MathAndCobb Fund,” or the “MaCTikTok Fund,” or the “ MaC Fund ” for short. A list of previous recipients and deadlines can be found in this post . Here is how it is go
  5. “The Day She Proved It” (at the Intelligencer!)
    Aug 4, 2022 · original
    The story “The Day She Proved It” has been accepted to appear at The Mathematical Intelligencer, so now, after a few edits, you can read it over there ! Enjoy. My thanks to the Intelligencer editors and referees.
  6. The TikTok Exam
    Jan 23, 2022 · original
    In my TikTok account , you can find a series of (comedy) videos that portray a student taking an incredibly difficult and confusing exam, which I call “the TikTok exam.” Most of the videos are tagged under #thetiktokexam but some of the early ones I didn’t tag with it. Someone asked me to make the exam available as a PDF, so I’ve uploaded it here ! Enjoy.
  7. Examination Day
    May 28, 2021 · original
    What if we pushed proctoring methods to their most draconian extremes? Peter was patiently sitting in the waiting area of the examination room. The antechamber was rectangular, uncomfortably small, with white walls and floors, bright LED recessed lights in the unusually low ceiling, without any windows, two chairs, and just two identical metallic doors that faced each other: the one he used to come in, and the door that presumably led to the examination room itself. Either door was flanked by a security agent in what could only be described as heavy riot gear. The so-called educational enforcement agents took turns staring at Peter and at the only other student who was in the waiting area. Peter noticed the equipment that hang ominously from the belt of the security guards: a small pistol, a rubberized baton, a black bottle which he supposed to be pepper spray, and a device that he surmi
  8. How to Referee a (Math) Paper
    May 27, 2021 · original
    Refereeing papers is one of those essential skills of a professional research mathematician that you are never taught how to do but, one day, you will find a referee request in your inbox. Suddenly, you are thrown into the world of refereeing without any proper training. In this blog post, I will give my own take on how to referee (math) papers. You can run but you can’t hide. Eventually, an editor will find you and send you a referee request. Now what? If you do not have any previous experience on what to do next, this is a blog post for you. Also, read this piece by Arend Bayer on “ Writing, and reading, referee reports ,” and this piece on “ What makes a good PRIMUS review .” Finally, this paper by Bjorn Poonen on “ Practical suggestions for mathematical writing ” can be a great source of feedback for authors. Why do we referee papers? Refereeing papers is a service that mathematician
  9. How to Request a (Math) Recommendation Letter
    May 8, 2021 · original
    Table of Contents Introduction and advice from others What is the point of a recommendation letter anyway? Will I ever need a recommendation letter? (YES) Who should I ask for a recommendation letter? When should I ask for a recommendation letter? (ASAP) How should I ask for a letter? (Nicely) A sample letter Should I remind the letter writers about upcoming deadlines? Introduction and advice from others At some point in your career (earlier than you think!) you will need a recommendation letter. Perhaps you are applying for an REU, grad school, a conference, a job,… and you need one or more people to vouch for you. Who should you ask and how do you ask for a letter? You are essentially asking someone “hey how do you really feel about me, and would you be willing to put it in writing?” and that’s a daunting thought. The goal of this post is to help you navigate this delicate situation. T
  10. My Favorite Prime Numbers
    Apr 14, 2021 · original
    This blog post is based on a Twitter thread on the same topic. There is something about prime numbers… An air of mystery surrounds them, that makes them one of the most alluring (and most studied) objects in all of mathematics. Despite hundreds of years of prime number research, there is still so much we do not know about them. Of course, we know that there are infinitely many prime numbers, with a first proof due to Euclid and many, many other equally fascinating proofs that continue to be found. Nonetheless, many open problems about their distribution among the natural numbers remain wide open. The Riemann Hypothesis, for instance, is intimately intertwined with the distribution of prime numbers . In addition to the mysterious nature of the prime numbers as a whole, certain individual primes have a special place in my heart, for various reasons. In this blog post, I will list a few of

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