Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Join former MAA President Deanna Haunsperger and Monthly Editor Della Dumbaugh as they explore the lives of mathematicians in this podcast to reveal the humanity of the discipline. These conversations will inspire others with their shared experiences of challenge and support, of doubt and devotion, and of isolation and community.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Mathematician interviews • personal journeys into math • mentoring, belonging, community • teaching and communication • leadership and professional service • diversity, equity, access • interdisciplinary work, data science, statistics, civil rights • math outreach and writingThis podcast features long-form conversations with mathematicians and mathematics-adjacent professionals that emphasize personal history alongside professional life. Across the episodes, guests describe how they found their way into mathematics through a wide range of routes, including nonlinear educational paths, early influences from teachers or family members, and pivotal moments that changed their direction. The interviews often foreground the everyday realities of being a mathematician—how people develop confidence, persist through doubt, and navigate environments where they may feel isolated or like “the only one.”
A recurring theme is community and mentorship. Guests discuss advisors who opened doors, networks that sustained them, and efforts to build more supportive mathematical spaces through professional service, conference participation, and initiatives aimed at broadening participation. Many conversations touch on equity and access in mathematics education, including supporting underrepresented groups, creating structures that help students thrive, and making classrooms more humane and effective.
The podcast also highlights the variety of work mathematicians do. Listeners hear about academic research across pure and applied areas, mathematics education research, editorial and leadership roles in professional societies and publications, and careers beyond academia in government, data science, industry, and nonprofit leadership. Several guests focus on communicating mathematics to wider audiences through writing, public speaking, or interdisciplinary work that connects mathematics with topics such as biology, music, art, civil rights, human rights, and law.
Throughout, the tone centers the “humanity of the discipline,” blending reflections on vocation, belonging, and identity with practical insights about teaching, research, leadership, and balancing work with personal life and well-being. Personal details—habits, hobbies, meaningful objects, and formative experiences—are used to illuminate how mathematicians live and think, not only what they study.
| Episodes: |
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Susan D'Agostino 2023-Oct-16 48 minutes |
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Edray Goins 2023-Oct-09 |
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Tara Holm 2023-Oct-02 41 minutes |
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Kobi Abayomi 2023-Sep-25 53 minutes |
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Ranthony Edmonds 2023-Sep-18 56 minutes |
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Ed Burger 2023-Sep-11 69 minutes |
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Season 3 - Trailer 2023-Sep-04 2 minutes |
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Cindy Wyels 2022-Nov-28 55 minutes |
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Mary Gray 2022-Nov-21 52 minutes |
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Ron Buckmire 2022-Nov-14 54 minutes |
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Ron Buckmire 2022-Nov-14 54 minutes |
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Eugenia Cheng, Part 2 2022-Nov-07 42 minutes |
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Eugenia Cheng, Part 2 2022-Nov-07 42 minutes |
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Eugenia Cheng, Part 1 2022-Nov-07 53 minutes |
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Ben Orlin 2022-Oct-31 56 minutes |
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Moon Duchin 2022-Oct-24 56 minutes |
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Season 2 - Trailer 2022-Oct-17 2 minutes |
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Tensia Soto 2021-Nov-08 55 minutes |
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Lloyd Douglas 2021-Nov-01 57 minutes |
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Alicia Prieto Langarica 2021-Oct-25 69 minutes |
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Susan Colley 2021-Oct-18 51 minutes |
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Frank Farris 2021-Oct-11 53 minutes |
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Erica Winterer 2021-Oct-04 58 minutes |
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Erica Flapan 2021-Sep-27 52 minutes |
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Zerotti Woods 2021-Sep-20 49 minutes |
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Talithia Williams 2021-Sep-13 68 minutes |
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Count Me In - Season 1 Trailer 2021-Sep-01 1 minute |