Use these ready-to-go slides to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Explore profiles of 10 AAPI mathematicians, complete with resources and discussion questions.

Find ready-to-go slides for these profiles - and more! - in the Math in Action slide deck.

Dr. Manjul Bhargava

Dr. Bhargava is a Canadian-American mathematician and professor at Princeton University who won the Fields Medal in 2014 for his groundbreaking work in number theory. He sees deep connections between math, art, and music — and is also an accomplished tabla player.

Dr. Fan Chung

Fan Chung is a math and computer science professor at UC San Diego. She holds the Paul Erdos Chair in Combinatorics. She paints watercolors, especially in seascape and portraits (from her website)

Shakuntala Devi

Known as “The Human Computer”, Shakuntala Devi was a famous mathematician who holds the Guinness World Record for the “Fastest Human Computation.” In addition to her computational prowess, Devi was also an outspoken LGBTQ+ advocate, novelist, and political hopeful. Her life story was adapted into the biopic Shakuntala Devi in 2020.

Dr. June Huh

Dr. Huh is a professor at Princeton University who won the Fields Medal in 2022. (from a profile in Quanta)

Josephine Jue

Josephine Jue is a mathematician and aerospace technologist who spent more than thirty years working behind-the-scenes on computers and software at NASA (from the American Mathematical Society).

Dr. Marissa Kawehi Loving

Dr. Loving is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is “the first Native Hawaiian woman to obtain a PhD in mathematics… not the first Native Hawaiian woman to develop mathematical tools to solve problems or to engage deeply in analytical exploration.” (from her website)

Dr. Swati Patel

Dr. Patel is a mathematical biologist and an assistant professor at Oregon State University Math Department. Her research focuses on modeling population dynamics of different living organisms. In 2019, she co-founded the Math For All conference to foster inclusivity in mathematics research. (from her website)

Kyne Santos

Kyne Santos is a drag queen and mathematics communicator best known for her educational videos and participation in Canada’s Drag Race. She wrote the book Math In Drag and hosts the podcast Think Queen. Kyne has been named TikTok API trailblazer, Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in Toronto, and was nominated for a GLAAD award for TikTok Queer Advocate of the Year. (from her website)

Dr. Manil Suri

Dr. Manil Suri is a famous author and math professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He wrote The Big Bang of Numbers: How to Build the Universe Using Only Math, as well as three internationally acclaimed novels. (from his website)

Dr. Kamuela Yong

Dr. Kamuela Yong is an associate professor of mathematics at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu. He is the first Native Hawaiian to earn a Ph.D. in applied mathematics and is the co-founder of the organization Indigenous Mathematicians.

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.

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