With college math stuck in the 20th century, work begins on a new formula

Scholars from around the United States recently gathered at Harvard to crack an unsolved problem in mathematics: how to make the subject more relevant to undergraduates.

The traditional ways of math instruction no longer add up. Many students spend hours laboring over problems that could be solved instantly by the phones in their pockets. Math curricula must adapt to advances in artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning, and myriad other disciplines.

A handpicked group of about 60 educators gathered at the Science Center last month for the Undergraduate Math Modernization Summit. The three-day event sought to create a broad vision for reforming math education for the roughly 17 million students now enrolled in American colleges.

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Photo courtesy of Carlos Sanchez/Harvard FAS Staff Photographer.