LMS-Gresham College Lectures

Gresham College in London has been presenting mathematics lectures to the public since 1598, when Henry Briggs (co-inventor of logarithms) was appointed the first Gresham Professor of Geometry. Later holders of that Chair have included Isaac Barrow, Robert Hooke, and more recently Sir Christopher Zeeman, Ian Stewart and Sir Roger Penrose. The current position now covers all areas of mathematics, not just geometry.

In 2007, the Society and Gresham College established a yearly joint lecture with the Society providing the speakers while Gresham provides the attractive venue and covers the costs of the lecture and a reception. These events have proved highly popular.

2010 Lecture

6pm on Tuesday 4 May 2010 at the Museum of London, Barbican
Indra’s Pearls:Geometry and Symmetry
Professor Caroline Series (University of Warwick)
PDF Poster

Past lectures

2009, Mathematics and Smallpox
Professor Tom Körner (University of Cambridge)
'250 years ago Daniel Bernoulli used mathematics and statistics to try to weigh the risks and benefits of inoculation against smallpox. The arguments of Bernoulli and his critics still remain relevant today.'

2008, Cancer can give you Maths!
Professor Philip Maini (University of Oxford)
'Verbal reasoning alone cannot be used to understand the outcome of the complex interactions that typically comprise biological function, so more and more researchers are turning to mathematical and computational modelling to gain insights on experimental results. Some approaches and advances will be illustrated concerning understanding the basic dynamics of solid tumour growth.'

2007, Multiplying and dividing whole numbers: why it is more difficult than you might think
Professor Timothy Gowers (University of Cambridge)