Elon's chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon (PME), the national mathematics honorary society, hosted mathematician Dr. Jeremy Rouse (Wake Forest) on Wednesday, October 1, 2014.
The “Greatest Unsolved Problem” that the title references is known as the Riemann Hypothesis. The accuracy of the best algorithms for constructing large prime numbers depends on the truth of this 150-year-old unsolved problem. Everday, Internet users rely on these algorithms to securely bank, shop, and communicate online. Moreover, there is a $1 million prize awaiting the person who can verify the validity of this famous conjecture.
The event also saw two students win door prizes. These were Alexis Goslen ’17 and Margo Pierson ’18. Each student received a $10 gift card.
The event concluded with PME’s faculty adviser, Dr. Chad Awtrey, advertising the chapter’s next two colloquium speakers:
Dr. Jim Brown (Clemson University)
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
3:30pm in Duke 302
Dr. Todd Mateer (National Security Agency)
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
3:30pm in Duke 302
Each of these talks is geared to a general audience. All in the Elon community are welcome and encouraged to attend. Consistent with past PME events, Elon students will have the chance to win one of two door prizes.