The upcoming Winston Ko Professorship in Science Leadership Lecture will explore the work of a medieval Italian mathematician and its lasting impacts on number theory.

If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a noise? For UC Davis philosopher Elaine Landry, this thought experiment is one way to think about what mathematicians and physicists assume is real when they solve problems.

Some, she said, believe that numbers, vectors and other abstract objects in mathematics are real in the sense that they really do exist out in the world. Others claim that these so-called objects are just ideas and don’t really exist at all.

A mathematician working in the life sciences and an astrophysicist studying dark matter from the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis are among the recent cohort awarded Chancellor’s Fellowships for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The fellowships recognize exceptional contributions in supporting, tutoring, mentoring and advising underrepresented students and/or students from underserved communities. In letters to the recipients, Chancellor May cited their “commitment to reducing opportunity gaps.”