Caltech Y Delivers Evening Celebrating Music and Math

The Caltech Y brought together more than 100 members and supporters at its quarterly Friends
Dinner on Wednesday, October 15 at the Athenaeum. The event celebrates the generosity of
donors and the leadership, travel, and volunteer opportunities they make possible for Caltech
undergraduate and graduate students.

Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician, author, and accomplished musician who has been a Ted Talk
speaker and a guest on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was the dinner’s featured
speaker. Cheng, who earned a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Cambridge,
discussed “The Square Root of 2 and the Devil in Music.” The square root of 2 is one of the
great conundrums of mathematics. So easy to describe but so difficult to pin down! The tritone
is known as the devil in music because it is the most dissonant musical interval. Performing on the piano and violin, Cheng wove those two stories together to an enthusiastic audience.
Earlier in the day, Cheng spoke at a luncheon hosted by the Caltech Y Student Activism
Speaker Series and Caltech’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter. Exploring themes in
her 2020 book, x + y: A Mathematician's Manifesto for Rethinking Gender, Cheng posited that
character traits such as aggression, confidence, and analytical reasoning need to be dissociated
from gender to create a less divisive society.

“Like the Caltech Y, Dr. Chen values the importance of community,” says Athena Castro,
Caltech Y executive director. “Her talk was a reminder that we need to create safe spaces for
everyone and recognize people’s unique talents and perspectives. It was such a memorable
visit!”
Ehe Caltech Y Friends Dinners invites leading minds in science and the arts to deliver a keynote address. Previous presenters include Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold, Martin Chalifour, principal concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Spiros Michalakis, Caltech researcher and scientific consultant for Hollywood films.

Established in 1916, the Caltech Y is an independent nonprofit affiliated with Caltech that
empowers students to become responsible citizens of the world. Gifts of all sizes support one of
our five pillars—leadership, service, civic engagement, adventure, and perspective. For instance, Caltech Y students tutor local middle and high school students through the Rise program and travel to Washington D.C., to dialogue with elected officials and policymakers.

With its Advocating Change Together award, the Caltech Y provides funds to select students
who want to take a deep dive into a local, national, or global issue that is important to them.
To learn more about the Caltech Y, please visit caltechy.org or follow us on social media,
@CaltechY on Instagram and Facebook, and @Caltech-Y on LinkedIn.