Seattle Universal Math Museum presents
Math Out Loud
Conversations That Bring Math to Life
Math Out Loud is a monthly lecture series designed for the curious, the creative, and the “I didn’t know math could do that” crowd. No prior math knowledge required—just bring your curiosity.
July 15 | Exploring Shapes in the Fourth Dimension and Beyond
What happens when we try to draw, fold, and visualize objects in four dimensions? Join mathematician Satyan Devadoss for a fascinating journey beyond the limits of ordinary space, inspired by the art of Marcel Duchamp and Salvador Dalí.
Through striking visual imagery, you'll explore shapes and drawings in higher dimensions, uncover a geometric mystery dating back to Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer, and discover how ideas about folding and unfolding shapes connect to everything from airbag design to the James Webb Space Telescope. Together we'll investigate tesseracts, higher-dimensional cubes, and the surprising mathematics of what can—and cannot—be unfolded.
Laser Dome at Pacific Science Center
July 15 6:00–7:00 PM (VIP reception to follow)
Free (suggested donation $25/ticket)
VIP experience available
About the Speaker
Satyan Devadoss is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society and recipient of two national teaching awards from the Mathematical Association of America. His work and insights have been featured by NPR, The Washington Post, The Times of London, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times. After nearly fifteen years on the faculty at Williams College, he has also held visiting positions at institutions including UC Berkeley, Stanford University, The Ohio State University, Harvey Mudd College, UC San Diego, and Université Nice.
August 5 | How a Tech Visionary Overcame Fear to Soar
Join us to hear Dr. Cecilia Aragon share how she broke free from expectations and rose above her own limits by combining her passion for flying with math and logic. Her story will inspire you to conquer your greatest fears and achieve the freedom you've always dreamed of.
Through an incredible journey from deep-seated fear to the open skies, you'll discover how mathematics and data science can become powerful tools for personal transformation. Dr. Aragon will share how she used structural thinking to defeat her phobias, ultimately leading her to design software for NASA, teach astronauts to fly, and co-found Latinas in Computing. This talk will challenge your perceptions of what math can do and inspire you to reach new heights.
The Museum of Flight: View Lounge
August 5 6:00–7:00 PM (VIP reception to follow)
Free (suggested donation $25/ticket)
VIP experience available
About the Speaker
Dr. Cecilia Aragon is the CTO of tech start-up Traffigram and directs the Human-Centered Data Science Lab at the University of Washington. Named "one of the top scientists and engineers in the country" by President Obama, she received the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Her career includes working with Nobel Prize winners, creating musical simulations of the universe with rock stars, and authoring books like Flying Free (2020) and Human-Centered Data Science (2022). She has shared her insights globally at major institutions, including TED, Google, Stanford, and MIT.
Voices from the Series
We kicked things off in April 2026 with Dan Finkel—educator, puzzle creator, and founder of Math for Love, whose work has reached millions through TED-Ed.
His talk, Billiard Balls and Laser Beams, explored a simple question: if you turned on a light in a room made entirely of mirrors, would the whole room light up… or could some parts remain in darkness?
From there, he took us into reflective geometry—connecting solar power, juggling, chaos, and even unsolved problems.
We kept the momentum going in May with Dr. Talithia Williams—statistician, Harvey Mudd College professor, and host of PBS’s NOVA Wonders.
Her talk, Numbers with a Narrative, explored how mathematics is a living language capable of shaping our world. She took us on a journey through data science and storytelling, showing how lived experiences can transform complex data into impactful narratives. By breaking down how data can challenge personal health assumptions, Dr. Williams inspired us to see how individual voices can completely redefine who does math.
We kept the inspiration flowing in June with Jacqueline Cordes—award-winning composer, digital artist, and polyglot whose work explores the immersive worlds of "musical chromesthesia."
Her talk, How to Create Colorful Music, took us on a fascinating journey into the phenomenon of synesthesia, where senses intertwine to create extraordinary perceptual experiences. From exploring colorful alphabets to analyzing the vivid hues of Radiohead and the melodic structure of the Fibonacci sequence, she showed us how elements like tempo and mode shape the music we see.