The cocktail hour — a crucial part of any event — serves as an introduction to an evening’s festivities. Guests mingle about, share drinks and conversation, and ease their way into the event’s main course. At the Museum of Mathematics Masters Tournament, however, things took an anything-but-conventional route.
The Masters Tournament is an annual non-profit event that is hosted at the Tribeca Rooftop. Bringing together mathematicians and guests of all ages, participants are encouraged to compete in a series of equations and questions all involving math. As such, walking into the 2015 Masters Tournament brings a vibe different than many other fundraising events of its kind. Guests, perched around the room, are deep in thought, pencils to paper scratching away at equations. iPads with calculations and variables captivate attendees, furiously trying to find their answers. In an anything-but-traditional manner, the excitement in the room is palpable, as people are brought together by the love of math and raising money for a good cause.
The event’s energy rose as the competition heated up, with an intricately designed space accompanying the scene. Themed centerpieces stood out along beautifully set tables, their webbed designs fusing math and aesthetics. After rounds of food and drink, rounds of competition led to the crowning of overall winners, who competed on stage and were gifted beautiful trophies. Overall achievements of first, second and third place were awarded to Timur Gatanov, Sandy Kutin, and Wenying Gan, respectively. Awards for Gardner Greats, Math Pulse, and Math Classic were also given out to Asher Walkover, Ken Perlin, and Jeffery VanderKam. The event is held with two objectives: raise funds for a great cause, and spread the love of mathematics. At this year’s event, these two goals were definitely reached.
