The Department of Mathematics will host a conference to celebrate the connection between Bucknell and Italian mathematician Fibonacci, one of the most famous mathematicians in history, on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. in the Elaine Langone Center. Fibonacci’s book, Liber Abaci, introduced Europe to the Hindu numeral system and revolutionized commerce and finance in the western world. The first ever English language translation of the book was made by a the late Lawrence Sigler, a Bucknell professor.
The conference will bring in three speakers whose names are well known in mathematical circles. Speakers include Keith Devlin, National Public Radio’s “Math Guy” and the author of numerous popular mathematics books; Mario Livio, an astrophysicist and author of popular science books; and William Goetzmann, a finance professor at Yale and co-author of a book that describes the importance of Liber Abaci to the history of finance. Also attending and participating in a panel discussion will be Sigler’s widow, Judith Sigler Fell, whose work saved Sigler’s translation from being lost forever.