Tag Archives: mathematical proof and queer epistemology

May 12, 2021 webcast: a solution to the ‘matchmaker’s dilemma’ (a mathematical problem)

Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) is hosting a May 12, 2021 webcast according to their May 7, 2021 announcement (received via email),

A Solution to the Stable Marriage Problem
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12 [2021] at 7 pm ET

Imagine a matchmaker who wishes to arrange opposite-sex marriages in a dating pool of single men and single women (there’s a mathematical reason for the heteronormative framework, which will be explained).

The matchmaker’s goal is to pair every man and woman off into couples that will form happy, stable marriages – so perfectly matched that nobody would rather run off with someone from a different pairing. 

In the real world, things don’t work out so nicely. But could they work out like that if the matchmaker had a computer algorithm to calculate every single factor of compatibility? 

In her Perimeter Public Lecture, mathematician Emily Riehl (Johns Hopkins University) will examine that question, its sexist implications, an algorithmic solution, and real-world applications.

There is a bit more about Emily Riehl on the event page for ‘A Solution to the Stable Marriage Problem’,

An associate professor of mathematics at Johns Hopkins University, Riehl has published more than 20 papers and two books on higher category theory and homotopy theory. She studied at Harvard and Cambridge and earned her PhD at the University of Chicago.  

In addition to her research, Riehl is active in promoting access to the world of mathematics. She is a co-founder of Spectra: the Association for LGBT Mathematicians, and has presented on mathematical proof and queer epistemology as part of several conferences and lecture series. 

Tune in on Wednesday, May 12 [2021] at 7 pm ET for the premiere of Riehl’s lecture, and subscribe to Perimeter’s YouTube channel for more fascinating science videos.