 Good evening and thank you all for coming especially those of you who literally came right from the airport You know who you are It's a special pleasure to welcome all of you tonight to this the fifth annual gala of the National Museum of Mathematics You know MoMath is a place that was once written up in the press with the headline Museum of math it just doesn't add up and there were many who heard the idea originally and scoffed Stating with assurance that nobody would ever come to a museum of math Well five years later Almost three-quarters of a million of people have proved them wrong very wrong Five years later MoMath is not just surviving it is thriving The National Museum of Mathematics is a place that appeals to all ages and abilities It has achieved local national and even worldwide prominence and it is now poised to move into an exciting new phase programmatically technologically and mathematically I'd like to take a moment though on this occasion of our upcoming fifth anniversary To reflect on how we got here I'm deeply gratified that Glenn Whitney recruited me to help make this museum a reality And I am honored that there are a number of people from our original working group of volunteers Who are here with us tonight? Together we helped Glenn bring his glorious vision to life I'm delighted that our group has stayed together and worked together for more than 10 years now So thank you five years after MoMath first opened its doors I stand here proud of the bridge that Glenn and I built together in those early years A bridge that continues to allow people adults and children alike who come in thinking of math as rote boring incomprehensible and sometimes even just plain awful To enter into a world of wonder and beauty and to be transformed by the experience I'm overjoyed every time I see an open-mouth child at a MoMath exhibit or hear the words That's so cool reverberating throughout the museum I'm also proud of the team that Tim and I have built in more recent years that makes this transformative experience possible for so many people Thousands upon thousands of people from every state in the country and now from dozens of countries around the world 364 days a year I Could not ask for a better partner nor a better friend than Tim Nissen Nor a better team than the one that we've built together Our team now includes not just those of us who work daily in the museum But a worldwide network of friends supporters and advisors I'm proud that our advisory council includes Eric Domain the youngest ever full professor at MIT Manjul Bargava who's here with us tonight a recipient of the Fields Medal mathematics highest award and Most recently our newest addition to the MoMath advisory council the man who proved definitively that athletic prowess and mathematical competency don't have to be mutually exclusive Thank You John Arshall I'm also proud of the new ideas. We've spun off the connections We've helped to create and the work of established mathematicians that we've stimulated in the research area I'll never forget hearing from a young college freshman at MIT who told me her determination to enroll there Began the day she encountered Eric Domain at MoMath or the letter I received from a young adult who quit his job to pursue a graduate degree in data science After listening to Jennifer Chase give a talk in the museum It was through our connections with the fine folks at Princeton University Press that a long languishing 1969 edition of Alice in Wonderland with beautiful illustrations by Salvador Dali Was finally made available to the general public Mathematician Po Shen Lo the two-time gold medal-winning IMO coach who is also here with us tonight Has been known to show up to lunch and learn with a group of MoMath college interns Renowned mathematician John Conway has been spending his weekends holding court at MoMath Delighting all visitors adults and children alike with his unique brand of wit and wisdom and Just last week Stanford mathematician Percy Diakonis presented me with a copy of his most recent paper Joint work with Ron Graham and thanked me for creating the energy that inspired him to write that paper I'm proud that after five years MoMath continues to make a difference to so many people in so many ways From the children who scamper through the museum with delight to the students who stand mesmerized by some new mathematical discovery to the math teachers who finally have a way to inspire their students To the adults who never really liked math, but nevertheless find something compelling within our walls To the mathematicians who have finally found a home and a venue from which they can share their work and their enthusiasm MoMath is making a difference Perhaps most importantly. I love the idea that together We are making the connections and building the bridges that will inspire our nation's youth to become the next generation of mathematically creative scientists mathematicians and engineers I'd like to close by giving special thanks to David Turok the vice chair of the MoMath board and the chair of this evening's event Whose graciousness generosity and kindness seem to know no bounds My gratitude also goes out to this evening's co-chairs to Matthew Goldstein a champion of always doing the right thing To Robert Fry who has the distinction of being MoMath's very first trustee and believing in the museum when it was but a whisper and a dream To Oppenheimer funds and its CEO Art Steinmetz our most recent past chairman Whose grace in the boardroom is eclipsed only by his comedic talent in front of hundreds of squealing children and To Pete Muller whose contagious enthusiasm for both mathematics and music is both impressive and inspiring This evening would not have happened without the commitment of each of you and I thank you and Finally to MoMath's board of trustees led by chairman John Overdeck The museum exists because of you You were the early champions of the museums when so many believed it couldn't exist You provided the sustenance that fed the museum's early growth and it is your ongoing support That will now allow an exciting future to unfold on a personal note I want to thank so many of you for your support your strength and your friendship Please stand to be recognized Thank you and enjoy the evening