Corrine Yap

Rutgers University 

 

February 11, 2020 (Tues.)
12:30 – 1:50 pm
SCP 117

 

Uniform Convergence 

 

Abstract:

Uniform Convergence is a one-woman play, written and performed by mathematics graduate student Corrine Yap. It juxtaposes the stories of two women trying to find their place in a white male-dominated academic world. The first is of historical Russian mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya, who was lauded as a pioneer for women in science but only after years of struggle for recognition. Her life’s journey is told through music and movement, in both Russian and English. The second is of a fictional Asian-American woman, known only as “Professor”, trying to cope with the prejudice she faces in the present. As she teaches an introductory real analysis class, she uses mathematical concepts to draw parallels to the race and gender conflicts she encounters in society today.

 

Speaker Bio:

Corrine Yap is a Ph.D student at Rutgers University who has studied at the Moscow Art Theater School and earned her B.A. in mathematics and theater from Sarah Lawrence College. As a playwright and performer, she is passionate about issues of race and gender in contemporary society. Her works reflect her cultural experiences as an Asian-American woman and a mathematician. Since 2016, she has performed Uniform Convergence at over 15 venues, including theaters such as the Pan-Asian Repertory Theatre in NYC, schools such as Rutgers, Yale, and Princeton, and the national math conference MAA Mathfest.