Amir D. Aczel Fund for Mathematics
Donation protected
A Message from Debra Aczel and Miriam Aczel
Amir Aczel died at age 65 in Nimes, France. Amir’s passion for life touched all those who knew him personally and those who only knew him through his work. Although he is no longer with us, we want to ensure that the work he loved does not stop.
While he cared deeply about a range of subjects from physicists’ search for the Higgs boson to the history of the compass, he was particularly passionate about sharing his love for the mysteries of mathematics.
At the time of his death, Amir was working with the Cambodian Ministry of Culture to call attention to the remarkable role of Angkor civilization in the history of mathematics. Amir’s most recent book, Finding Zero, details his search for the ancient stele containing an inscription with the oldest zero ever found. This stone was thought by many people to have been destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. To hear more about Amir’s search for the stone, listen to the interview with Eric Westervelt of NPR.
http://www.npr.org/2015/01/03/374737120/the-zig-zagging-history-of-the-number-zero
We are in the process of forming a foundation in Amir's name and we will be requesting tax exempt status from the IRS. We hope to raise money to fund Amir’s dream of seeing this stone beautifully installed in Cambodia’s National Museum in a permanent display to highlight the role of the Khmer zero in the history of mathematics. In addition, we hope to fund a symposium on mathematics to be held in Phnom Penh. This was another of Amir’s dreams. He viewed this as an opportunity to bring together mathematicians and historians of mathematics to discuss the importance of this zero both through academic presentations and public talks. He hoped to use this forum as a way to encourage interest in the exciting mysteries of mathematics and science, as well as highlight the richness of Cambodian culture.
We are asking for your support so that we can make Amir’s dreams a reality. Please consider making a contribution so that we can continue his work to celebrate this monumental discovery and the important role of Angkor civilization in the history of mathematics.
Your support is truly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Debra Aczel and Miriam Aczel
Amir Aczel died at age 65 in Nimes, France. Amir’s passion for life touched all those who knew him personally and those who only knew him through his work. Although he is no longer with us, we want to ensure that the work he loved does not stop.
While he cared deeply about a range of subjects from physicists’ search for the Higgs boson to the history of the compass, he was particularly passionate about sharing his love for the mysteries of mathematics.
At the time of his death, Amir was working with the Cambodian Ministry of Culture to call attention to the remarkable role of Angkor civilization in the history of mathematics. Amir’s most recent book, Finding Zero, details his search for the ancient stele containing an inscription with the oldest zero ever found. This stone was thought by many people to have been destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. To hear more about Amir’s search for the stone, listen to the interview with Eric Westervelt of NPR.
http://www.npr.org/2015/01/03/374737120/the-zig-zagging-history-of-the-number-zero
We are in the process of forming a foundation in Amir's name and we will be requesting tax exempt status from the IRS. We hope to raise money to fund Amir’s dream of seeing this stone beautifully installed in Cambodia’s National Museum in a permanent display to highlight the role of the Khmer zero in the history of mathematics. In addition, we hope to fund a symposium on mathematics to be held in Phnom Penh. This was another of Amir’s dreams. He viewed this as an opportunity to bring together mathematicians and historians of mathematics to discuss the importance of this zero both through academic presentations and public talks. He hoped to use this forum as a way to encourage interest in the exciting mysteries of mathematics and science, as well as highlight the richness of Cambodian culture.We are asking for your support so that we can make Amir’s dreams a reality. Please consider making a contribution so that we can continue his work to celebrate this monumental discovery and the important role of Angkor civilization in the history of mathematics.
Your support is truly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Debra Aczel and Miriam Aczel
Organizer
Stephanie Hoover
Organizer
Arlington Heights, IL
