Bringing esteemed Bay Area and world mathematicians to Morgan
Hill will increase the city’s favorable reputation. The center has
the potential to reach students and math lovers locally, nationally
and internationally.
When electronics tycoon John Fry and partner Steve Sorenson announced in 1994 that they would build what is now being called a “math castle” on their sprawling local golf course we rejoiced. Even while the golf course was controversial from the beginning due to lack of permits to bring professional golf to Morgan Hill and some concerns from nearby residents, the news was still sweet.
We were told that one day the property in the hills east of Morgan Hill would house the American Institute of Mathematics.
The 167,000-square-foot castle modeled after the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, received a green light from the Morgan Hill City Council on July 19. Not only is it exciting to hear that the property could one day host Professional Golf Association tournaments but also have a multi-story house of learning to last for centuries and make the city proud.
The facility is expected to have a parking garage, wine storage facilities, library, auditorium, guest suites, dining facilities, lecture halls and conference rooms, etc.
The institute has been operating in Palo Alto for more than a decade. It’s devoted to expanding the frontiers of mathematical knowledge through focused research projects, conferences and the development of an online mathematics library. Sorenson has said the research center “will be the centerpiece of mathematics” in the country.
We wish Fry and Sorenson luck in building it and hope they get all the necessary permits to move forward with the ambitious plans. Bringing esteemed Bay Area and world mathematicians to Morgan Hill will increase the city’s favorable reputation. The center has the potential to reach students and math lovers locally, nationally and internationally.
AIM’s interest in supporting the local educational community with many of its programs such as Math Counts and the annual Math Mardi Gras will also help invigorate young minds. Morgan Hill is a perfect place to further enhance a science that deals with the logic of quantity, shape and arrangement.
It’s also reassuring that the center will do its part to preserve math history with its library.
One of AIM’s goals is to have the most complete mathematics library in the world. There are many universities that have fine mathematics libraries, but the institute hopes to collect modern as well as classical mathematical works. Fry has been a collector of rare math books for many years so offering those to the public will be a great service project.
The center will also boost the city’s economy, making Morgan Hill a more desirable place to live and do business.
There’s a lot of indication that the public is interested in mathematics due to television shows such as Numb3Rs and the movies “A Beautiful Mind” and “Good Will Hunting.”
Fifty years ago someone who was interested in math had no choices. With the interest in building the center, local and non-local math lovers will have an opportunity to work on gnome projects, learn theoretical computer science, work for NASA and apply mathematical concepts in many professions including those in business and law schools.
