Math on Tap!
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at NAU is now hosting Math on Tap! The event is meant to be appealing and accessible to a wide range of people. Everyone is welcome. Bring your friends, significant others, neighbors! Math on Tap takes place on the first Wednesday of every month at 6PM at Mother Road Brewery, which is a restaurant, so 21+ is NOT required. Please come join us!!
For those of you unfamiliar with “on Tap” events, Math on Tap is a variation of events that often go by the name “Science on Tap” or “STEM on Tap”. These events run at various cities around the country. In Flagstaff, we have Astronomy on Tap (sponsored by Lowell Observatory), Flagstaff Science on Tap, and Ales with the Arb (sponsored by the Arboretum at Flagstaff). And now Math on Tap!
The format will vary from event to event, but typically there will be a 30-minute talk aimed at a general audience followed by a short informal interview. During the event, people are welcome to eat and drink (this is encouraged!).
Our first Math on Tap took place on November 5, 2025, and featured yours truly. Whoa. That was bonkers! My first fear was that no one would show up. My second fear was that there wouldn’t be enough space. Well, my second fear became reality. It was packed! Maybe 75 people? We ran out of seating quickly and the rest of the folks were standing (some behind the screen we were projecting on) or sitting on the floor. Some folks were there just to support me and I love them for that.
I discussed something called the Friendship Paradox, which states that on average, your friends have more friends than you do. This isn’t really a paradox in the traditional sense. You can find my slides at this link.
The acoustics weren’t great (I should have worn a mic) and many people couldn’t see the small screen. Nonetheless, I’m chalking this one up as a win. Thanks to everyone that came out! Lots of folks to thank for helping make this happen, but Nicholas Diaz deserves massive kudos for helping get this event off the ground!
Below is the flyer for the event.
Looking forward to the next one!
Dana C. Ernst
Mathematics & Teaching
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ
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Land Acknowledgement
Flagstaff and NAU sit at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, on homelands sacred to Native Americans throughout the region. The Peaks, which includes Humphreys Peak (12,633 feet), the highest point in Arizona, have religious significance to several Native American tribes. In particular, the Peaks form the Diné (Navajo) sacred mountain of the west, called Dook'o'oosłííd, which means "the summit that never melts". The Hopi name for the Peaks is Nuva'tukya'ovi, which translates to "place-of-snow-on-the-very-top". The land in the area surrounding Flagstaff is the ancestral homeland of the Hopi, Ndee/Nnēē (Western Apache), Yavapai, A:shiwi (Zuni Pueblo), and Diné (Navajo). We honor their past, present, and future generations, who have lived here for millennia and will forever call this place home.