Glen Whitney knows how cool and exciting math can be, and now, he's launched a museum that will show it to the world.
Whitney, a former Three Village school board trustee, is the executive director of the Museum of Mathematics, which opened its doors in December. In an interview with Time Out New York Kids, Whitney compared the museum to Willy Wonka's factory in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
"If you can make an association between math and something fun and exciting, you're setting kids up for a whole new shift in thinking about what math is," he said.
The $15 million, 19,000-square-foot museum – nicknamed MoMath – is the first in the nation dedicated solely to mathematics, and features more than 30 interactive exhibits. It is targeted for children in grades four through eight (ages 8 to 13).
Whitney, a retired hedge fund analyst who previously taught math at the University of Michigan, previously launched the Math Midway, a traveling math exhibit that made a stop at the Ward Melville Heritage Organization's Educational and Cultural Center in 2010.
The New York Times said MoMath "succeeds brilliantly" at making math cool.
Located in New York City's Madison Square Park at 11 East 26th Street, the museum is open daily between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. Visit MoMath online at MoMath.org or call 212-542-0566 for more information.
