This book came up in discussion at our lunch last Friday, so thought I would post the info in case anyone is interested in following up. I haven’t read it yet, but from reading the author’s blog posts (https://mathbabe.org/) it should be good (and mathematically well-informed):
https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Math-Destruction-Increases-Inequality/dp/0553418815
It might be a source of relevant examples/applications of mathematics to discuss with students, since the book is about how (mostly opaque) mathematical models increasingly affect people’s lives. From the book’s blurb: “Tracing the arc of a person’s life, O’Neil exposes the black box models that shape our future, both as individuals and as a society. These “weapons of math destruction” score teachers and students, sort résumés, grant (or deny) loans, evaluate workers, target voters, set parole, and monitor our health.”
I was reminded of this today b/c in this week’s CUNY “Monday Brief” is an announcement that the author is speaking at City College this Thursday night! The talk announcement includes her bio:
http://events.cuny.edu/eventDetail.asp?EventId=80224
