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athematics and the Genome is the theme of National Mathematics Awareness Month, April 2002. As scientists seek to flesh out our rough draft of the human genome --- the sequence of some 3 billion nucleotide bases packed into our chromosomes which encodes the instructions all our

Year 2000 was World Mathematical Year

cells need to operate --- mathematics is becoming more and more essential to the task. Vast amounts of data are being generated, data which need to be stored and represented, and then processed, analyzed, and interpreted. To do so, scientists are using mathematics drawn from fields as diverse as numerical analysis, statistics, computational modeling, and topology. Without mathematics, sequencing the human genome would be as hopeless as trying to assemble a 3-billion-piece puzzle without looking at the picture on the box.

To raise awareness throughout the community of the relevance of mathematics to our daily lives, and to life itself, we here at ASU have organized a series of mathematical talks and social events throughout the month. We invite you to come help us celebrate the unique beauty, importance, and versatility of mathematics!