Preserving Legends to Protect the Environment By MIRIAM ACZEL The Mekong River, one of the longest river systems in Asia—and twelfth longest in the world–flows through six countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. The Mekong Basin is particularly rich in biodiversity, and provides both crucial habitat for plant and animal species as well as … More Preserving Legends to Protect the Environment
Announcement: International Conference on Role of Zero in the History of Mathematics to be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia We are excited to announce the Amir D. Aczel Foundations support for an international conference on Zero and its Role in the History of Mathematics to be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, March 18-20. The conference … More Math conference to be held in Phnom Penh
Cambodia’s Buddhist Monks Fight Against Deforestation By DEBRA ACZEL and MIRIAM ACZEL Deforestation is a major environmental threat in Cambodia According to a study published last year in Science Advances, Cambodia has some of the world’s highest rates of deforestation. For example, according to a World Bank report, in 1990 over 73% of the country’s land area … More Cambodia’s Buddhist Monks Fight Against Deforestation
Cambodia’s Renewable Energy Prospects By DEBRA ACZEL At the Paris Climate Conference (COP21), December 2015, 195 countries signed a remarkable agreement to work together to address climate change globally by reducing carbon emissions. (The U.S. has since withdrawn.) The Paris Agreement includes a plan for wealthier nations to help less-developed, poorer nations adapt to climate change … More Cambodia’s Renewable Energy Prospects
By DEBRA ACZEL Bringing energy to all Cambodians The United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 produced 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), designed as a blueprint to improve the lives of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations. The MDG target date came and passed at the end of 2015. After analyzing the successes and shortcomings … More Energy in Cambodia: Challenges and Opportunities
The Bodleian Library of Oxford has housed the famous Bakhshali manuscript since 1902, and there has been speculation about just how old it is. It contains an early representation of the “0” as a dot–the same depiction of zero as found in k-127. We haven’t known just how old the Bakhshali and dating it is … More Oldest zero?
We sadly note the passing of cosmologist Stephen Hawking, who died yesterday at 76. We will miss his distinctive computer-aided voice, his passion for discover, his insatiable curiosity about our mysterious universe. Yes, the world is a little dimmer today, but what a legacy he left us: don’t be defeated by physical limitations, enjoy live, … More Stephen Hawking will be missed
Exciting news!! Solang Uk is now finalizing his translation of Finding Zero into Khmer. A wider audience will soon be able to read about the important role of Khmer culture–and K-127–in the history of mathematics. About the translator: Solang Uk, with his wife Beling Uk, translated the writings of the Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan, from the original … More Solang Uk translates Finding Zero
K-127, the ancient stele containing the Khmer Zero, has now been beautifully installed in the Cambodian National Museum in Phnom Penh. The installation was supported by the Amir D. Aczel Foundation, thanks to your many generous contributions. We are grateful to Sathal Khun of the National Museum for overseeing the installation and providing photographs of the … More K-127 installed in Cambodian National Museum, Phnom Penh
Solang and Beling Uk have recently published a translation of the Zhou Daguan’s description of his visit to Angkor in 1296, Customs of Cambodia. Zhou Daguan was a Chinese traveler on a diplomatic mission. Today, his account survives as the only description of Angkor at that period. His depictions of life in the ancient Cambodian capital … More Customs of Cambodia – translation of Zhou Daguan’s visit to Angkor in 1296
