Street in Israel named after Andrès Roemer

Mexican intellectual, writer, friend to the Amir D. Aczel Foundation, diplomat Andrès Roemer now has a street in Ramat Gan, Israel, named after him. According to the city’s mayor Shama-Hacohen, the renaming of the street was in recognition of his ‘contributions to the state of Israel.’ Roemer holds a special place in our hearts. Last … More Street in Israel named after Andrès Roemer

Zero our hero: a math conference in Cambodia with the goal of zero waste

The Amir D. Aczel Foundation, in collaboration with the math department of the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), and the Cambodian Ministry of Education, held a successful international symposium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, March 19-20, 2019, on the role of the numeral zero in mathematics. Six hundred first year math students, faculty, and visitors and … More Zero our hero: a math conference in Cambodia with the goal of zero waste

Preserving Legends to Protect the Environment

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

Cambodia’s Buddhist Monks Fight Against Deforestation

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

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 (The U.S. has since withdrawn.)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

Energy in Cambodia: Challenges and Opportunities

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

Oldest zero?

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?

Solang Uk translates Finding Zero

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