Harvey Mudd Math Professor Art Benjamin Named 2025-2026 MoMath Visiting Professor for Public Outreach

The National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) has appointed Art Benjamin, Smallwood Family Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd, as the museum’s 2025–2026 visiting professor for public outreach.

Beginning in the fall, Benjamin will bring to the museum his talent for presenting mathematics in exciting ways, including his Mathemagics shows, which appeal to audiences of all ages. He will serve a yearlong appointment at the museum.

At MoMath, Benjamin will lead the organization’s popular Ask a Mathematician series, the Tween Primes book club, and mini courses which cover topics like games, puzzles and magic, Fibonacci numbers and the mathematics of backgammon.

Benjamin, a former chair of the HMC Department of Mathematics, has earned national awards in teaching and writing, including the Beckenbach Book Prize from the Mathematical Association of America and the Communication Award for Public Outreach from the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics. He’s a member of the American Backgammon Hall of Fame and has been called “America’s Best Math Whiz” by Reader’s Digest. His “Mathemagics” shows, where he demonstrates how to perform mental calculations faster than a calculator, have received national and international acclaim.

During his time at MoMath, he plans to write a book on the mathematics of games and puzzles, based on a popular elective course he taught at Harvey Mudd.

“I am also looking forward to connecting with alums, trustees and other members of the HMC community while I am living in New York for a year and performing more of my ‘mathemagics’ shows for East Coast audiences,” said Benjamin. “It’s going to be a lot of fun!”