Conrad Wolfram Explained
Conrad Wolfram (born 10 June 1970) is a British technologist and businessman known for his work in information technology and mathematics education reform.[1] [2] In June 2020, Wolfram released his first book, The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age.[3] [4] [5]
Education and early life
Born in Oxford, England, in 1970, Wolfram was educated at Dragon School and Eton College where he learned to program on a BBC Micro.[6] He was an undergraduate student at Pembroke College, Cambridge[7] where he studied the Natural Sciences tripos graduating with a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge.
Career
Wolfram has been a proponent of Computer-Based Math—a reform of mathematics education to "rebuild the curriculum assuming computers exist."[8] [9] [10] [11] and is the founder of computerbasedmath.org.[12] [13]
He argues, "There are a few cases where it is important to do calculations by hand, but these are small fractions of cases. The rest of the time you should assume that students should use a computer just like everyone does in the real world."[14] And that "School mathematics is very disconnected from mathematics used to solve problems in the real world".[15] In an interview with the Guardian he described the replacement of hand calculation by computer use as "democratising expertise".[16] He argues that "A good guide to how and what you should do with a computer in the classroom is what you'd do with it outside. As much as possible, use real-world tools in the classroom in an open-ended way not special education-only closed-ended approaches."[17]
In 2009, he spoke about education reform at the TEDx Conference at the EU Parliament.[18] [19] and again at TED Global 2010 where he argued that "Maths should be more practical and more conceptual, but less mechanical,"[20] and that "Calculating is the machinery of math - a means to an end."
In August 2012, he was a member of the judging panel at the Festival of Code, the culmination of Young Rewired State 2012.[21] Wolfram is also part of Flooved advisory board.[22]
On 10 June 2020, Wolfram released his first book, The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age.[23] [24] [25] The book summarises Wolfram's thoughts on the current state of mathematics education and sets out a vision for a new core subject based on computational thinking.
Wolfram Research
Wolfram co-founded Wolfram Research Europe Ltd.[26] in 1991 and remains its CEO.[27] In 1996, he additionally became Strategic and International Director[28] of Wolfram Research, Inc., making him also responsible for Wolfram Research Asia Ltd, and communications such as the wolfram.com website.
Wolfram Research was founded by his brother[29] Stephen Wolfram, the maker of Mathematica software and the Wolfram Alpha knowledge engine.[30]
Wolfram has led the effort to move the use of Mathematica from pure computation system to development and deployment engine,[31] [32] instigating technology such as the Mathematica Player family and web Mathematica and by pushing greater automation within the system.[33]
He has also led the focus on interactive publishing technology[34] with the stated aim of "making new applications as everyday as new documents"[35] claiming that "If a picture is worth a thousand words, an interactive document is worth a thousand pictures."[36] These technologies converged to form the Computable Document Format[37] which Wolfram says can "transfer knowledge in a much higher-bandwidth way".[38]
Personal life
Wolfram's father Hugo Wolfram was a textile manufacturer and novelist (Into a Neutral Country) and his mother Sybil Wolfram was a professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford. He is the younger brother of Stephen Wolfram. Wolfram is married to primary care ophthalmology consultant Stella Hornby and has a daughter, Sophia Wolfram.
Notes and References
- Web site: Stop Calculating And Start Teaching Computational Thinking . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230513205937/https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomvanderark/2020/06/29/stop-calculating-and-start-teaching-computational-thinking/ . 2023-05-13 . live .
- https://www.theguardian.com/technology/pda/2010/jan/25/google-bing-wolframalpha-search-engine Bing and WolframAlpha catching up with Google in search engine battle?
- https://www.computerbasedmath.org/the-maths-fix/ The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age
- Web site: If we can do without GCSEs and university exams now, why go back?. theguardian.com. Simon . Jenkins. 2020.
- Web site: Wolfram Research blog to which Wolfram contributes. blog.wolfram.com.
- Web site: The BBC Microcomputer and me, 30 years down the line. BBC News. 2011. Anon. bbc.co.uk.
- http://www.news-gazette.com/business/2008/03/09/going_global_adds_up__champaignbasedWolfram giving away software in push into China
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robyn-shulman-/have-we-gotten-math-educa_b_9655258.html Have We Gotten Math Education All Wrong
- https://www.ft.com/content/bcfb1f30-6cf9-11e5-8171-ba1968cf791a Stop teaching kids to add up - maths is more important
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/6719451/We-need-to-base-maths-lessons-on-computers.html We need to base maths lessons on computers
- https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/11/world/europe/11iht-educside11.html Closing the gap between modern life and the math curriculum
- http://computerbasedmath.org/ computerbasedmath.org
- http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/michael-brooks/2012/06/despair-dissenting-government-expert The despair of the dissenting government expert
- http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/science_technology/introducing+the+apossatnavapos+maths+exam/3257252 Introducing the 'sat-nav' maths exam
- http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2016/04/24/actualidad/1461527206_970734.html Students fleeing mathematics
- https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/sep/02/wolfram-alpha-online-search-engine-calculations WolframAlpha Online Search Engine Calculations
- https://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/interview-doing-the-math-with-conrad-wolfram/ edtech digest
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsvPE1EqwQ8&feature=channel I calculate therefore I am
- Web site: Speakers at TEDxBurssels 2009 . Tedxbrussels.eu . 16 November 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720172601/http://tedxbrussels.eu/site/speakers.html . 20 July 2011 . dmy-all .
- https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-07/19/conrad-wolfram-maths-curriculum Conrad Wolfram wants to reboot the maths curriculum
- https://youngrewiredstate.org/past/festival-of-code-yrs2013/sponsors-and-judges-yrs2013 Past Judges
- https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/committees.asp?privcapId=247145889 Company Overview of Flooved Limited, Bloomberg. Retrieved 3/10/17.
- http://www.conradwolfram.com/home/tmf-release-day Released today: "The Math(s) Fix"
- https://www.computerbasedmath.org/the-maths-fix/ The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodberger/2022/01/21/redefining-the-value-proposition-of-math-education/?sh=79d24ba86e51 Redefining The Value Proposition Of Math Education
- http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/science_technology/wolfram+alpha+goes+live/3148457 Wolfram Alpha goes live
- Web site: Jamillah . Knowles . Guatemala, Wolfram Alpha, Acquine and news . Radio 5, BBC, UK . 15 September 2009 . 16 November 2010.
- http://www.hindu.com/biz/2009/05/25/stories/2009052550071400.htm A computational knowledge engine for factual queries
- https://web.archive.org/web/20090516231734/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/5319890/Can-Wolfram-Alpha-take-on-Google.html Can Wolfram Take on Google?
- https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/anthony-doesburg-wolfram-promises-new-way-to-probe-the-web-1694293.html Wolfram promises new way to probe the web
- http://insidehpc.com/2008/12/10/wolfram-releases-free-mathematica-player-7/ Wolfram Releases Mathematica Player 7
- http://www.ddj.com/hpc-high-performance-computing/212900768 Wolfram Releases Mathematic Player Pro 7
- http://www.mathematica-journal.com/issue/v8i4/newproducts/webmathematicaj.html webMathematica Japanese Edition: Unique Product Brings Computation to the Web
- https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/business/online-textbooks-aim-to-make-science-leap-from-the-page.html?_r=3 Making Science Leap From the Page
- http://140.177.205.236/2007/10/14/the-day-that-documents-and-applications-merged/ The day that documents and applications merged
- http://www.wolfram.com/solutions/interactivedeployment/basics.html Interactive deployment
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8561619/Wolfram-Alpha-creator-plans-to-delete-the-PDF.html Wolfram Alpha Creator plans to delete the PDF
- https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-06/28/conrad-wolfram-computation Conrad Wolfram: computation will release data overload