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The Simons Foundation is supporting events nationwide and co-producing an event with the Brooklyn Public Library featuring a keynote by filmmaker Werner Herzog.
Senior Research Scientist, Centers for Computational Biology and Mathematics
Director, Center for Computational Astrophysics
Jazz Musician and Mathematician
Senior Correspondent, Radiolab
As part of its Infinite Sums initiative, the Simons Foundation is celebrating Pi Day (March 14, 2026) across the United States. The foundation is supporting dozens of events nationwide and co-producing a night of math-related awe with the Brooklyn Public Library. The latter event, titled “Night in the Library: The Philosophy of Mathematics,” will feature inspiring talks and performances from artists, mathematicians, musicians and more. Starting at 7 p.m. and concluding at 3:14 a.m. as a nod to the most famous digits in mathematics, the event will feature a keynote from legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog.
Meanwhile, Infinite Sums awardees across the country will be holding their own events. Children’s museums, rural libraries, botanical gardens and more will host celebrations inspired by pi to engage children and adults alike with the beauty of mathematics. Events range from a “Super Saturday Pi Day” in Fairbanks, Alaska, to an event at the San Antonio Botanical Garden aimed at illuminating the math inherent in nature.
Pilar Cossio, a mathematician at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute, will discuss how she uses math to peer inside the seemingly invisible world of biomolecules to uncover the hidden processes that power life. Flatiron Institute astrophysicist Julianne Dalcanton will discuss how math can “break” our ideas about the nature of space.
The evening will also include a performance by saxophonist Marcus Garrick Miller, who works at the intersection of mathematics and music, a presentation from Radiolab’s Molly Webster, and a talk from mathematician, educator and pianist Eugenia Chang. Guests will even have the opportunity to write their own poetry in the form of a “pi-ku.” The designated pi-ku lounge will be a place to explore how the digits of pi can be turned into patterns of words.
Pi Day is the most well-known math-centered day in the United States. Historically, events have centered on its famous digits — from measuring the diameters of circular objects to reciting as many digits of pi as possible. For Infinite Sums, we’re encouraging our partners to go beyond just numbers and discover how pi — and math in general — intersects with culture. These partners are taking on the role of “math ambassadors” for their communities, and we’re providing them with the tools and resources to lead math engagement opportunities for, in most cases, the first time.
For those interested in hosting their own Pi Day events, the Simons Foundation has created an activity pack to spark conversations and ideas. We encourage facilitators of the guide to use them as starting points. We’ve also created packs for Infinity Day (August 8, 2026) and Fibonacci Day (November 23, 2026), with more information about those dates to come.
