On your next trip to LSC, be sure to check out a new, permanent addition to our attractions: A colorful mosaic depicting famed scientist Albert Einstein entirely built out of 1,036 Rubik’s Cubes! On October 11, expert cuber Dylan Sadiq of Bayonne spent hours constructing the mural cube by cube, and getting a little help from our guests in the process. Sadiq is a biomedical engineering grad from Rutgers who loves to solve and create with Rubik’s Cubes. “I chose one of Einstein’s most famous images, and the other objects I drew freehand,” he said of the lively design. The new mosaic celebrates both Einstein and the 50th anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube.

The public creation of our new Einstein was part of a day-long event celebrating visionary scientists and mathematicians. "Visionaries of the Future: Celebrating Mathematics, Science and the Art of Strategic Play," was a collaboration between LSC and the Tulipán Foundation of Hungary—the home country of the cube’s inventor, Ernő Rubik. Hungary’s Consulate General, Tamas Novak, was an honored guest.

LSC’s President and CEO, Paul Hoffman, gave a talk on the homeless and sleep-deprived Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős, the subject of a biography Hoffman authored. Erdős, arguably the most prolific mathematician who ever lived, proved an important theorem on the last day of his life, at the age of 83, defying the conventional wisdom that mathematics is a young person's game.

In sessions throughout the day, speakers explored the playful side of math as it connects to AI, quantum science, classroom learning, and more. Also in attendance was Judit Polgar, the greatest female chess player ever! Polgar spoke with Hoffman about her career and her multi-faceted fascination with chess. She closed the day by defeating 20 local scholastic chess players in simultaneous games. (They were good sports!)

The new Einstein mosaic is now on display at Liberty Science Center.