When Purple is Divisible by Five

Luke Sanders

Luke Sanders is an undergraduate mathematics student at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica New York. Luke has synesthesia, a condition which enables him to perceive his senses and cognitive processes in a non-traditional and interconnected way. Namely, his sees letters, numbers, and music as explicit images and colors. Luke believes that it is no coincidence that he is pursuing mathematics; he uses his condition as a tool to aid him in his studies by relying on visual interactions between the images he sees. How can such unusual perspectives of problems be applied to the traditional learning process to benefit students? Would occasionally deviating from the more normal methods of teaching, learning, and applying knowledge be helpful for everyone? From the discovery of his condition after 19 years to the use of synesthesia in his studies, Luke hopes his experiences can raise important questions about unusual methods of thinking and problem solving in society today, and how we can apply the obscure techniques that he and others with similar ideas use in the educational and professional worlds.