Distinguished Lecture Series
Carriage House Conference Center, Washington DC
Funded by the National Security Agency
The MAA, with the generous support of the NSA, is proud to present a series of public lectures. The series features some of the foremost experts within the field of mathematics, known for their ability to make current mathematical ideas accessible to non-specialists, and provides a fabulous and fun learning opportunity for both professionals and students, as well as anyone interested in learning more about current trends in mathematics and the relationship between mathematics and broader scientific, engineering and technological endeavors.
The series will take place in the Carriage House, the MAA’s newly-renovated, high tech conference center.
The Edge of the Universe—Hyperbolic Wallpaper
September 9, 2009, 7:00 pm
Mathematical Association of America Carriage House
1781 Church Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Frank A. Farris
Santa Clara University
What if the universe had an edge? Since “universe” is construed to indicate “all that is,” such an edge would have to be inaccessible, “infinitely far away.”
In this talk, we travel to a hypothetical universe, whose inhabitants, along with all the matter they use to measure their space, shrink as they approach the edge. In this shrinking-ruler universe, that boundary is indeed inaccessible.
The picture of what we call “hyperbolic wallpaper” helps us imagine this cosmos: In the world of the shrinking ruler, all of the peacock fans are exactly the same distance across. All of them. And there are infinitely many copies hidden down there near the edge, unseen by our outsider eyes.
Frank Farris completed a five-year term as editor of Mathematics Magazine in 2005 and now serves again through 2009, aspiring to continue its tradition of challenging and inspiring teachers and students of mathematics at the undergraduate level. A native Californian, Frank did his undergraduate work at Pomona College and received his Ph.D. from M.I.T. in 1981. Awards include a Trevor Evans Award for his article “The Edge of the Universe” in Math Horizons and the David E. Logothetti Teaching Award at Santa Clara University, where he has taught since 1984.
From Flapping Birds
to Space Telescopes:
The Modern Science of
Origami
June 25, 2009, 7:00 pm
Mathematical Association of America Carriage House
1781 Church Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Robert
J. Lang
Alamo, California
The last decade of this past century has been witness to a revolution in the development and application of mathematical techniques to origami, the centuries-old Japanese art of paper-folding. The techniques used in mathematical origami design range from the abstruse to the highly approachable. In this talk, I will describe how geometric concepts led to the solution of a broad class of origami folding problems – specifically, the problem of efficiently folding a shape with an arbitrary number and arrangement of flaps, and along the way, enabled origami designs of mind-blowing complexity and realism, some of which you’ll see, too. As often happens in mathematics, theory originally developed for its own sake has led to some surprising practical applications. The algorithms and theorems of origami design have shed light on long-standing mathematical questions and have solved practical engineering problems. I will discuss examples of how origami has enabled safer airbags, Brobdingnagian space telescopes, and more.
Robert J. Lang is recognized as
one of the foremost origami artists in the world as well as a pioneer
in computational origami and the development of formal design
algorithms for folding. With a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Caltech,
he has, during the course of work at NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Spectra Diode Laboratories, and JDS Uniphase, authored or co-authored
over 80 papers and 45 patents in lasers and optoelectronics as well as
8 books and a CD-ROM on origami. He is a full-time artist and
consultant on origami and its applications to engineering problems but
moonlights as the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal of Quantum
Electronics. In 2009 he was awarded Caltech’s highest honor, the
Distinguished Alumni Award for his work in origami.
Photograph by Bob Paz.