Further information
Athena lecture
Professor Caroline Series, Professor of Mathematics, University of Warwick presents the Athena lecture 2009 “Insights and vistas in hyperbolic geometry”.
Abstract: Hyperbolic or non-Euclidean geometry was discovered as the result of failed attempts to prove Euclid’s parallel postulate. In this strange geometry, the angle sum of a triangle is less than 180 degrees, and cutting across a field is little quicker than going round the edge.
We shall describe some of the unusual features of hyperbolic geometry. The symmetries of Euclidean space form the familiar basis of much decorative art. As will be illustrated in the talk, the infinitely richer world of hyperbolic symmetries leads to graphics as striking for their aesthetic appeal as for their mathematical content.
Abstracting the special features of hyperbolic geometry has led to profound new insights, which in turn have been developed into remarkable new tools for understanding the geometry of three dimensional manifolds (the three dimensional analogue of surfaces). This provides a good illustration of what modern mathematics is like and how research proceeds.
Biography: Caroline Series is a Professor of Mathematics at University of Warwick. After reading mathematics at Somerville College, Oxford, she won a Kennedy scholarship to Harvard where she did her Ph.D. She has been at Warwick since 1979. She started her research on chaotic dynamical systems. More recently, she has moved on to topics in hyperbolic geometry related to three dimensional manifolds. She was an EPSRC Senior Research Fellow (1999–2004) on the subject of Kleinian groups, that is the crystallographic groups of hyperbolic space, an area which has seen exciting developments in the last few years.
Besides her many scientific papers, she has been involved in the popularisation of mathematics. In particular, she was co-author of “Indra’s Pearls” (CUP 2002), which aims to give a flavour of real mathematical research to the mathematically literate public. Throughout her career, Caroline has been involved in various initiatives to support and encourage women mathematicians. A founder member of “European Women Mathematicians”, she is on the organising committee of the upcoming EWM 14th General Conference to be held in Novi Sad in August 2009.
A drinks reception will follow this lecture.
Attendance at this lecture is free with registration in advance: l.brown@imperial.ac.uk.