A public lecture on "The Shape of Space" by mathematician Jeff Weeks will be given 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7 in Room AO1 of McDonnell Hall on the Princeton University campus.
The talk, which is intended to be accessible to middle and high school students, is part of a major conference, June 7 to 11, in honor of mathematician William Thurston’s 60th birthday. Dr. Thurston who is one of the world’s most eminent mathematicians served as a professor at Princeton for over 10 years during which time he did some of his greatest work.
The shape of the universe has been a topic that dates back 2,500 years when people addressed the question of whether the earth was flat or round. Today, scientists are striving to discern the shape of the universe.
While the universe seems infinite, this infinity might be an illusion. During the first half of the presentation, computer games will introduce the concept of a "multiconnected universe." Interactive 3-D graphics will then take participants on a guided tour of several possible shapes for space, illustrating the potential universes that lay at the heart of Professor Thurston’s pioneering work. Finally, the audience will be shown how recent satellite data provide tantalizing clues to the shape of the real universe.
Professor Weeks is a mathematician and cosmologist and MacArthur Fellowship winner. After teaching at Stockton State College and Ithaca College, he resigned to be a full-time dad for a few years. From there he became a freelance mathematician, at first part time, then full time.
He worked at the Geometry Center and the National Science Foundation and at science museums and teaching at Middlebury College. With his MacArthur Fellowship, he studied cosmic topology, and finished the unit, "Exploring the Shape of Space" for middle schools and high schools.More information on the talk is available at www.math.princeton.edu/weeks/.
