Explore the stunning and complex forms of nature like never before during Penn State Brandywine's 2015 Spring Speaker Series, April 8 at 6 p.m. in Main Building room 113.
In 1975, Benoit Mandelbrot, a mathematician, defined the term "fractal" in terms of intricate patterns found in nature. These hidden geometric patterns can be found in snowflakes, plants, coastlines and much more. Jan Reimann, assistant professor of mathematics at Penn State, will explain and display these patterns.
Reimann's research spans questions on fractal geometry, computability theory, information theory and the foundations of mathematics and science. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation and has been recognized by an award from the John Templeton Foundation.
(photo caption: Jan Reimann, assistant professor of mathematics)
Reimann has lectured at numerous universities and international conferences, and was a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago, Victoria University of Wellington, the University of California at Berkeley and the National University of Singapore. He was a Morrey assistant professor at the University of California at Berkeley from 2007 to 2010 and joined the Penn State faculty in 2010.
Each year, Penn State Brandywine welcomes a number of distinguished speakers to campus. Brandywine will host four speakers who will discuss a variety of topics including the ever-changing weather of the Philadelphia region, how science and art mix and geometric patterns found in nature.
On April 15, Cameron Conaway will bridge the gap between the topics of science and art. He is a creative writing instructor at Penn State Brandywine, former MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter and author of "Malaria, Poems" which was named one of National Public Radio's best books in 2014.
On April 22, Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz, NBC10 chief meteorologist, and Jon Nese, former on-air storm analyst at The Weather Channel and current Penn State faculty member in the meteorology department, will present about the ever-changing weather patterns of the Philadelphia region. The pair wrote "The Philadelphia Area Weather Book" in 2005.
Each event is free and light refreshments will be served.
Due to limited space, RSVP to [email protected] or call 610-892-1212.
