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MEDIA CONTACT: Helene Snihur (585) 275-7800
November 12, 1999
TIME, DATE, AND PLACE: 4:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 19, in 201 Hylan Building on the University of Rochester River Campus
ADMISSION: Free and open to the public
The University of Rochester's Society of Undergraduate Math Students (SUMS) is sponsoring a talk by Robert Devaney, a prominent professor of mathematics at Boston University, who will speak on "Chaos, Fractals, and the Internet." The event will begin at 4:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 19, in Room 201 in the Hylan Building on the River Campus.
Devaney will speak and illustrate his talk on fractals, which are geometric figures that are generated from a simple pattern. Many natural phenomena, like clouds, ferns, broccoli, and trees, can be modeled by fractals. "A fractal is an infinitely detailed object with very complicated structure, and yet it looks essentially the same when viewed very close up as it does far away. Fractals make very pretty pictures and appear on lots of screen-savers, but they also lead to some serious mathematics," said assistant professor Robert Benedetto of the University.
Devaney has written the textbook An Introduction to Chaotic Dynamical Systems, which was intended for graduate students in mathematics and researchers in other fields looking at dynamical systems theory. He has received the Award for Distinguished University Teaching and in 1996 he was awarded the Boston University Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award.
The event is open and free to the public.
The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and the Memorial Art Gallery.
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