Science for the Public Lecture Series
September 08, 2015 at Belmont Public Library, Belmont MA

L. Mahadevan, Ph.D., de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics; Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; Professor of Physics, Harvard University

Origami, the art of folding paper into complex shapes, is in the midst of a revolution driven by the realization that it is simultaneously the fount of new mathematics and the potential origin of many engineering applications. As it happens, it also appears naturally in many biological systems. Dr. Mahadevan discusses these different facets of origami and demonstrates how crossing the divide between art and science enriches both immeasurably.

Articles/Media about Professor Mahadevan

• NPR interview Genius Mathematician Seeks New Problems
• Simple Curiosities Compel Scientist
• The Physics of the Familiar
• Harvard video of Dr. Mahadevan Finding Physics in Everyday Objects
• artist Jonathan Nix's paintings of Mahadevan Series
• A Remarkable Eye for Out-of-the-Ordinary Mathematics