UNCA Hosts Third Annual Parsons' Lecture;
Renowned Mathematician John H. Conway to Speak
Renowned mathematician John H. Conway will deliver UNC Asheville’s
third annual Parsons' Lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 18, in UNCA's
Lipinsky Auditorium. Conway's talk, "On the Number of Groups of a
Given Order," is presented by UNCA's Mathematics Department. The
event is free and open to the public.
Conway, a graduate of Cambridge University, is a professor of
mathematics at Princeton University. He has completed revolutionary work
in number theory, game theory, coding theory and tiling. Conway discovered
one of the largest finite groups of symmetries known to man, now called
the Conway group. He is the author of more than 10 books and 140 journal
articles on various mathematical subjects. Conway invented the "Game
of Life," a computer simulation where checker-like objects replicate
themselves under certain rules and form complex patterns on a grid. The
game was popularized by Martin Gardner's columns in "Scientific
American" in the 1970's, earning the game a number of devotees.
Conway is a Fellow of the Royal Society and received the Polya Prize of
the London Mathematical Society. He was also awarded the 1998 Frederic
Esser Nemmers Prize in Mathematics from Northwestern University and the
2000 Steele Prize in Mathematical Exposition from the American
Mathematical Society.
UNCA's Parsons' Lecture showcases well-known mathematicians who are
able to explain their field of study to a general audience. The lecture is
made possible by an endowment from an alumnus in honor of former UNCA
mathematics professor Joe Parsons.
For more information, call UNCA's Mathematics Department at
828/251-6556.
Media Contacts:
- Dr. Mark MacLean, UNCA Assistant Mathematics Professor,
828/232-5190
- Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant Director,
828/251-6526
|
