Mathematician to Describe ‘The Shape of Space’

Is the universe really infinite? Data from a small NASA satellite could soon show that it is not. Jeffrey Weeks, a mathematician who conducts research on this topic, will give a free public presentation, "The Shape of Space," at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, in Textor 101.

In his presentation, Weeks will use computer games to show how space may be finite yet have no boundary, and he will explain how the radiation remaining from the "big bang" may reveal the true shape of our universe.

Weeks has taught at Ithaca College, Princeton University, and Middlebury College. He is currently collaborating with cosmologists on research to test the shape of the universe, using data to come in 2002--3 from NASA’s Microwave Anisotropy Probe. A 1999 winner of a "genius" fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation, Weeks is the author of The Shape of Space, an introduction to topological analysis that has received high honors from the International Congress of Mathematicians. He has produced an award-winning video version of the book that introduces the same ideas to students in grades 6--10, and he developed a multimedia unit for middle schools on geometry and space.

The presentation is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, School of Humanities and Sciences, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, and COMPASS (Curricular Options in Mathematics Programs for All Secondary Students).