Join us on Thursday February 8 at 5PM in Rocky 300 for the first of two Asprey Lecturers delivered by Professor Laura DeMarco. Harvard University.

Title: From the solar system to the Mandelbrot set

Abstract: The field of dynamical systems has a long and fascinating history:  it originated with the study of planetary motion and has become a central part of mathematics today, with many connections to algebra, geometry, and analysis.  In this talk, I will present some of its historical development, with emphasis on the subtle question of linearization and how that leads to deep and difficult problems that remain unsolved today.