The problem of packing space with regular tetrahedra has a 2000 year history. In this talk, the speaker will survey the history of the problem. It includes work by mathematicians, physicists, chemists, and materials scientists. Much progress has been made on it in recent years, yet there remain many unsolved problems.
About the speaker
Prof Jeffrey Lagarias received his PhD in Mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974. He then joined AT&T Bell Laboratories as a Member of Technical Staff until 2004 and moved the University of Michigan and is currently the Harold Mead Stark Collegiate Professor of Mathematics.
Prof Lagarias's research interests focus on pure mathematics, applied mathematics, theoretical computer science, operations research, and mathematical physics. Fields include: Algorithms and Computational Complexity, Cryptography, Discrete & Computational Geometry, Dynamical Systems, Linear Programming and Optimization, Low-Dimensional Topology, Mathematical Physics and Number Theory.
Prof Lagarias was elected the Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science, the American Mathematical Society, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. He received numerous awards, including Lester Ford Award by the Mathematical Association of America, the Best Paper Award 2005 by the International Society for Di erence Equations, the Lester Ford Award by the Mathematical Association of America, and Levi L. Conant Prize by American Mathematical Society.
The lecture is free and open to all. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.
