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Colin Adams, Francis Christopher Oakley Third Century Professor of Mathematics at Williams College, will give a talk as part of the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at Lafayette 4 p.m. Wednesday in Pardee Hall room 101.
Adams will adopt the persona of Mel Slugbate, sleazy hyperbolic real estate salesman, speaking on “Real Estate in Hyperbolic Space: Investment Opportunities for the New Millennium.”
The talk description: “Have you found the new investment climate a bit on the chilly side? Nervous about stocks, bonds, and mutual funds? Afraid of risky investments in Euclidean space? Then real estate in hyperbolic space is for you. We will discuss the enormous potential of this new investment opportunity and describe the many fascinating properties of hyperbolic space that make it such an attractive place to live. This is the financial equivalent of the tech stocks of the 1990’s.”
No previous math or real estate background is assumed.
He received a B.S. at M.I.T in 1978 and a Ph.D. at University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1983. He taught at Oregon State University before joining the Williams faculty in 1985, and since then has taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and University of California, Davis, as a visiting lecturer.
A specialist in the mathematical theory of knots, Adams has received continued support from the National Science Foundation, including a 1996 grant with Frank Morgan, professor of mathematics at Williams, to study curved spaces called hyperbolic three-manifolds, which have applications in many branches of mathematics. He is a frequent lecturer and has published articles in several journals about the subject of knots and their place in mathematical theory.
His honors include Mathematical Association of America Northeastern Section Distinguished Teaching Award, 1996; Mathematical Association of America Deborah and Franklin Haimo National Distinguished Teaching Award, 1998; Polya Lecturer for Mathematical Association of America, 1998-2000; and Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer, 2000-2002.
Lafayette math faculty are leading top math students from Lafayette and other institutions around the country in REU projects.