2011 Anson L. Clark Memorial Lecture presents:
Fields Medalist, Stanislav Smirnov, PhD, "What is a Random Walk?"
The School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics is proud to host Stanislav Smirnov, PhD, Professor at the Université de Genève and Saint-Petersburg State University, as well as recipient of the prestigious 2010 Fields Medal.
Anson Clark Lecture: "What is a Random Walk?"
April 12, 2011, 11:25 am UT Dallas Activity Center
Almost two centuries ago a famous Scottish botanist Robert Brown observed through his microscope chaotic movement of small particles inside pollen grains. Despite extensive studies of "Brownian motion," it took 80 years and Albert Einstein to explain it, giving the first experimental evidence for the molecular structure of matter. A century has passed, but the mathematics behind "random walks" remains a fascinating subject, appearing almost everywhere: from protein folding and forest fires to stock prices and Internet search engines.
Technical Lecture: "Discrete Complex Analysis and Probability"
April 13, 2011, 10 am Kusch Auditorium, FN 2.102
Many 2D lattice models of statistical physics (percolation, Ising, self-avoiding polymers) are conjectured to have conformably invariant scaling limits at critical temperatures, which were used by physicists in deriving many of their properties. Proving these conjectures requires finding "discrete conformal invariants" associated to the models.
Please Note: The UT Dallas campus is undergoing a significant amount of construction. Guests are advised to visit our campus map for updated route, construction, and parking information.
About The Anson L. Clark Memorial Lecture
The Anson L. Clark Memorial Lecture Series began in 1970 and has drawn distinguished speakers to the UT Dallas campus every year since. The lecture honors the memory of a remarkable individual who amassed a sizeable fortune throughout a highly unusual and successful career – first, as an engineer, then as a physician at the Mayo Clinic and finally as a businessman in the oil and banking industries.
Clark’s philanthropic activities have for many decades supported scholarly endeavors at a number of Texas colleges and universities, including the Clark Summer Research Program and the Clark Presidential Scholarship at UT Dallas.
For more information about this lecture series, please contact:
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- Updated: March 5, 2012
