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Next week Dr. Paul Thurston, who earned his PhD in mathematics here at UT will be giving both a junior colloquium (Thursday at 3:35 in HBB 102) and a regular faculty colloquium. He tells me that his regular colloquium (Friday at 3:35 in HBB 102), which is about mathematical finance, will mostly be accessible to advanced undergraduates (e.g. having had advanced calculus). If you are interested in finance or economics and have this background, I encourage you to attend his regular colloquium in addition to the JC. His JC will be accessible to students who have had basic calculus, and will be more broad. Here are the details for the JC: Title: An Introduction to Fractal Geometry with Applications in Engineering, Biology and Finance Speaker: Paul Thurston, Ph.D. Abstract: In an undergraduate calculus course, we usually study geometric objects that are, in some sense, regular. Examples of such 'regular' geometric objects include circles, spheres, and polyhedra. Experiencing the natural world around us, we often find that the most common objects in nature, such as trees, mountains, and even the circulatory systems of animals, are much more 'jagged', or irregular. The term 'fractal' is often used to describe irregular objects such as these examples found in nature. Fractal Geometry provides a mathematical tool with which to study such irregular geometric objects, and hopefully, gain more insight into naturally occurring phenomena. Popularized by Benoit Mandelbrot, many of us have seen the exotic artwork inspired by fractals adorning paintings, posters and clothing. Recently, fractals have found many practical applications in Engineering, Biology and Finance. (For example, every modern smart phone nowadays comes equipped with a fractal, and these smart phones wouldn't work very well without the fractal.) In this talk, I'll describe the basic elements of fractal geometry and present numerous practical examples of fractals in Engineering, Biology and Finance. Students with any background in undergraduate calculus should find the presentation very accessible. Conrad Plaut Professor, Director of UT Math Honors Math Department Aconda Ct. 104 1534 Cumberland Ave. University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37996-0612 Office: Aconda Ct. 401A Phone: 865-974-4319 http://web.utk.edu/~cplaut