The Geometry of Snowflakes

THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT

Snowflakes are natural jewels. Scientists have been trying to understand these gems falling from the sky for more than four hundred years. Today, we understand better this phenomenon but many questions remain unsolved. PWIAS Distinguished Visiting Professor Étienne Ghys will tell the story of snowflakes but above all, this will be an opportunity to show beautiful images. This event is open to elementary and high school students as well as the general public.

Étienne Ghys is a French mathematician. His scientific contributions deal with the geometry and topology of dynamical systems. He has been instrumental in the creation and development of the mathematics department in the Ecole Normale Supérieure, in Lyon. More recently he has been involved in several actions towards the public dissemination of mathematics, for which he received a Clay Award. His most recent book (A Singular Mathematical Promenade) proposes a visual approach to the theory of singularities of planar curves. He was elected Permanent Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences in January 2019.

Doors open at 6:00 PM

A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature exhibition at 6:00 – 7:00 PM

Presentation and Q&A from 7:00 – 8:00 PM, Reception to follow

This event is in partnership with the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, TELUS World of Science, the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, Alliance Française, and the Consulat Général de France à Vancouver.  Information on other events.