A Mathematics of the Planet Earth 2013 Simons Public Lecture “On Growth and Form: Mathematics, Physics and Biology”

The diversity of living forms led Darwin to state that it is “enough to drive the sanest man mad.” How can we describe this variety? How can we understand the origin and evolution of these “endless forms most beautiful?” And how do these forms link to function and physiology at the organismic level and beyond? Mathematics, and geometry in particular, provides a natural language to express these questions and answer them. Motivated by biological observations on different scales from molecules to organisms to swarms, Dr. Mahadevan will show how a combination of quantitative experiments, physical analogies, mathematical theories and computational models allow us to begin to unravel the mechanistic basis for aspects of morphogenesis and thence towards physiology, pathophysiology and biomimetics.

The MPE2013 Simons Public Lecture Series is funded by the Simons Foundation. The series is taking place at nine locations around the world. Each lecturer is a leading expert who explains how the mathematical sciences play a significant role in understanding and solving some of Planet Earth's important problems. Our community's best expositors and champions cover a diverse range of topics in lectures aimed for a public audience.

Featuring: L. Mahadevan, Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied

Mathematics, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Physics, Harvard University.

Hosted by: Brown University and the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM)

Tickets: For a limited time, use the code “PATCH” to claim your free tickets at:http://simonslectureaticerm.eventbrite.com