Topic: Science as Art in Contemporary Theater
Abstract:
In the 1993 play Arcadia, playwright Tom Stoppard miraculously manages to use the tension between Euclidean geometry and modern fractal geometry to explore the classical/romantic dichotomy in literature, science, art, and human personality. This is just one example of how acclaimed playwrights such as Stoppard, Michael Frayn, Simon McBurney and others have effectively incorporated mathematical and scientific themes for artistic purposes. Inspired by this relatively recent phenomenon in contemporary drama, we have collaborated on a team-taught course aimed at exploring the complementary ways in which science and theater seek out their respective truths.
Biography:
A.B., Colgate University; M.S., Ph.D., University of Virginia; (Functional Analysis, Operator Theory)
Awarded the 2010 Perkins Award for Excellence in Teaching, see story here.