Holdener Examines Relationship Between Art and Math in Speaker Series

Mathematician Judy Holdener of Kenyon College will examine the relationship between math and art as part of Allegheny College Math Department’s Undergraduate Speaker Series on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. in the auditorium of Quigley Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

In her lecture, “Immersion in Mathematics Via Digital Art,” Holdener examines her venture into digital art with the creation of a mathematical artwork titled “Immersion.” The surface patterns in the piece reflect Holdener’s day-to-day immersion in mathematics, depicting patterns that relate to the content of the courses she teaches as well as research she has conducted with undergraduates in the area of dynamical systems.

Holdener will describe how the patterns reflect the connection between two well-known mathematical objects — the Thue-Morse sequence and the von Koch curve — and how the formal mathematical meaning of “immersion” plays a role in the composition of the piece.

Since 1972, the Math Speaker Series has brought Allegheny students into contact with many nationally and internationally prominent mathematicians. Holdener’s talk is funded by the Leila Parsons Fund.