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Westminster College Alumnus Presents Mathematics Colloquium

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Posted on Friday, June 5, 2015

Westminster College’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science hosted a colloquium featuring alumnus Richard Ligo ’12 as the guest speaker.

Ligo, a doctoral candidate in mathematics at the University of Iowa, presented an introduction to his research, “A Taste of Differential Geometry: Ribbons and White’s Formula.”

From Ligo’s abstract: “A traditional course in multivariable calculus introduces vectors and curves in three space. The combination of these two ideas leads to the definition of a ribbon. From this construction the link, writhe and twist of a ribbon can be defined, a relationship that is governed by White’s formula. These ideas can be applied to the problem of determining the minimum energy configurations of elastic rods.”

Email Dr. David Offner, Westminster assistant professor of mathematics, at offnerde@westminstser.edu for additional information.