Science Cafe 1. Presentation, wine and cheese

Dear friends,
Just like WorldSpeak was created from love for languages, Science Cafe comes from our love for science.

Every month we are inviting distinguished scientists from different areas of academic research: from math and space physics to bio-engenering. It is cutting edge science in a great atmosphere of interesting conversation and wine-n-cheese.

First Science Cafe, 8/20, 5:00 PM at WorldSpeak.

Lecturer: Dr. Oleg Gleizer, UCLA.

Talk: Fractal dimensions, from a Math Circle lesson to an industrial application.

Abstract: In the talk, we will explore the notion of dimension. We will see what makes the dimension of a square equal 2 and the dimension of a cube equal 3. We will meet the Koch curve and figure out why its dimension equals 1.2618595... If you are puzzled how come the dimension of a curve is not equal to one, even worse, is not an integer at all, come join us! We will further show that the dimension of the coastline of Great Britain is also a fraction, about 1.287. We will explain that fractal dimensions are not just a mathematical curiosity. They are a powerful engineering tool. In the talk, we will consider only one application in detail, early diagnosing Parkinson's disease, based on voice samples, without any need to see a medical professional. That's right, modern math enables one to get an early diagnosis of the disorder, years before it becomes noticeable to the person her/himself and to her/his physician, using nothing more than a cell phone app! We will also mention other applications, from diagnosing various medical disorders to mind-controlled toy cars and prosthetic limbs.

The talk will be given at the level of a popular science article in the Scientific American magazine. It will be accessible to any grown-up with interest in math as well as to high school students. Some basic understanding of logarithms will help. However, if you have completely forgotten what a logarithm is, no worries.

The payment of $15 per person can be made through the following PayPal link. If you have young children, childcare (movie and play-time) could be arrange in advance at $7/hr (consider 2 hrs).

http://paypal.me/worldspeak . We will use the payment for renting, purchasing wine and cheese, organizing and keeping the headcount.