Abstract:  There are three principle geometries in two-dimensional space.  One of them- hyperbolic geometry- has a long and distinguished history and it remains to this day a source of intense mathematical research.   I will give an introductory talk that focuses on the basics of this geometry and I will briefly allude to some recent spectacular results. This is an introductory talk that is meant to convey some of the beauty of the subject. The only prerequisite is a willingness to accept a certain amount of 'explanation by hand-waving’.

Bio:  I received my PhD in Mathematics from SUNY-Stony Brook under the direction of Bernie Maskit and Yair Minsky; my speciality was centered in the study of geometric analysis.   Subsequently I was a postdoc at the University of Michigan which was followed by  a tenured position at Wesleyan University.  For the last five years I have been a Program Officer in the Analysis Program within the Division of Mathematical Sciences at the National Science Foundation.  At NSF I’ve been covering such fields as Geometric Function Theory, Mathematical Physics, Applied Differential Equations, Dynamical Systems, and Quantum Information Theory.