Robert Lang, a pioneer of the marriage of origami with mathematics that revolutionized the art in the late 20th century, will deliver a free public lecture at UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. in Rm. 1001 of the Engineering Sciences Building.
The title of his presentation is "From Flapping Birds to Space Telescopes: the Modern Science of Origami."
Reservations are required and can be made by e-mail at stopple@math.ucsb.edu.
Lang, an origami world master, has a doctorate in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology.
He is a full-time artist and consultant on origami and its applications to engineering.
This quarter Lang is a UC Regents' Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at UCSB.
"As often happens in mathematics, theory originally developed for its own sake has led to some surprising practical applications," writes Lang.
"The algorithms and theorems of origami design have shed light on longstanding mathematical questions, and have solved practical engineering problems."
Lang's work combines aspects of the Western school of mathematical origami design with the Eastern emphasis on line and form, to yield models that are distinctive, elegant, and challenging.
His designs are noted for their detail and realism and include some of the most complex origami designs ever created.
He has cataloged and diagrammed over 500 designs.
Prior to becoming a full-time origami artist, author, and consultant, Lang worked as a physicist and engineer.
He is the author or co-author of over 80 technical publications, and has 50 patents awarded and pending on semiconductor lasers, optics, and integrated optoelectronics.
Lang is a fellow of the Optical Society of America, a member of the IEEE Photonics Society, and editor-in-chief of the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics.
He lectures widely and teaches workshops on both artistic techniques and applications of folding in industrial design.
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