The 2002-2003 Ralph E. and Doris M. Hansmann Lecture was delivered by Colin Adams, the Francis Christopher Oakley Third Century Professor of Mathematics at Williams College. The talk, "Real Estate in Hyperbolic Space: Investment Opportunities for the New Millennium," was given on February 25, in the Hamilton College Chapel.
For the talk Adams gets into character as Mel Slugbate, real estate broker, Slugbate and Mossbutter Real Estate, Williamstown, Mass. Adams/Slugbate says, "Have you found the new investment climate a bit on the chilly side? Nervous about stocks, bonds and mutual funds? Afraid of risky investments in Euclidean space? Then real estate in hyperbolic space is for you." Adams/Slugbate will use humor to communicate the vast opportunities and fascinating properties of "hyperbolic space."
Adams earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1978 from M.I.T., followed by a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin in 1983. His particular curiosity centers on the mathematical theory of knots, their applications, and their connections with hyperbolic geometry. Adams is author of numerous research articles on knot theory and hyperbolic 3-manifolds and The Knot Book, an introduction to the mathematical theory of knots. He is also the co-author, with Joel Hass and Abigail Thompson, of a pair of humorous calculus supplements titled How to Ace Calculus: The Streetwise Guide and How to Ace the Rest of Calculus: The Streetwise Guide. His mathematical humor column "Mathematically Bent," appears monthly in the Mathematical Intelligencer. In 1998, Adams received the Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). He was the MAA's Polya Lecturer from 1998-2000 and is a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer for 2000-2002.
The Ralph E. and Doris M. Hansmann Lecture Series fund was established in 1993 by William Golden, a friend of Hamilton College, in honor of Ralph E. '40 and Doris M. Hansmann on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary. Lectures are supported in a number of fields and are designated on a three-year rotating basis.
