Location: Fields Institute , 222 College Street, Toronto

March 12, 2010- 3:30 p.m.
Dr. L. Mahadevan
Harvard University

On growth and form: mathematics, mechanics and morphogenesis

The growth and form of a soft solid pose a range of problems that combine aspects of geometry and physics. I will discuss some examples of growth and form in the plant and animal world motivated by qualitative and quantitative biological observations. The problems include the shape of a freely growing pollen tube, the undulating fringes on a leaf or petal, and the shape of the vertebrate gut. In each case, we will see how a combination of physical experiments, mathematical models and simple computations allow us to unravel the basis for the diversity and complexity of form in growing bodies.

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