|
 |
"PopSci's Brilliant 10," by Laurie Goldman. Popular Science, September 2003.
Erik Demaine (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is profiled in the magazine's second annual listing of "superstar young scientists doing mind-boggling work in diverse, sometimes brand-new fields." Demaine, home-schooled as a youth, became an assistant professor at MIT at the age of 20. He is now a leader in the field of computational origami, a discipline that combines computer science and mathematics. The profile notes that computational origami has practical applications as well as recreational value: it has helped engineeers figure out how to unfold a telescope in outer space, how to stow automobile airbags, and possibly how proteins are folded. Demaine is quoted on the joys of his work: "You just look at something you normally see in a different way and think, Gee, I wonder if there's some mathematics behind that?"
--- Annette Emerson
 |
Comments: Email Webmaster |
