Mathematics Tamura–Lilly Lecture Series with Colin Adams

Colin Adams, Thomas T. Read Professor of Mathematics, Williams College, will present our 2026 Tamura–Lilly Lecture Series. All are welcome.

The Math Department will hold a reception at 4 p.m. in the lobby of King Building Room 306 with refreshments and desserts. This event will not be live-streamed or recorded.

Title: "Coloring Carpets"

In 2023, Barry Cipra and Paul Zorn noticed interesting patterns in carpets obtained by applying rules from knot theory to color them. Over the last three years, students and I have been working to understand these patterns. We will see many pretty pictures and I will do my best to explain why they look the way they do. Lots of interesting questions remain.