George W. Hart, Ph.D. email: george@georgehart.com Web: http://www.georgehart.com/

George W. Hart is an interdisciplinary sculptor, scholar, mathematician, engineer, writer, computer scientist, and educator.  His  geometric sculpture is recognized around the world for its mathematical depth and creative use of materials. He is a pioneer in using computer technology and solid freeform fabrication in the design and fabrication of sculpture. Examples of his artwork can be seen at major universities, such as M.I.T., U.C. Berkeley, and Princeton University. He has received praise and awards in numerous exhibitions, including a New York State Council for the Arts Individual Artist's Award. He has been invited to lecture and show his art across the country and around the globe, including many major universities. He loves designing sculptures to be assembled by large groups of people, such as this, this, this or this.

Hart's publications center on mathematical applications in sculpture and other fields.  His extensive online Encyclopedia of Polyhedra provides a substantial reference, which is used by students and researchers around the world. His groundbreaking Multidimensional Analysis text (Springer Verlag, 1995) gives fresh insight into the structures of linear algebra. His Zome Geometry book (Key Curriculum Press, 2001) takes the reader on a hands-on tour of the structures possible in three-dimensional space, and is designed to spark students' interest in geometry. He is in the process of slowly writing a book on the history of geometry in art.

Hart's mathematical research currently centers on novel polyhedral structures and algorithms for producing them. He has produced algorithms for generating various new classes of polyhedra, which he then presents to the world in sculptural forms. (In past work, he developed methods for efficiently monitoring electrical loads, on which he holds several patents.) He is the associate editor for sculpture of the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts. He is on the board of directors of the Bridges Organization, which runs the Bridges conferences on mathematical connections in art, music, and science. He was co-organizer of a recent workshop on Innovations in Mathematics Education via the Arts.

Hart's educational activities reach students at all levels. He has developed innovative workshop activities which use art-related ways to engage students in thinking mathemtically about patterns, structure, and relationships. These include constructions with paper, CDs, or other materials. He is especially known for workshops he has led around the world constructing very large models of four-dimensional polytopes (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), These extraordinary activities expose participants to important conceptual ideas they might never experience otherwise. His online teaching materials have a significant impact on mathematics education and result in an enormous amount of email contact to him from teachers and students around the world. His alternative introductions to mathematical topics are often effective for engaging students who are not attracted to traditional mathematics teaching.

Recently, Hart has been helping to form North America's only Museum of Mathematics and designing cool exhibits for its traveling exhibition, the Math Midway.  He also designs intricate geometric puzzles which provide deep challenges to assemble. Some of these are best solved by a group of people working cooperatively. They provide stimulating original exercises in visualization and group communication.

Hart  received a B.S. in Mathematics from MIT (1977), an M.A. in Linguistics from Indiana University (1979), and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT (1987).  He has worked at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory and MIT Energy Laboratory as a computer scientist. He taught for eight years as a professor at Columbia University, and briefly at Hofstra University.  After two years as a visiting scholar associated with the computational geometry group in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics at Stony Brook, he is currently a research professor in the Department of Computer Science at Stony Brook.  He is the author of over sixty scholarly articles, conference papers, and technical reports.  His web site http://www.georgehart.com illustrates the range of his work.

Hart enjoys giving talks and workshops, illustrated with slides or other materials, to audiences ranging from elementary school students to professionals. He has been a visiting lecturer many times at the Canada/USA MathCamp. For places to meet him or see his sculpture, click here. For some press notices, click here. If you like cookies, click here.

In all, George Hart has been kissed by Euclid and enjoys life as a troubadour for geometry, finding creative ways to spread his love for and knowledge of all things that embody a geometric aesthetic.