For the seventh consecutive year, the Fields Institute will open its doors to undergraduate and high school students for one of the most exciting mathematics student events in Toronto: the Student Night of the Fields Medal Symposium (FMS).

This year's FMS will honour the late Maryam Mirzakhani (Fields Medal 2014) and the current and potential impact of her work.

The Student Night is designed to encourage the interaction between students and a Fields Medallist, to inspire an appreciation of the beauty and scope of mathematics, and to have fun. This year's presentation will be delivered by Professor Diana Davis, who is Visiting Assistant Professor at Swarthmore College. Professor Davis' talk will be followed by networking (with plenty of time for questions/answers) and pizza. More than 150 students typically register for this popular event, which has become a favorite annual tradition.

Talk Title: Flat surfaces and pentagon billiards

Abstract: Maryam Mirzakhani proved deep theorems about spaces of flat surfaces. In this talk, we'll look at just two of those surfaces, the double pentagon and the golden L. We'll explore how understanding those two surfaces can help us to understand the beautiful patterns that arise as periodic billiard trajectories on the regular pentagon.

6-9 pm on November 6, 2018

The Fields Institute (222 College St., Toronto, ON)

First-come, first-served seating, subject to venue capacity.