President’s Lecture with Professor Robert Bosch ’85 - ‘‘Opt Art’’

Professor of Mathematics Robert Bosch '83 will give this year's President's Lecture titled, ‘‘Opt Art: From Mathematical Optimization to Visual Design.’’

In his new book, Opt Art, Bob Bosch offers a lively and accessible introduction to the geometric, algebraic, and algorithmic foundations of mathematical optimization and its classical applications, such as determining the best way to assign workers to jobs or devising the best route for a delivery driver.

His talk will showcase these principles, as well as his decades-long efforts to use mathematical optimization to design visual artwork, including mosaics made out of dominoes and continuous-line-drawing representations of familiar images. 

Bosch is a professor mathematics at Oberlin and an award-winning writer and artist. His sculpture Embrace was awarded first prize at the 2010 Mathematical Art Exhibition in San Francisco. 

Opt Art will release in November from Princeton University Press. 

Inspired by Oberlin's long history of noontime assemblies, the President's Lecture was created to give the community—students, faculty, staff, and local residents—the opportunity to hear from college’s outstanding facutly members and selected alumni share their expertise and insights.