At the age of 81, Benoit Mandelbrot, recognized for originating the field of fractal geometry and applying it in mathematics, science and engineering, has joined the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is a DOE Office of Science laboratory that solves complex problems in energy, national security, the environment and life sciences by advancing the understanding of physics, chemistry, biology and computation.
Hailed as one of the world's most influential mathematicians, he will hold the title of Battelle Fellow, the laboratory's highest technical position. He'll lead a project to further advance multi-fractal mathematics, one aspect of which will be the development of a new mathematics curriculum for high schools.
“The laboratory is a very good match for both our interests in research and my interest in teachers of mathematics,” Mandelbrot said. “Math instruction has become very standardized in a manner that most people find dull and boring. I think there is a better way.”