Opening Session (Thursday night)

Luke Rawlings • Bellevue College

Presenting his original artwork, Luke Rawlings will explore ties to mathematics and mathematics education, while discussing the challenging work required to produce a dissertation involving regular division of the plane (inspired by M.C. Escher) and its relationship to abstract algebra. The talk will also reveal how he created these works of art using principles of symmetry, the different symmetries one can find in art, and examples of how art can be used to illuminate some of the mathematics one might encounter in a course on abstract algebra.

Dr. Luke Rawlings was born and raised in Memphis, where he earned a B.S. in Mathematics at Christian Brothers University. After years of training as a competitive gymnast, he moved to New York City to become a performer on Broadway. Following a successful theater career, Luke earned a masters in pure mathematics at the City College of New York and then an Ed.D. in Mathematics Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Throughout all of these experiences, he has designed tessellations inspired by the art of M.C. Escher. Luke has taught at Bellevue College since 2016.