Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

NSF Grant Funds Research of Curvature and Symmetry

Friday, August 7, 2020, By Dan Bernardi
Share
College of Arts and SciencesNational Science FoundationResearch and Creative

graphic of EarthWhat does the surface of a desk and the surface of a beach ball or bagel have in common? The answer is, if you zoom in close enough on each item, they all look flat. Of course, we all know beach balls and bagels are not flat. They actually are examples of curved mathematical spaces called Riemannian manifolds. Lee Kennard, assistant professor of mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), has been awarded a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study symmetry in Riemannian manifolds. Kennard’s award is one of ten current NSF grants in the Department of Mathematics.

head shot

Lee Kennard

Manifolds are two-, three- or multi-dimensional shapes that appear to be flat Euclidean space when you zoom in on them. Perhaps the most obvious example of a manifold is the surface of the Earth. Going back to the example of a beach ball or a bagel, even though they look alike close up, the surfaces of the ball and the bagel are fundamentally different in the sense that one has a hole in the center while the other doesn’t. As it turns out, this difference can be detected by a measurement of how the shapes are curved. Indeed, while the surface of the ball is positively curved everywhere, this cannot be said for bagels, soft pretzels or any other object containing holes.

Kennard and his collaborators, Michael Wiemeler and Burkhard Wilking, of the University of Münster, Germany, will continue their work on how the local, geometric property of being positively curved impacts other global, topological measurements. They are especially interested in spaces that have multiple, independent axes of rotational symmetry, similar to how the beads of a necklace can be individually spun without changing the shape of the necklace.

The grant will primarily fund Kennard’s summer research, graduate student summer research and travel expenses to visit and host visits with his collaborators and other experts. Kennard’s research on the symmetry and curvature of Riemannian manifolds is funded through NSF’s program on Geometric Analysis, part of the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. The program on Geometric Analysis supports research on differential geometry, geometric Lie theory, geometric methods in modern mathematical physics and geometric aspects of partial differential equations.

The NSF funds research and education in science and engineering, through grants, contracts and cooperative agreements. The foundation accounts for about 20 percent of federal support to academic institutions for basic research.

  • Author

Dan Bernardi

  • Recent
  • Oren Lyons Jr., Roy Simmons Jr. Honored With Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award
    Wednesday, June 11, 2025, By John Boccacino
  • Deadline Set for Fiscal 2025 Year End Business
    Monday, June 9, 2025, By News Staff
  • The Libraries’ Resources: A Staff and Faculty Benefit
    Monday, June 9, 2025, By News Staff
  • Forecasting the Future With Fossils
    Sunday, June 8, 2025, By Caroline K. Reff
  • DPS Earns Accreditation From International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators
    Friday, June 6, 2025, By Kiana Racha

More In STEM

Endowed Professorship Recognizes Impact of a Professor, Mentor and Advisor

Bao-Ding “Bob” Cheng’s journey to Syracuse University in pursuit of graduate education in the 1960s was long and arduous. He didn’t have the means for air travel, so he voyaged more than 5,000 nautical miles by boat from his home…

Forecasting the Future With Fossils

One of the most critical issues facing the scientific world, no less the future of humanity, is climate change. Unlocking information to help understand and mitigate the impact of a warming planet is a complex puzzle that requires interdisciplinary input…

ECS Professor Pankaj K. Jha Receives NSF Grant to Develop Quantum Technology

Detecting single photons—the smallest unit of light—is crucial for advanced quantum technologies such as optical quantum computing, communication and ultra-sensitive imaging. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are the most efficient means of detecting single photons and these detectors can count…

Rock Record Illuminates Oxygen History

Several key moments in Earth’s history help us humans answer the question, “How did we get here?” These moments also shed light on the question, “Where are we going?,” offering scientists deeper insight into how organisms adapt to physical and…

What Can Ancient Climate Tell Us About Modern Droughts?

Climate change is reshaping the global water cycle, disrupting rainfall patterns and putting growing pressure on cities and ecosystems. Some regions are grappling with heavier rainfall and flooding, while others face prolonged droughts that threaten public health, disrupt economies and…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.