Math building at UC Davis

Alexander's Horned Sphere sculptureA mathematical sculpture titled “Alexander Horned Wild Sphere, Six Bifur” now graces the lobby of the Mathematical Sciences Building. The sculpture was donated to the Department of Mathematics by Julian Thurston in honor of her late husband, William Thurston, UC Davis faculty from 1996 to 2003. A celebrated researcher and teacher, Thurston was known for his intuitive insights about complex geometric shapes. “Alexander’s Horned Sphere” is a so-called wild structure. It has an infinitely repeating pattern of open-ended, interlocking rings on its exterior (similar to a fractal) but the inside is a continuous space. Artist Helaman Ferguson designed the sculpture.

Becky Oskin, content strategist in the College of Letters and Science