Bradley Forrest

 

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RESEARCH INTERESTS

Topology; Geometric Group Theory; Community Scholarship; and Recreational Mathematics: Games and Puzzles

My mathematical research focuses on Geometric Group Theory, which is roughly the study of symmetries. Most recently I have been investigating symmetries of fractals, and trying to produce a mathematically rigorous way to understand these symmetries. I am also passionate about recreational mathematics, specifically the mathematics of puzzles and games. This passion motivates my work as faculty advisor to Stockton’s Gaming Club, and has led me to develop a general studies course: Games, Puzzles, and Mathematics.

I take great joy from working with students on research projects, and regularly have 2 or 3 research students. Most of the projects that I advise are centered in Geometric Group Theory or Recreational Mathematics, though I occasionally advise projects in Graph Theory or Combinatorics. My research students have studied the Rubik’s Cube, Self-intersecting polygons, knot theory, braid based cryptography, knight’s tours, the Vicsek fractal, self-avoiding walks, polyominoes, and graphs made by replacement rules.

 

PUBLICATIONS

B. Forrest and N. Manno, Lights Out on a Random Graph, The PUMP Journal of Undergraduate Research, 5 (2022), 165 - 175.  Available at https://journals.calstate.edu/pump/article/view/2593/2983.

J. Vogel, P. Kosick, B. McShea, and B. Forrest, Mentoring Webs: Intertwining Multiple Mentors and Mentees to Support STEM Students, The Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching, 5, no. 14 (2021) 475 - 481.

J. Belk and B. Forrest, Rearrangement Groups of Fractals, Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, 372, no. 7 (2019), 4509 - 4552.  Preprint available athttps://arxiv.org/pdf/1510.03133.pdf

B. Forrest and K. Teehan, The Topology of Knight's Tours on Surfaces, Minnesota Journal of Undergraduate Mathematics, 4, no. 1, (2018).  Available at https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/mjum/article/view/4146/2836.

J. Belk and B. Forrest, A Thompson Group for the Basilica. Groups, Geometry, and Dynamics, 9, no. 4 (2015) 975-1000. Preprint available at https://arxiv.org/pdf/1201.4225.pdf

B. Forrest, A Degree Theorem for the Space of Ribbon Graphs. Topology Proceedings, 45 (2015) 31-51. Preprint available at https://arxiv.org/pdf/1302.0554

B. Forrest, P. Kosick, J. Vogel and C. Wu, Mathematical Achievement of High School Students Through Community Partnership: A Red Balloon Initiative. Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University, 4, no. 1 (2012) 29-38.

B. Forrest, P. Kosick, J. Vogel and C. Wu, Increasing Math Prociency in High School Teaching: A Model for a College and Community Partnership. The Journal of Public Scholarship in Higher Education, 2 (2012) 47-71.

H. Armstrong, B. Forrest, and K. Vogtmann, A Presentation for Aut(F_n). Journal of Group Theory, 11 (2008) 267-276. Preprint available at https://arxiv.org/pdf/math/0701937