Knot theory is the study of knotted loops in three dimensions -- how to untangle a knotted loop without breaking the string. This can seem like an intractable problem as knots get large and complicated (think knotted proteins or strands of DNA), but many hands-on techniques reveal useful insights about knots.
Drs. Kate Kearney and Eric Hogle lead research focuses on knot mosaics, which are diagrams of knots created as a mosaic of tiles with simple arcs or crossings on them. These can be studied with a combinatorial approach, examining different ways to combine tiles on a limited size grid to discover relationships between the properties of the mosaic design and properties of the knot.
