Author Description

The meeting at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley was structured around principal lectures given by Almgren, Callahan, Ericksen, Francis, Gulliver, Hanrahan, Kajiya, Polthier, Sethian, Sterling, Thomas, and Vogel. The divergent backgrounds of these and the many other participants, as reflected in their lectures at the meeting and in the papers presented here, testify to the unifying element of the workshop's central theme. The depth and range of the new developments presented in the lectures point to scientific and technological frontiers being crossed with impressive speed. The present volume is offered as a permanent record for those who were present, and also with a view towards making the material available to a wider audience than were able to attend.