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Phone: (407) 823-6284;   Fax: (407) 823-6253;   MAP  207 2004-2005 MATHEMATICS COLLOQUIUM SERIES 01/14/05 Colloquium Dr. Ibrahim Fatkullin von Karman Instructor Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics California Institute of Technology The Onsager Model of Nematic Phase Transitions Abstract:   Dr. Fatkullin will discuss the Onsager model of nematic phase transitions in liquid crystals and rod-like polymers. In the basis of the model lies a free energy functional whose critical points correspond to equilibrium configurations of the liquid-crystalline suspension. He will explicitly classify all critical points of the Onsager functional, which yields a complete solution to this problem. This is a joint work with V. Slastikov. Dr. Fatkullin received the Ph.D. in 2002 in Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Presently, he is a von Karman Instructor in the Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics at California Institute of Technology. Prior to this, he was at the Institute for Advanced Study.