Imagining Protein Structure Through Knot Theory by Judah Devadoss ’19, Wednesday, April 24

Imagining Protein Structure Through Knot Theory by Judah Devadoss ’19, Wednesday, April 24, 1 – 1:45 pm, Stetson Court Classroom 101, Mathematics Senior Thesis Defense

Abstract:  A protein’s structure defines its function, and like knots, they can be though of as the embedding of a strand in three dimensions projected into a two-dimensional diagram. This thesis looks to classify proteins using multiple different methods, choosing specific structures that will account for the limitations that proteins offer. We will first look at the basic rules of equality we define for two diagrams. We will then look at representing proteins using Gauss codes, or a strings of numbers and letters, and how we can equate these codes with changes allowed in diagrams. Finally, we will look at how we can apply an algebraic group structure to proteins using quandles.