1. Communicating concepts in condensed matter physics through theaterItai Cohen, Cornell University, DMR 1056662 Cornell University’s Department of Performing and Media Arts and Redshift Productions will present “Emergence”, an interactive performance about Amanda, a professor of physics who balances running her own lab, engaging in a fiery romance, and planning a friends’ wedding.  But when agoraphobia threatens to derail all she has worked for, where can she find a safe haven?  Emergence is a result of the collaboration of physicist Dr. Itai Cohen, director and professor of performing and media arts Melanie Dreyer-Lude, playwright and PhD student Aoise Stratford, PhD candidate in Science Communication Megan K. Halpern, and Artistic and Executive Director Max Evjen of Redshift Productions. The interactive performance centers on the concept of emergent phenomena and the work performed in the lab of Dr. Cohen.  Emergent phenomena is a term that describes the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions.