Margaret Wertheimhas advanced degrees in pure and applied physics and in matchematics and computer science. She is a science writer, commentator, and a regular contributor to theLos Angeles Times. She's the author ofPythagoras' TrousersandThe Pearly Gates of Cyberspace. As founder and director of the nonprofit Institute For Figuring, she and her sister have organized the "Hyperbolic Crochet Reef" project, which has toured internationally and draws attention to global warming's effect on coral reefs.