Many classes of mathematical objects turn out to be classified in the same way --- two infinite series and 3 "exceptional" objects. These include symmetries of 3-dimensional solids, rigid singularities, certain types of Lie algebras, positive definite even intersection forms, etc. Discovering why such classes should have the same classification has led to many beautiful ideas and observations. I will give a review of some of the basic ideas (assuming very little in the way of prerequisites) and I may have time to say why string theory has been important in this context.

Classically, a modular form for a reductive group G is an automorphic form that gives rise to a holomorphic function on the symmetric space G/K, when this symmetric space has complex structure. However, there are very interesting groups G, such as those of type G_2 and E_8, for which G/K does not have complex structure. Nevertheless, there is a theory of modular forms on these exceptional groups, whose study was initiated by Gross-Wallach and Gan-Gross-Savin. I will define these objects and describe what is known about them.

I will discuss the semi-classical Schrodinger equation with vector potentials, and its challenges in analysis and in numerical simulations. The time splitting spectral method method will be introduced to solve the equation directly, which is believed to have the optimal mesh strategy. Afterwards. a series of wave packet based approximation approaches will be introduced, like the Gaussian beam method, Hagedorn wave packets method and the Gaussian wave packet transformation method.