Dive into the world of symmetric functions with this comprehensive lecture from the Geometry, Statistical Mechanics, and Integrability Tutorials at IPAM. Explore the fundamental concepts, formulas, and combinatorial models of symmetric functions, including tableaux, nonintersecting lattice paths, and tilings. Discover their crucial role in algebraic combinatorics, representation theory, and the theory of special functions, as well as their applications in statistical mechanics as partition functions. Gain insights into important properties, limitations, and open problems in the field, presented by Greta Panova from the University of Southern California.