Math Dept 2025-26 Newsletter 9

Monday, 9 February 2026

Past newsletters can now be reached via the department website.

[Click on “About” and then “News and Events”].

Newsletter is sent out when there is something new.

Please send entries by the end of the workweek–Ed.



MEETINGS AND SEMINARS IN THE DEPARTMENT



Data Science Seminar

Faculty and Graduate Students are invited to present their research at the Data Science Seminar. This includes research in other areas that involves data science.

Contact coordinator for more information.

Co-ordinator: Edmund Ameyaw

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TUESDAYS

Seminar on Topological Semigroups

TBA


John Johnson from The Ohio State University has been speaking about “Characterizing relative syndetic and thick sets via derived sets along ultrafilters.”



Contact coordinator for zoom invite.

Coordinator Dennis Davenport

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Math 300: Mathematics Graduate Seminar


This is a series of talks on research topics by faculty aimed at Graduate Students.


On February 3, Talitha Washington, talked about "How Mathematics Can Drive Innovation in Artificial Intelligence." On Feb 5, Ahmet Yildirim talked about “Enhancing Image Denoising Performance.” On Jan 27, Francois Ramaroson talked about “The arithmetic of Elliptic Curves over Finite Fields.”


Co-ordinator Dennis Davenport



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Algebra and Combinatorics Seminar

Combinatorics & Algebra Seminar which had been running for a number of years at George Washington University will now be a joint venture between the GW and Howard math departments. The organizers of the seminar are Joel Lewis & Robert Won (GW) and Sam Hopkins & Minh-Tam Trinh (Howard). The talks will take place 4-5pm on Tuesdays, at GWU.

Seminar Website



WEDNESDAYS



Math team/Math Club meetings

TBA

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Math Biology Seminar

Wednesdays

Coordinators: Katie Gurski, Yeona Kang, Joon Ha, Sayomi Kamimoto, Chris Kim



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THURSDAYS

Number Theory Seminar

Seminars will start on Thursday, Feb 19, 2 to 3pm.

Angelica Babei will be talking about working with the computation package MAGMA.

This semester, we’re planning mostly research talks.


Contact coordinators for zoom link.

Coordinators: Angelica Babei, Daniel Mamo and Sankar Sitaraman

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FRIDAYS

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Graduate Students Seminar

TBA

Contact person: Aaliyah Bratcher

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Mathematics Department Colloquium

Fridays, 4.10 to 5pm. Room 213 and zoom.

On friday, Feb 13, Padmanabhan Seshaiyer of George Mason University will speak on Cultivating a Mathematical Modeling Mindset and Data-Driven Problem Solving for Research and Education in the Age of AI.”



The colloquium schedule and videos are available at this website: https://deleo.website/HU/colloquium.html



TALKS AND WORKSHOPS OUTSIDE DEPARTMENT



1. Number Theory Talk at University of Maryland, College Park

Sean Cotner of University of Michigan talks about Propagating Congruences in the local Langlands Conjecture.

Monday, Feb 9 at 2pm in Kirwan Hall 3206



2. (Thanks to Tim Myers)

a) The International Workshop on Non-linear Analysis and its Applications (IWNAA 2026) will take place from August 31 to September 2, 2026 at the University of Transport ( Todor Kableshkov) in Sophia, Bulgaria. Last year the final day of the conference was devoted to virtual presentations. Workshop website.

b) 42nd Southeastern Analysis Conference (SEAM 42) : From Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15 at the University of Richmond. Website.

c) The 48th Summer Symposium in Real Analysis (an activity of the The Real Analysis Exchange journal) : From June 14th to June 20. Website.

d) The 4th International Conference : Constructive Mathematical Analysis (ICCMA 2026, an activity of the journal Constructive Mathematical Analysis). This conference is an online conference from July 1st through July 2nd. Website.



3. (Thanks to Talitha Washington)

CETLA faculty workshop on how artificial intelligence is reshaping jobs, skills, and curricula across ALL disciplines. Lunch will be provided! Registration

From Classroom to Career: Aligning Teaching and Curriculum with Emerging AI-Driven Jobs
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Time: 12:00–1:30 PM (EST)
Location: Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library, 4th Floor



4. 2026 Roots of Unity workshop

June 22–26, 2026 at the American Institute of Mathematics, on the campus of Caltech, in Pasadena, CA.

The Roots of Unity workshop aims to support mathematics graduate students in their transition to research in the areas of combinatorics, algebra, geometry, and number theory (broadly construed). Mentors guide small groups of participants in developing the skills and confidence to read research articles. Sessions on norm setting, belongingness, and professional development foster lasting community among the participants, mentors, and organizers. The workshop is designed to build a welcoming and inclusive research community. Application



5. Workshop to bridge the Lean theorem prover and the L-functions and modular forms database

Monday, 29 June 2026 to Friday, 3 July 2026 at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK.

It will feature tutorials to navigate the number theory interface in mathlib as well as research talks in relevant areas. There will also be ample working time dedicated to projects, including formalisation of definitions in the LMFDB as in the blueprint (https://cbirkbeck.github.io/LeanBridge). Registration will be mandatory through our application form (https://tinyurl.com/lean-lmfdb) by Saturday, 28 February 2026, with some funding for travel and accommodation. More Information



6. AAUW webinars

The American Association of University Women hosts regular webinars on various topics of interest to women in academia. Event Calendar



7. (Thanks to Bourama Toni) Short Online Course on Computer Simulation and Artificial Intelligence

Organized online by the Wessex Institute, UK. 10-12 Oct 2026.

Without addressing complex mathematical details, this course will provide a good introduction and a general view of methods, applications, and job opportunities in this growing field. More Information



8. (Thanks to Dennis Davenport)

a) Spring 2026 Chicago Symposium Series

On Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and Science: Research and Practice. Takes place on Feb 6 and April 23 at the University of Illinois at Chicago. More Information

b) NSF-CBMS conference on Strong matrix properties and the Inverse Eigenvalue Problem

At Eastern Michigan University More Information



9. 2026 NAM Faculty Conference on Research and Teaching Excellence (FCRTE).

This year's conference will be at Clark-Atlanta University on April 10. Conference showcases research at HBCU's.

More Information and Registration




ANNOUNCEMENTS



1. Abstracts due soon for HU Research Month 2026

The Research Month Symposia will happen during April 29 – May 1.

Abstracts are due by Feb 15. Submission link.



2. (Thanks to Dennis Davenport) 3rd annual spring meeting for MARMA

The Mid-Atlantic regional math alliance will have its spring meeting on Saturday, 21 March, 2026 at Howard. Students interested in giving talks should contact Dennis Davenport. Website



3. (Thanks to Bourama Toni) Spotlight on our Doctoral Program

The January issue of The Sway (Howard Graduate School Newsletter) has an article titled “Building the Mathematical Mecca” celebrating 50 years of our department's Ph. D program.



4. From NAM: First Ten Videos from “Journeys of Black Mathematicians”

The National Association of Mathematicians, Inc. (NAM) Archival Collection at the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Robert W. Woodruff Library’s Archives Research Center, now includes a sub-collection, featuring video biographies from the Journeys of Black Mathematicians film series.

The first ten video biographies of Black mathematicians in NAM's sub-collection are now available online, free for the public to see. It includes the biography of Tepper Gill from Howard.





SCHOLARSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

(from various sources)



1. (Thanks to Bourama Toni) Mathematics instructor position at USNA 


The US Naval Academy is looking for an excellent teacher with at least two years' experience teaching college calculus and/or statistics. A Masters or PhD in Math Education, Math, or Statistics is required, as is U.S. Citizenship. More Information



2. (Thanks to Dennis Davenport)


a) 2026 SLMath Summer Graduate Schools, a series of intensive two-week residential programs offered by the SLMath Program at UC Berkeley, started collecting nominations on Dec 1. This program offers an exceptional opportunity to study advanced topics with leading researchers across a wide range of mathematical fields. If interested please contact Dennis Davenport.

b) LA's BEST at USC A summer program in data science for undergraduates. More Information


c) Mercatus Center fellowship at George Mason University has fellowships for 2026-27 in classical liberal economy. More Information

d) Lathisms Scholarship 2026 applications are open until Feb 27. It supports Hispanic/Latinx students interested in mathematical sciences. More Information

e) NYU's PQAR summer program for undergraduates, using statistics and data science to study Aging. More Information


f) NSF-funded REU at UMBC: Online Interdisciplinary Big Data Analytics in Science and Engineering program open to students from the entire nation. Deadline March 1. More Information


g) MSRI-UP 2026, a six-week NSF-funded summer REU at SL-Math Institute in Berkeley, CA (formerly MSRI). Deadline Feb 15. This is an award-winning, comprehensive summer program designed for undergraduate students who have completed two years of university-level mathematics courses and would like to conduct research in the mathematical sciences. More Information


h) Memphis Teacher Residency program offers generous stipends for both summer and annual programs for undgraduates and graduates. They are having virtual information sessions on Feb 3 and 4. More Information


i) Robert Moses scholarship Application

This annually awarded national scholarship is designed to support the educational goals of a graduate student from an underrepresented group who is pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in mathematics education or a STEM discipline. The individual should also have a commitment to civic engagement.

The scholarship is named in honor of the late Bob Moses, a pioneering civil rights leader and educator who founded The Algebra Project, a national U.S. mathematics literacy program aimed at helping low-income students and students of color achieve the mathematical skills in high school that are a prerequisite for success in college and beyond.


j) University of Chicago center for RISC is inviting application from seniors for social impact lab analysts. More Information


k) Summer school on the interface of PDE and Probability, Carnegie Mellon, June. More Information



3. (Thanks to Talitha Washington) Summer workshop at ICERM, Providence, RI


During the eight-week program, undergraduate students will be introduced to the research topics in Mathematical Modeling through interactive lectures. Afterward, students will work on their projects in assigned groups of two to four, supervised by faculty advisors and aided by teaching assistants. Generous stipends and travel support provided. More Information



4. Opportunities at DHS and DOE


Minerals Technology and Policy Fellowship

Deadline Feb 16. More Information



5. Summer Institute in Biostatistics and Data Science (SIBDS) 2026 at Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton Florida Campus): Undergraduates/early graduates with STEM courses can apply for NIH Funded Training Program: May 18th through June 26th, 2026. Deadline March 13. More Information



6. Summer 2026 NSF REU program in Nanoscience and Nanoengineering at Vanderbilt University. Program with a lot of successful alumni. Deadline Feb 15. More Information.


In previous newsletters


Boeing’s Visiting Professor program.





INTERESTING ARTICLES AND WEBSITES

1. (Thanks to Sam Hopkins)

In Memoriam : Mathematician Gladys West

The Mathematician Gladys West who was known for her contributions to the mathematics of GPS, passed away this month. She was 95. Born in a community of sharecroppers in rural Virginia, she graduated from Virginia State University and rose to the position of project manager at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, VA, where she worked for 42 years until her retirement in 1998.

Obituary in NPR Obituary in Washington Post