Math Dept 2012-2013
Newsletter 26
Monday, 15 April 2013
Please send entries by the end of the
week --Ed
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Meetings and Seminars
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Monday, April 15
Room 205 Graduate School
of Arts and Sciences Bldg - Conference
Room.
Time: 4:00pm
PhD defense: Caleb Ashley
Title: "Towards a Discreteness Algorithm
for Non-Elementary Rank 3 Subgroups of PSL(2,R)"
Advisor: Todd Drumm
External Examiner: William Goldman (University
of Maryland College Park)
Chairperson: Joshua Leslie
Other Committee Members: T. Hubsch,
J. McGowan, F. Ramaroson
Let $A,B$ and $C$ be
elements of $\PSL$ which generate a subgroup $\Gamma$. Assume that $\Gamma$ is
non-elementary. This dissertation investigates the question of how to determine
whether or not $\Gamma$ is a discrete group. Fundamental group considerations
allow only two topological surfaces as the output of the algorithm; the 4-holed
sphere, $\Sigma_{0,4}$ and the 2-holed torus, $\Sigma_{1,2}$. The goal of my
investigation was to find sufficient conditions for a $3-$generator algorithm.
Herein I present success toward this end in reinterpreting the Gilman-Maskit $2-$generator algorithm via the $\PSL$ character
varieties which parametrize the deformation spaces of
hyperbolic structures which each of these topological surfaces admit.
Ultimately a discreteness algorithm for certain special $3-$generator cases is
presented.
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Every Monday
Applied Math Seminar
Every Monday 12:10 in
ASB-B 201
We invite all faculty and graduate students to
join.
We'll be discussing papers, any applied math
topics of interest, and working on new results.
Organizers: Katie Gurski
and Talitha Washington
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Combinatorics
Seminar
Mondays at 1:20 and also at
4.
The current topic is Ordered
trees with a mutator and the main emphasis for the
semester will be combinatorics assisted by complex
analysis.
Organizer: Lou Shapiro
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Geometry and Topology Seminar
ASB-B 213 3.10 to 4pm
Dr. Adeniran Adeboye will give talks on:
3-SYMMETRIC SPACES.
Stanley M. Einstein-Matthews
Coordinator
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Every Tuesday
The Seminar on Topological Semigroups and Ramsey Theory
Dennis Davenport will be talking about partition
regularity of infinite matrices.
Tuesdays at 11:10 a.m
in room 233 of Annex III
Organizer: Neil Hindman
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Wednesday April 17
Grad Student Colloquium
Room No. 213, Department of Mathematics,
Academic Support Building B from 4:10 to
5:00pm.
Dev Phulara
Some new additive and multiplicative Ramsey
numbers
Everyone is invited to attend-some light
refreshments will be provided.
Organizers: Todd Drumm
& Nourridine Siewe
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Aa very special colloquium next week by Professor S. James Gates,
winner of the National Medal of Science.
Title of Talk: "Symmetry and the Quincunx
Nexus",
Abstract: From the time of the ancient Greeks
until today, the concept of symmetry has often been an important, but little
understood concept, driving advances in physics. This presentation will strive
to take an audience from understanding this link to its direct impact on ideas
in Superstring/M-Theory.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013,
3:30-5:00 pm, Physics Auditorium, TKH 300.
Reception: 5:00-7:00 pm, Founders Library
Browsing Room
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Every Wednesday
"P-adic
Functional Analysis" SEMINAR
Schedule TBA
REQUIRED BACKGROUND: Basic functional analysis
& operator theory
DESCRIPTION: In this Seminar introductory
notions on nonarchimedean Banach
and Hilbert spaces will be discussed. Next, discussions will be on the spectral
theory of linear operators upon nonarchimedean Banach spaces.
ORGANIZER: Toka Diagana
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"Evolution Equations and Their
Applications" SEMINAR
Schedule TBA
REQUIRED BACKGROUND: Basic functional analysis
DESCRIPTION: Our discussions will mainly be upon
the stability, existence, and uniqueness of solutions to evolution equations on
Banach spaces and their applications to partial
differential equations.
ORGANIZER: Toka Diagana
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Mathematics Departmental Colloquium
Friday at 4:10 pm, April 19, 2013
Room 213 Department of Mathematics, Academic
Support Building B
Prof. Wilfrid Gangbo of Georgia
Tech University
A variational problem
involving a polyconvex integrand
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Fluid dynamics seminar
For those who are new, this is a social
gathering in the department usually after the Friday colloquium (or 4.30 pm if
no colloquium).
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Saturday, April 20
As faculty advisor, I am organizing an outing
for the HU environmental society in connection with Earth Day. (There will be
campus activities on following monday).
All are welcome.
Cleanup of the Sligo
Creek just outside West Hyattsville metro station, 9.30 am
to 12 noon.
This is a very popular annual event where you
will get to meet young people from all over DC.
Because these events fill up fast, You must register at this website: http://www.anacostiaws.org/earth-day-2013-rsvp-form
Please pick the West Hyattsville location when
you register.
After the cleanup we will join the Celebration
party at Bladensburg Watershed Park. More details at http://www.anacostiaws.org/earthday2013
Or you can email me (Sankar)
or call me at 202-607-9950 (cell)
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Announcements
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From Aziz Yakubu
Please join me in congratulating Drs. Bezandry, Burstein, Davenport, Drumm
and Gurski for their spectacular achievements:
Dr. Paul Bezandry:
Promoted to Full Professor,
Dr. Alexander Burstein: Promoted to Associate
Professor with tenure,
Dr. Dennis Davenport: Tenured Associate
Professor,
Dr. Todd Drumm:
Tenured Associate Professor,
Dr. Katharine Gurski:
Promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
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from
Katharine (Katie) Gurski
PhD Defense: Peter McCalla
Title: "On the Maximality
of Certain Hyperelliptic Curves Over a Finite Field
of Square Order"
Advisor: Francois Ramaroson
External Examiner: Leon Woodson (Morgan State
University)
Chairperson: P. Peart
Other Committee Members: A. Burstein and S. Sitaraman
Location: Room 205 Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences Bldg - Conference Room.
Date: April 24
Time: 3:30pm
Abstract: Let q be a positive integer that is a
power of an odd prime p and let K be the finite field of order q2. Then an
algebraic curve defined over K is said to hyperelliptic
if the curve is of the form y 2 = f(x) where
f ∈
K [x] , deg(f) > 4, and the
roots of f(x) are distinct. Given a hyperelliptic
curve C and its nonsingular projective model C', we look at the
order of C'(K) - the set of all K-rational points on C
and the point(s) of infinity. The general theory of algebraic curves
implies that | C ' (K) | must satisfy the Hasse-Weil bound. If equality is
attained, then C is said to be K-maximal. Tetsuo Kodama, Jaap Top, and Tadashi Washio has
proven K-maximality to nine hyperelliptic curves
with specific conditions for p . They used geometrical methods relying upon Jacobian, differential forms and covering maps induced by group
actions. We provide an alternative approach; we prove that these
curves are K-maximal by relying on computations of character sums and maps
between curves.
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Via Aziz Yakubu
From Fields Institute
The Fields Institute for Research in
Mathematical Sciences and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics are
inviting applications from African Nationals for a One-Year Joint Postdoctoral
Fellowship. For more information please visit:
http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/2013-fields-perimeter-institute-africa-postdoctoral-fellowship
We welcome all candidates to apply by April 19,
2013, but applications will be considered until the position is filled.
*** Workshop on Challenges in Combinatorics on Words to be held at the Fields Institute
on April 22-26, 2013; web-site:
http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/programs/scientific/12-13/words/index.html
*** 8th Conference on Theory of Quantum
Computation, Communication and Cryptography to be held at the University of
Guelph on May 21-23, 2013;
web-site:
http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/programs/scientific/12-13/TQC13/index.html
*** Focus Program on Commodities, Energy and
Environmental Finance hosted by Fields Institute on August 6- 30, 2013; web-site:
http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/programs/scientific/13-14/envirofinance/index.html
*** Thematic Program on the Mathematics of
Oceans, April 29-June 28, 2013; web-site:
http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/programs/scientific/12-13/mathofoceans/index.html
Ed Bierstone
Director Phone
416 348 9710 ext. 2012
The Fields
Institute
Fax 416 348 9714
222 College Street, 2nd Floor bierston@fields.utoronto.ca
Toronto ON Canada M5T
3J1 www.fields.utoronto.ca
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From Aziz Yakubu
RECONNECT Workshop 2013
Water Infrastructure, Contamination, and Risk
Assessment
Where: Morgan State University in
Baltimore, MD
When: June 2 - 8, 2013
About Reconnect:
This CCICADA Summer Reconnect Workshops expose
faculty teaching undergraduates to the role of the mathematical and computer
sciences in homeland security and provides an opportunity to researchers in
government or industry to learn about recent material in the area of internet
privacy, a component of data analytics. Topics are presented in a weeklong
series of lectures and activities; participants are involved in both research
activities and in writing materials useful in the classroom or to share with
their colleagues. Participants may develop materials for publication in either
the CCICADA Technical Reports or the Educational Modules Series published by
the DIMACS Center at Rutgers University.
Topic:
Water Infrastructure, Contamination, and Risk
Assessment
The water distribution system, which is a
critical component of assuring safe drinking water, constitutes a significant
management challenge from both an operational and public health standpoint.
Reconnect 2013 focuses on water infrastructure systems including water
hydrology, contamination, and decision making. Dr.
Paul Houser will look at quantifying and predicting water cycle and
environmental consequences of earth system variability through numerical
hydrologic data simulations and regional land surface-atmospheric hydrologic
modeling. Web-based data visualization tools for climate and water data will be
utilized.
Contamination of water
supplies will be highlighted by Dr. Abdul-Aziz Yakubu,
with a guest lecture by a fracking expert.
Epidemiological and surveillance data of sporadic cases of waterborne diseases
and health effects from accidental or intentional chemical and microbial
contamination can be linked to problems in water distribution systems.
The issue of water contamination due to the
process of fracking to obtain natural gas from the
ground has heightened the general publicÕs awareness of this key issue. In
addition to contamination, losses of life and property in the United States and
throughout the world resulting from hydrologic hazards, including floods,
droughts, and related phenomena, are significant and increasing. In the United
States, over three-quarters of federal disaster declarations result from
water-related events and in many parts of the world (e.g., Bangladesh) floods
and droughts (e.g., Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa) have threatened the
viability of society. Dr. Midge Cozzens will conclude the week using game
theory to manage water resource system conflicts.
Organizers:
Midge Cozzens, Research Faculty at DIMACS
Rutgers University Asamoah Nkwanta,
Professor of Mathematics, Morgan State University
Speakers:
Paul Houser, Professor of Global Hydrology,
George Mason University Abdul-Aziz Yakubu, Professor
of Mathematics, Howard University Midge Cozzens, Research Professor and
Mathematician, Rutgers University
Registration fees, lodging, meals and travel:
Academic participants:
registration,
lodging and meals will be provided through DHS funding.
Government participants: $350. For-Profit
Corporation participants: $500 (includes all meals from Sunday dinner to
Saturday lunch). Limited funds are expected to be available to provide partial
support for travel.
Deadline for Applications is April 1, 2013 or
until all slots are filled. Applications will be submitted online found on the
Reconnect web page, and will be reviewed as they are received. Please email Midge
Cozzens if you are interested.
For more information: Christine Spassione (spassion@dimacs.rutgers.edu) or Midge Cozzens
(midge6930@comcast.net)
or visit the Reconnect web page http://ccicada.org/Reconnect/2013/
Howard University is part of a NSF funded
national alliance to mentor minority postdoctoral fellows and prepare
them
for faculty positions at research universities. These fellowships are for 3
years of which 2 years are spend at one of the
alliance
universities and one year at a mathematics institute, provided there is a
suitable program in the postdocs area of expertise.
This year at a math institute makes this
postdoctoral fellowship highly prestigious and very competitive.
Our aim is to successfully mentor all these
postdocs so that they develop a strong research career.
You can find more info about the program at:
http://www.math.ncsu.edu/alliance
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