Math Dept 2014-2015 Newsletter 17

 

Monday, 9 March 2015

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Past newsletters can now be reached via the department website.

Click on ŇRead the NewsletterÓ in the bottom.

Newsletter is sent out when there is something new.

Please send entries by the end of the workweek  --Ed

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MEETINGS AND SEMINARS IN THE DEPARTMENT 

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Mondays

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Evolution Equations & Dynamical Systems seminar

Mondays 12.10 to 1pm, 213 ASB-B

On March 9, Prof. Paul Bezandry will speak on ŇAlmost Periodic Random Sequences.Ó

Organizer: Toka Diagana

 

Geometry & Topology Seminar 

Place: Mathematics Department Room: ASB-B 213.

Time: 3.10PM -4.00PM.

Coordinator:  Stanley M. Einstein-Matthews

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Tuesdays

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Topological Semigroups and Ramsey Theory Seminar

12:10-1:00 in Annex III room 231.

Neil Hindman will be speaking on "Some Ramsey type theorems for k-term sums in R".

Coordinator: Neil Hindman

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Wednesdays 

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Combinatorics Seminar

2 to 3 pm, 201 or 203 ASB-B

Coordinator: Lou Shapiro

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Wednesday March 11

Graduate Student Seminar

Daouda Ballo

"Optical MathematicsÓ 

Room No. 229 of the Annex III building, from 1:10 to 2:00pm

 

Thursday, March 12

Special Colloquium

ASB-B 213, Time TBA

Joshua Weitz, Associate Professor, School of Biology, Georgia Tech University

Mathematical Models of the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in West Africa: Principles, Predictions, and Control

More details at http://ecotheory.biology.gatech.edu/

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Fridays

Applied Mathematics Working Seminar

2:10-3 pm in ASB-B room 213 

Currently in the seminar, Dr. Henok Mawi is leading a "Discussion on the Refractor Problem". This problem Ňoriginates in engineering in the study the reflecting surfaces to reshape electromagnetic radiation in a prescribed mannerÓ (http://www.wright.edu/~qingbo.huang/refraction.pdf). He will provide background material to state the problem, discuss recent advances that include numerical applications, and then state open questions. Next, Dr. Roberto DeLeo will discuss the numerics associated to this problem via Perl( https://www.perl.org/). 

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Mathematics Department Colloquium

4.10 to 5 pm, ASB-B 213

Friday, March 13, 2015

No colloquium (special talk on Thursday)

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 Fluid dynamics seminar

 Seminar will take place after colloquium, and at 4.30 if there is no colloquium.

Abstract:  (Neil Hindman)

The "Fluid" refers to soda and beer.  The "Dynamics" refers to the topics of conversation, which is as likely as anything to deal with RGIII and the Washington Football Club. Pizza, including a vegetarian option, and wings are provided.

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TALKS AND WORKSHOPS OUTSIDE DEPARTMENT 

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1. Metro Area Differential Geometry Seminar (MadGuys)

The Baltimore-Washington Metro Area Differential Geometry Seminar (MADGuyS for short) is a new joint seminar between the math departments of University of Maryland - College Park , Howard University and of Johns Hopkins University.

We meet twice a year, alternating between locations, for a day of talks on various topics in geometry.

Next meeting:  

Saturday April 18, 2015


Krieger Hall, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD


Speakers: Christine Breiner (Fordham), Mark Haskins (Imperial College London)
,L‡szl— Lempert (Purdue)

For further information, please contact Roberto De Leo or Stanley Einstein-Matthews.

2. AWM Symposium showcasing Women MathematiciansŐ Research

As a member of the Executive Committee of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), Talitha Washington would like to share information about the upcoming AWM Research Symposium 2015 that will be held at the University of Maryland, College Park, April 11-12, 2015. The symposium will showcase the research of women in the mathematical professions. It will feature four plenary talks, special sessions on a broad range of research in pure and applied mathematics, and poster sessions for graduate students and recent PhDs.

3. Ki-Net and CNA Workshop

http://www.math.cmu.edu/cna/KiNetCNA/index.html
http://www.ki-net.umd.edu/content/conf?event_id=292

Carnegie Mellon University
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Center for Nonlinear Analysis
Pittsburgh, May 27-29, 2015

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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1. (from Neil Hindman) Call for Nominations: Speakers for Sectional meeting of the AMS at Stony Brook.

 There will be a sectional meeting of the AMS in Stony Brook this spring.  Neil Hindman is on the Eastern Section Program Committee, whose job it is to determine the invited addresses at the sectional meetings.  He has been asked to ask his colleagues for suggestions.  Such speakers are not only supposed to be accomplished mathematicians, but also good speakers.  If you have suggestions, please contact Neil.

2. Call For Papers: Howard Workshop on Management of Natural Resources this summer

To maintain the long-term well being of the global population, management of the world's natural resources must emphasize conservation and renewal over depletion and spending. Natural resource management is a broad topic with both national and international policy implications. This workshop will investigate challenges for the mathematical sciences including models that describe processes affecting water, forests, and food supplies. They involve complex adaptive systems that interconnect natural systems with human ones, thus calling for understanding of both types of systems. To support this initiative, the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS) will sponsor a workshop on Management of Natural Resources as part of a special program called Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013+ (http://mpe2013.org/mpe2013index/). The workshop will be held at Howard University in Washington, DC on June 4-6, 2015. Aziz Yakubu will be one of the speakers.

For more details including program and guideline for submission go to:

http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/Workshops/NaturalResources/

 

3. (via Aziz Yakubu) SIAM Activity Group on Mathematics of Planet Earth (SIAG/MPE)

 This activity group will focus on planet Earth, its life-supporting capacity, and the impact of human activities.

 With the establishment of SIAG/MPE, SIAM recognizes the responsibility of the mathematics and computational science community to address the issues of global change, loss of biodiversity, and sustainable development. The new Activity Group will provide a forum in SIAM to discuss the mathematical and computational issues of climate, sustainability, ecology, natural resources, food systems, the environment, socio-economic systems, and related topics. SIAG/MPE will join forces with other disciplines to further interdisciplinary research in these new application areas. 

 Activities will include a biennial SIAM Conference on Mathematics of Planet Earth, minisymposia at SIAM Annual Meetings, workshops, and other conferences.  The inaugural meeting of SIAG/MPE is scheduled for the fall of 2016.

 Membership is open to SIAM members, who can join the Activity Group at https://my-helper.siam.org/forms/join_siag.htm or by calling SIAM Customer Service (http://www.siam.org/contact/).  SIAM membership is free for many students and includes membership in two SIAGs, so we encourage students to join SIAM and add SIAG/MPE to their subscription. By joining SIAG/MPE, your name will be added to our e–mailing list, which is used to announce conferences and opportunities related to Mathematics of Planet Earth. A SIAG/MPE web portal is in preparation.

4. (via Aziz Yakubu) Major Grant for Department of African-American Studies

The Department of African Studies took the lead to submit a proposal to the US Department of Education under the Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS) programs in order to enhance Africa related teaching, research and creative work at Howard University. Fortunately, our proposal was successful and we were awarded a grant of $1.7 million over 4 years. This grant establishes Howard University as one of 10 National Resource Centers for African Studies, including Yale, University of Florida-Gainesville, University of Illinois-Champaign, Boston University, Harvard University, Michigan State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UW-Madison and University of Minnesota.

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 SCHOLARSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES (from various sources)

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1. Congresswoman NortonŐs Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Scholarships

 Details and Applications here

CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship: The CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship was established in 2006 for students who are pursuing a career in the visual arts. Deadline: May 1, 2015

CBC Spouses Heineken USA Performing Arts Scholarship: Established in the year 2000, the CBC Spouses Heineken USA Performing Arts scholarship program was developed in honor of the late Curtis Mayfield to ensure that students pursuing a career in the performing arts receive the financial assistance to achieve their goals.

Deadline: May 1 2015 

CBC Spouses Education Scholarship: The CBC Spouses Education scholarship is a national program that awards scholarships to academically talented and highly motivated students who intend to pursue full-time undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degrees.

Deadline: may 22nd 2015.  For more information contact Del. NortonŐs N.E. District Office @ (202) 408-9041

2. DOE Postdoctoral fellowship in Solar Energy Research

In order to spur innovation in solar energy, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable energy (EERE) is now accepting applications for postdoctoral researchers in solar energy to participate in the EERE Postdoctoral Research Awards. The EERE Postdoctoral Research Awards support research on energy efficiency and renewable energy to help solve our nationŐs energy challenges. This year, this exciting program will offer up to five recent Ph.D. recipients the opportunity to conduct applied research projects to advance breakthrough solar energy technologies at universities, national laboratories and other research facilities. Former recipients of the EERE Postdoctoral Research Awards are now faculty and staff scientists at major research institutions and national laboratories.

The application period for the EERE Postdoctoral Research Awards closes on May 7, 2015. The awards will be announced in July 2015 for the projects to start in September 2015.

3. (via Louise Raphael) Faculty summer workshop on (Preparing students for industrial careers in mathematical sciences

The deadline for applying to the PIC Math (Preparing students for industrial careers in mathematical sciences) program is coming up - March 31. This program offers a free summer training workshop for new participating faculty and a $5000 stipend for new faculty ($3000 for returning faculty) with the requirement that the faculty teach a PIC Math course during the spring 2016 semester. The PIC Math program provides some material for the course including a set of actual research problem from industry. Students work on one of these research problems and learn skills necessary to succeed in a non-academic career. Professors have taught this course as a capstone course, a math modeling course, an undergraduate research course, or a readings course.  

If you have undergraduate students who are interested in non-academic careers or if you are interested in learning more about how math is used outside of academia and why mathematician was ranked as the number 1 career in 2014, please apply to the program. Last year, which was the first year of the program, we could only accept 30 professors, but this year we have resources to accept 55 professors. 

More details are available at www.maa.org/picmath.

 

4. Mathematics Research Communities program for 2015 for Early Career Mathematicians

The AMS would like to encourage you to consider applying to the Mathematics Research Communities program for 2015.  This dynamic program is designed to support you as you begin your research career.  We hope that you will meet others working in your area with whom you can forge long-lasting collaborations.

The program includes funding to support you at the summer conference in Snowbird, Utah, and partial funding to attend the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Seattle next January.  In 2015, the topics will be Commutative Algebra, Financial Mathematics, Differential Equations, Probability and Sea Ice.

Please consider applying if your research falls in one of these areas.  For more information about the individual conferences and for instructions on how to apply, please go to http://www.ams.org/programs/research-communities/mrc-15.  The deadline for applications is March 1, 2015.  The Mathematics Research Communities program is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

5.  Opportunities at various federal agencies

i) Homeland Security (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) Summer Internship Program will provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in projects focused on helping DNDO meet its mission of Ňimplementing domestic nuclear detection efforts for a managed and coordinated response to radiological and nuclear threats, as well as integration of federal nuclear forensics programs.Ó

Applications close on March 16 at 12 a.m.

More details at https://www.zintellect.com/Posting/details/824

 

ii) EPA Part Time Student Position in Cincinnati – Year Round!

The EPA Laboratories in Cincinnati has a part-time position within the Safety, Health, and Environmental Management (SHEM) Program.

The Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Program Support Associate will assist the SHEM team with technical and administrative duties required to implement national, state, and local SHEM regulations and guidelines in the workplace.

The position is expected to begin in April 2015. Apply today! For more information, and to access the application, visit our website: www.orau.org/epa. Questions? Email EPAJobs@orau.org

iii) A fellowship opportunity is available within the Office of Health Communication and Education (OHCE) at the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

For more information: http://orau.org/science-education/internships-scholarships-fellowships/description.aspx?JobId=17490

iv) Oak Ridge National Lab: The Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division at ORNL is searching for a qualified Research Associate to conduct detailed numerical verification of the various methods used to solve the Boltzmann transport equation.

 

Interested? To apply, go to www.zintellect.com, make an account, and enter the reference code ORNL15-21-RNSD to find the position posting. Refer questions to ORNLedu@orau.org.   

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INTERSTING ARTICLES AND WEBSITES

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Book on Riemann Hypothesis by Barry Mazur and William Stein

(Thanks to our friend from Purdue, Edray Goins)

The two well known number theorists provide an exposition of the famous problem accessible to curious high school students and engineers. The book nevertheless has insights for all mathematicians. They use numerical examples in a central way and sprinkle anecdotes and examples from music and literature to computer science. The main theme is a presentation of the relationship between the zeroes of the Riemann Zeta Function and the primes in terms of spectra and Fourier analysis.

The online book and a talk by Mazur outlining the book are available at http://wstein.org/rh/