Math Dept 2016-2017 Newsletter 13
Monday, 20
February 2017
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Past newsletters can now be reached via the department website.
[Click on ÒRead 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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Geometry &
Topology Seminar
No seminar this week due to PresidentÕs day.
Time: 3:10PM-4:00PM
Place: ASB-B 213.
Coordinator: Stanley M.
Einstein-Matthews
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Tuesdays
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Topological Semigroups and Ramsey Theory Seminar
The Seminar on Topological Semigroups and Ramsey Theory will meet
tuesdays from
11:10--12:00 in Annex III, room 231.
Beginning
Tuesday, January 31, Dennis Davenport will be speaking on "A Combinatorial
Characterization of Strongly Central Sets".
Coordinator: Neil Hindman
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Wednesdays
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Evolution Equations
& Dynamical Systems seminar
1:10-2:00, in ROOM 213 OF ASB-B.
The seminar will cover all areas and
subareas of evolution equations and dynamical systems
as well as their applications.
Organizer: Toka
Diagana
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Graduate Student Seminar
3.10 to 4pm, Graduate Student Office
Organizer: Kendra Pleasant
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Fridays
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Mathematics
Department Colloquium
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Friday, Feb 24
Amir Maleki,
Howard University
ÒHindmanÕs
TheoremÓ
4.10 to 5 pm, ASB-B 213
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Fluid dynamics seminar
Seminar usually takes place after
colloquium, and at 4.30 if there is no colloquium.
Abstract: (Neil Hindman)
Fluid Dynamics will be meeting as
usual.
The "Fluid" refers to soda and
beer.
The "Dynamics" refers to
the topics of conversation, which is as likely as anything to deal with
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. The Georgetown Undergraduate Research Conference
Students
from area universities to present their Health and Science related
research.
Thursday 4/20/17:
Morning/Afternoon: Student Poster Presentations.
Noon: Keynote Address by Richard W. Childs,
M.D. (NHLBI, NIH)
Afternoon (3:30 - 4:30): Student
Oral Presentations, followed by Awards Ceremony
The application to
this yearÕs conference can be found at:
Abstract and Application submission
deadline: March 25 @ 11:59pm
Poster submission
deadline: April 6 @ 11:59pm
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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1. (thanks to
Aziz Yakubu) Open
positions at Howard Math Department
We are seeking candidates for tenure
track positions in Analysis and Statistics.
More details at http://coas.howard.edu/mathematics
2. (thanks to
Dan Williams) Mathematica and WolframAlpha
online access
There
are two simple steps: If you havenÕt already done so, you have
to register with Wolfram and
You have to fill out a form for a login to the
online software you want to use.
Detailed instructions for both students and
faculty are given in the link below.
https://oas.howard.edu/mathematica/?
3. (thanks to Talitha Washington) AMS
and MAA statements on immigration executive order
AMS Online
Petition: http://www.ams.org/news?news_id=3305
MAAÕs Executive
CommitteeÕs Statement: https://app.box.com/v/maaec-immigration-statement
4. Survey on math learning and
African American students
Please email your students the following
announcement:
Jasmine Watkins, an educational psychology doctoral
student in the School of Education here at Howard University, is
conducting an investigation of the predictors of math self-efficacy
(i.e. confidence beliefs in math) in Black college freshmen
on a predominantly Black campus. Please complete the survey
found at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HU_Math
The survey should take 15-25 minutes of time
but can be completed in multiple sittings.
Should you choose to complete the survey, you
will have the opportunity to be entered in a random drawing to receive one
of ten $20.00 Amazon.com gift cards
emailed to you. Please note that you MUST complete the entire
survey in order to be entered into the drawing.*
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SCHOLARSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
(from various sources)
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1. (from Dennis Davenport) Budapest Semesters in Mathematics Education (BSME)
Currently
accepting applications for Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters of Budapest
Semesters in Mathematics
Education
(BSME); the deadlines are April 1 and November 1, respectively. Participants
will study the
Hungarian
approach to learning and teaching, in which a strong and explicit emphasis is
placed on problem solving, mathematical
creativity, and communication. BSME is specifically
intended for students who are not only passionate about mathematics, but also
the
teaching of mathematics. Details at https://bsmeducation.com/
If
you have any questions, please contact our office, either by email (bsme@bsmeducation.com)
or by phone (507-786-
3821).
2.
(from Louise Raphael) AMS program for early career mathematicians
Mathematics Research Communities (MRC), an AMS program for early-career mathematicians helps
them to get their research off to a good start by fostering the formation of
ongoing research collaborations. People who are in the interval [Ph.D. -
2 years, Ph.D. + 5 years] can apply to participate in a one-week conference
this June in Snowbird, Utah; Special Sessions at the Joint Mathematics Meetings
in San Diego in January 2018; and follow-up collaborations. The topics
for the conferences in the summer of 2017 are:
¥ Homotopy Type Theory
¥ Beyond
Planarity: Crossing Numbers of Graphs
¥ Dynamical
Systems: Smooth, Symbolic, and Measurable
Support for travel, meals, and lodging is provided by the AMS
and by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
For more information, hit http://www.ams.org/programs/research-communities/mrc-17.
The application deadline is March 1, 2017.
3.
Opportunities at various federal agencies
In previous newsletters:
NSF 2017 Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internship Program
Deadline: March 1, 2017.
RECONNECT 2017
Deadline
: March 15, 2017
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INTERESTING ARTICLES AND WEBSITES
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1. Great article about BEAM program to spot math talent in underserved
public schools
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/nyregion/new-york-math-camp.html
This is organized by mathematicians who want to
fill the gap in the talent building process among minority students in public
schools.
Here is a fun problem from a screening test given
to the students:
Is there a 10 digit
number N such that the i-th digit gives the number of
digits in N with i-1 in them?
For example, it is not possible to have a 2 digit number N in which the first digit gives the number
of zeroes in N
And the second digit gives the number of 1Õs in N.
The first digit of N cannot be 0 because if it is
zero then the number of zeroes is at least 1 and so the first digit should be
at least
1. It cannot be 1 because then the lone zero will have to go in the second
place but on the other hand
because the
first digit is 1 the number of 1Õs is at least 1. These are the only two
possibilities.
2. (thanks
to Louise Raphael) Financial Advice for
Students (and perhaps faculty, too)
Some advice for students from a friend at Wall Street
Journal:
I
would tell them to get the free money known as 401k match.
And
I'd tell them to read MarketWatch or at least sign up
for the personal finance newsletter.
Among
writers to look for, Paul Merriman writes a lot about basic retirement advice,
sometimes with a good twist.
We
pick up some of Ben Carlson, but he has his own blog that's worth following.
And
I also like Mr. Money Mustache, who has his own blog too.
Links to stories on financial success:
This
long-term investment leads to a guaranteed 100% return on Day 1
20 simple ways you can be smarter about your money
10
money revelations from a 30-something
Make
your kid rich for $1 a day
Another
one Einstein got right: Compound interest
ItÕs time to go back to
retirement-planning school
Six
lessons for a beginning investor