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Fridays

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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 “originates in engineering in the study the reflecting surfaces to reshape electromagnetic radiation in a prescribed manner” (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

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4.10 to 5 pm, ASB-B 213

Friday, March 27, 2015

Changfeng Gui, University of Connecticut / NSF

Diffusions, Fractional Laplacians and Traveling Waves

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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. Talk at National Academy of Sciences on Big Data, March 26

Steven D. Levitt will deliver the 15^th Annual Arthur M. Sackler Lecture Thinking Differently about Big Data at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 26. Few phrases are touted more often in the business media than "Big Data." Big data is seemingly the answer to every company's future. But is the promise real? And when will the benefits come, if ever? Economist Steven Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics, offers his unique and unexpected take on this issue. His conclusions may surprise you.

Dr. Levitt is the William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, where he directs the Initiatives on Price Theory and Chicago Experiments at the Becker Friedman Institute. In 2004, he was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal, which recognizes the most influential economist in America under the age of 40. More recently, he was named one of Time magazine’s “100 People Who Shape Our World.” Levitt received his B.A. from Harvard University in 1989, his Ph.D. from M.I.T. in 1994, and has taught at Chicago since 1997.

The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place in the NAS Auditorium on Constitution Ave NW.

Attendees must make reservations at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-annual-sackler-lecture-tickets-15910559913 and present government issued ID for admittance. Copy the link and paste it to your browser if it doesn’t work.

2. 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) ,László Lempert (Purdue)

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

3. AWM Symposium showcasing Women Mathematicians’ 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.

4. ASA Datafest in DC April 10-12

http://www.amstat.org/education/datafest/

The ASA DataFest is a data analysis challenge where students working in teams attack a large and complex surprise dataset over one weekend. The main goal of the competition is to get students to collaborate (and compete) on a data analysis question that is likely beyond the scope of what they see in their classes. The judging is based not only on the computational and the analytical skills of the competitors, but also how well they communicate their results in a short amount of time.

5. 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 Crepin Mahop) Nomination of candidates for the 2015 scholarship Competition

Following its tradition of encouraging academic excellence for its undergraduate mathematics majors, the Department of Mathematics is calling for Nominations of our best students for the 2014-2015 Scholarship Competition. The Scholarship Day will be held on April 10, 2015. I am writing to request that you kindly communicate to the Scholarship Committee (Jill McGowan, Dan Williams and Crépin Mahop) the names of promising students in your present or past classes.

As a reminder, these scholarships are made available each year through endowment funds and/or gifts from the following generous donors: the Elbert F. Cox Scholarship Fund, the Solveig Espelie Foundation, the George H. Butcher, Jr. Prize Fund, the James Donaldson Prize and the Gerald Chachere Award for Excellence in Mathematics.

2. (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.

3. 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/

4. (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.

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SCHOLARSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES (from various sources)

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1. Congresswoman Norton’s 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. Norton’s 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 nation’s 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. Opportunities at various federal agencies

i) 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

ii) Postdoctoral Research Associate Opening –

Characterization of Nuclear Materials, Data Analysis & Aerosol Science

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) – Aiken, South Carolina

Research may be conducted in one or more of the following areas: Materials characterization R&D studies of nuclear materials, data processing and statistical analysis, or aerosol measurement science. Candidates that can demonstrate significant experience with a wide range of analytical instruments and have published peer-reviewed scientific papers are encouraged to apply. The position has an initial one-year appointment, with the possibility of renewal.

Want to apply? Go to www.zintellect.com, make an account, and enter the reference code SRNL-15-03-NSD to find the position posting.

4. (via Aziz Yakubu) Openings at Intel

Intel Corporation is actively accepting applications for their BS, MS and PhD New Grad openings and would like to invite students from the Department of Mathematics to apply.

https://intel.taleo.net/careersection/10000/jobdetail.ftl?job=753592

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INTERSTING ARTICLES AND WEBSITES

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1. (from Louise Raphael) Variable Stars, the Golden Mean

and a new Physics based theory of life

https://www.quantamagazine.org/20150310-strange-stars-pulse-to-the-golden-mean/

Note from Louise: The well-known mathematician Jean Taylor writes: Don't get overenthusiastic about the "golden mean stars.” If you look at that article carefully, you see that its basis is the statement "... an irrational ratio tend to be the most stable; that is, they can’t easily be knocked off-kilter into a new state of motion. In that case, it might be the fate of unstable stars to evolve until they arrive at a number like the golden mean.." In other words, "a number like the golden mean" is just "any other irrational number." What is being talked about is just quasiperiodic motion! You can see it on your own computer or graphing calculator by graphing the function sin(x) + sin(C x), where C is any irrational number. (Yes, I know you can't really put in an irrational number, but you can get the idea. A C between 1 and 2 produces the most visual interest.) A ratio having the same first few digits as the golden ratio doesn't mean it has anything to do with the golden ratio!

A new physics based theory of life:

https://www.quantamagazine.org/20140122-a-new-physics-theory-of-life/

2. (from Aziz Yakubu) NYTimes article: Don’t Expect Math to Make Sense

Article by Manil Suri

3. (from Louise Raphael) Five Reasons Why Biologists Love Math

https://nihdatascience.wordpress.com/2015/03/13/re-blog-5-reasons-biologists-love-math/

4. 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/