Math Dept 2022-2023 Newsletter 11
Monday, 13 March 2023
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.
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MEETINGS AND SEMINARS IN THE DEPARTMENT
TUESDAYS
Seminar on Topological Semigroups
The seminar will include applications to Ramsey theory.
Neil Hindman is talking about “Combinatorially rich sets in arbitrary semigroups.”
Time 11 am.
Contact coordinator for zoom invite.
Coordinator Dennis Davenport
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Statistics Seminar
Tuesdays 2pm, on zoom.
Contact coordinator Saraleesan Nadarajah for zoom link.
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Combinatorics Seminar
TBA
Contact coordinator Lou Shapiro for zoom link.
WEDNESDAYS
Graduate Student Seminar
1pm, wednesday.
Contact Shakuan Frankson for more information.
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Applied Math Reading Seminar
TBA
Students will get to practice studying papers and working on research problems.
Please write the coordinator for original handouts or for the recording link.
Contact coordinator for zoom link as well.
Coordinator: Katie Gurski, Yeona Kang
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Math team/Math Club meetings
Organizer: Jill McGowan
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FRIDAYS
Mathematics Department Colloquium
Fridays, 4.10 to 5pm.
Friday, 17 March
John Johnson, Ohio State University.
Prof. Johnson received his Ph. D from Howard. His advisor was Neil Hindman.
Title : TBA.
On friday, March 3, Dilip Raghavan of the National University of Singapore talked about “Ramsey Theory, Ultrafilters and Large Cardinals.”
TALKS AND WORKSHOPS OUTSIDE DEPARTMENT
1. MPSDS Summer Institute Diversity Fellowship Webinar
The Michigan Program in Survey and Data Science will have a webinar on monday, March 20, from 3 to 4pm.
They invite everyone interested in their summer institute.
2. 2023 NAM Faculty Conference on Research and Teaching Excellence
The conference will take place April 14-15 at Hampton University. Dr. Ebenezer George, University of Memphis, will be the Bharucha-Reid lecturer. Application deadline for funding is March 24.
More Information and Registration
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. (Thanks to NAM) Nominations open for J. Ernest Wilkins lecture
NAM Awards Committee welcomes nominations for the Wilkins lecture at the 2023 NAM Undergraduate Mathfest XXXIII to be held at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA on September 22-24, 2023. The lecture should be about a research topic for an audience of undergraduate mathematics majors. Priority will be given for nominations received by April 21st. Please go to this nomination website.
2. (Thanks to Bourama Toni) GMU Calculus Olympiad
Friday, March 31, 9 am to 4pm, Johnson Center, 3rd Floor.
Please register your team by Monday March 20 at their website.
3. (Thanks to Shakuan Frankson) HU SIAM chapter reactivated
The SIAM student chapter of the department has been reactivated. Undergraduate and Graduate students will be able to join as free student members. If interested in serving as a student officer or faculty advisor, please reach our to Shakuan or Dewayne Dixon.
SCHOLARSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
(from various sources)
1. (Thanks to Louise Raphael) AMIGAs (Applied Mathematics Skills Improvement for Graduate Studies Advancement)
This week-long summer program on July 10-14 is designed to support second and third year graduate students in applied and computational mathematics. Deadline March 19.
2. Summer Institute in Geosciences
The Critical Zone network organizes 10-week summer institutes in the Geosciences at different locations. Students get $6000 stipend plus boarding and lodging. Deadline March 31.
Please contact Prof. Catherine Quinlan in the School of Education if you would like to join an informational meeting on March 17.
3. RAY Fellowship Program
The program looks for applicants from minority communities with potential to exercise leadership and respond to social and environmental challenges.
4. Wolfram Summer School program
Opportunity to work with senior developers of Mathematica on real world projects, from June 25-July 12.
In previous newsletters:
HBCU STEM-US Research Center Faculty Program
INTERESTING ARTICLES AND WEBSITES
1. Interesting Science documentaries
I watched “Good night, Oppy” (available on Amazon Prime Video) about the decades long work of the the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity on Mars. Not only was it exciting to watch, all the science and engineering happening behind the scenes was very interesting to see. The program has a very strong human touch – the team on earth develops an almost emotional attachment to the rovers, even though they are robots. The program also highlights the diversity of the rover team – many women and persons of color who worked on the project get prominent speaking roles.
Another documentary that might be worth watching is “New Eye on the Universe” that aired on PBS in Februrary (available on Youtube TV). It is about the James Webb Space Telescope that has been breaking new frontiers in astronomy.
2. (Thanks to Louise Raphael) How will AI change mathematics?
Symbolic logic programs such as LEAN are able to verify proofs of complex papers and suggest modifications. Neural network and machine learning based tools can solve problems themselves. What are the limitations and possibilities? Article from Nature