Let S be a set of k > n points in n-dimensional Euclidean space. How many parallel hyperplanes are needed to cover it? In fact, it is easy to prove that every such set can be covered by k-n+1 parallel hyperplanes, but do there exist sets that cannot be covered by fewer parallel hyperplanes? We […]
Title: Volumes and filling collections of multicurves Abstract: In this talk we will be concerned with links L in a Seifert-Fibered space N such that their projection to the base surface is a collection of curves G in minimal position. After stating a hyperbolization result, for the complement of L, in terms of G we […]
In this talk, we'll discuss the problem of constructing meaningful distances between probability distributions given only finite samples from each distribution. We approach this through the use of data-adaptive and localized kernels, and in a variety of contexts. First, we construct locally adaptive kernels to define fast pairwise distances between distributions, with applications to unsupervised […]
Data coming from Monte Carlo experiments is often analyzed in the same way as data from more traditional sources. The unique nature of Monte Carlo data, where it is easy to take a random number of samples, allows for estimators where the user can control the relative error of the estimate much more precisely than […]
Quandle coloring quivers categorify the quandle counting invariant. In this talk we enhance the quandle coloring quiver invariant with quandle modules, generalizing both the quiver invariant and the quandle module polynomial invariant. This is joint work with Karma Istanbouli (Scripps College).
What do swarm robotics and political redistricting have in common? One answer is Markov chains, which have recently been used in very different ways to address problems in both these areas. To get a large swarm to exhibit a desired behavior, one solution is to make each individual in the swarm fairly intelligent; another is […]
In this talk I will discuss a rather unique collection of tools and how they have been used to understand the spread of Influenza virus in the State of Montana. With flu counts from each county over a 10 year period some patterns emerge, which explain some vectors of the disease spread. Archetypal analysis then […]
It is well known that a real number is badly approximable if and only if the partial quotients in its continued fraction expansion are bounded. Motivated by a recent wonderful paper by Ngoc Ai Van Nguyen, Anthony Poels and Damien Roy (where the authors give a simple alternative solution of Schmidt-Summerer's problem) we found an […]
Gordian Knots According to the legend of Phrygian Gordium, Alexander the Great cut the ``Gordian Knot’’ and eventually went on to rule Asia thereby fulfilling an ancient prophecy. Where there are several descriptions of the precise nature of the Gordian Knot and Alexander’s action, an explicit mathematical treatment (the theory of thick knots) and the reasons […]
Gordian Knots According to the legend of Phrygian Gordium, Alexander the Great cut the ``Gordian Knot’’ and eventually went on to rule Asia thereby fulfilling an ancient prophecy. Where there are several descriptions of the precise nature of the Gordian Knot and Alexander’s action, an explicit mathematical treatment (the theory of thick knots) and the reasons […]
Knotting in living organisms is a feature that is visible to the careful observer of biological life. Since the 1970’s, with the increasing power of electron microscopes, scientists have been able to capture images of such structures in living organisms at near atomic levels. We will explore the mathematics of knotting that has provided tools study these […]
The talk will concentrate on open questions related to the optimal bounds for the discrepancy of an $N$-point set in the $d$-dimensional unit cube. The so-called star-discrepancy measures the difference between the actual and expected number of points in axis-parallel rectangles, and thus measures the equidistribution of the set. This notion has been explored by H. Weyl, K. Roth, and many others, […]
