A big area in combinatorics over the last several decades has been the study of pattern-avoiding permutations, whose enumeration is exciting and mysterious. Alternating sign matrices (ASMs) are a generalization of permutations whose study in combinatorics has also been exciting and mysterious. In this talk, I will explain some new asymptotic results involving the number […]
We especially welcome all undergraduates and graduate students to attend topology seminar! Speaker: Scott Taylor (Colby College) Title: Genus 1 Bridge Number of Satellite Knots in Lens Spaces Abstract: In the mid-1950s, Horst Schubert introduced two ideas which turned out to have lasting impact in knot theory: satellite knots and bridge number. A Satellite knot […]
Speaker: Scott Taylor, Professor of Mathematics, Colby College, Maine Title: Sums and Symmetries Abstract: Adding is one of the fundamental mathematical operations and we like it so much, we can't help but add all kinds of things including knots, surfaces, and 3-dimensional spaces. Symmetry is also a fundamental mathematical concern. How well do sums and […]
This GEMS session will be facilitated by Professor Bahar Acu from Pitzer College. Title: The Hole Truth: When is a Coffee Mug a Donut? Abstract: In mathematics, topology is the study of properties of shapes that remain unchanged when shapes are bent, stretched, or deformed—so long as they aren’t torn or punctured. To a mathematician studying topology, a […]
Title: Randomly pivoted Cholesky: Fast, accurate matrix approximation for scientific machine learning Abstract: Low-rank approximation of positive semidefinite matrices is a basic problem in computational mathematics, with many applications to […]
Large Language Models like ChatGPT rely on surprisingly familiar mathematics. This talk will explore how ideas from (linear) algebra, number theory and combinatorics appear — both directly and indirectly — in the structure and behavior of these models. Along the way, we’ll touch on themes like structure, symmetry, and scale, and consider how abstract mathematical […]
Fall 2025 Course Preview Session Moderator: Lenny Fukshansky, Professor of Mathematics, Claremont McKenna College, CA Slide Link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/142NF1vUazpGNLF0pfLKc0qhkv4VoMQstSvZ0yKtMfNE/edit?usp=sharing
Title: Erlang-Distributed SEIR Epidemical Models Abstract: We examine the effects of different dynamics in epidemiological models, focusing on two key approaches. The first model incorporates reaction-diffusion dynamics, where susceptible individuals […]
A Jacobian variety is a principally polarized abelian variety (PPAV) associated with a smooth complex algebraic curve. For dimensions less than or equal to 3, every PPAV is either a Jacobian or a product of Jacobians. The Schottky problem concerns dimensions 4 and greater: which PPAVs are Jacobians? The Schottky problem can also be posed […]
We especially welcome all undergraduates and graduate students to attend topology seminar! Speaker: Sierra Knavel (Georgia Tech) Title: Betti Numbers and Indecomposability of Genus-2 Lefschetz Fibrations Abstract: Symplectic 4-manifolds, smooth […]
Speaker: Naneh Apkarian Professor of Mathematics, Arizona State University, Arizona Title: Student Success in an Interactive STEM Ecosystem Abstract: This talk begins with a discussion of the multifaceted nature of […]
Title: Modeling viral STI epidemics Abstract: We will describe an SIR model of viral sexually transmitted infections in a population structured by sex and sexual preference and its validation in […]
