Title: The BNS invariant of the fundamental group of a surface bundle over a surface. Abstract: We will discuss some new results on the Bieri-Neumann-Strebel invariant of these groups, showing in particular that (with obvious exceptions) they algebraically fiber. As a corollary, we show that for "most" bundles these groups are not coherent.
In general terms, a Tauberian theorem deals with the relationship between the properties of one transform of a measure with those of another transform. We will introduce the notion of a Tauberian theorm, and present our own recent theorem in this direction. Our theorem provides a uniform theory for the construction of certain localized kernels […]
TOPIC: Superheroes vs. Supercomputers Superheroes like Wonder Woman, Black Panther, Superman, and Captain Marvel, just to name a few, all have "super" power and they save the world from "super"-villains. Well, just one catch--they are not real. In our real world, there are computers built for super power to save the (real) world. In this […]
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 […]
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 […]
