Bahar Acu

Speaker: Andrés R. Vindas Meléndez, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont CA Title: An Invitation to Enumerative Geometric Combinatorics Abstract: Enumerative geometric combinatorics is an area of mathematics concerned with counting properties of geometric objects described by a finite set of building blocks. Lattice polytopes are geometric objects that can be formed by taking […]

Title: A polyhedral view of refined q-t Catalan numbers Speaker: Max Hlavacek Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics department, Pomona College, Claremont Abstract: Many problems in algebraic combinatorics have geometric objects lurking in the background, and bringing these objects forward can shed some light on the original problem.  We begin with an introduction to polyhedral cones and their […]

Speaker: Anne Cawley, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, Cal Poly Pomona, CA Title: What Happens When Our Perspectives Don’t Align with the Math? Abstract: Many people often share that they like math because there is “one right answer” and is an objective field. Once they find the answer, they are done with a problem. […]

Speaker: Jessica Sidman, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, Amherst College Title: Frameworks in Motion: Design, Theory, and Fabrication Abstract: What do your umbrella, a folding gate, and a scissor lift have in common? They all involve frameworks made of rigid parts attached at flexible joints and are designed to move with one degree of freedom. […]

Speaker:Jesse Wolfson, UC Irvine Title: Braids, Polynomials, and Hilbert’s 13th Problem Abstract: There are still completely open fundamental questions about polynomials in one variable. One example is Hilbert’s 13th Problem, a conjecture going back long before Hilbert. Indeed, the invention of algebraic topology grew out of an effort to understand how the roots of a […]

Speaker: Michelle Manes, AIM Title: Dynamical Systems and the Period 3 Implies Chaos Theorem Abstract: Sharkovskii’s theorem, sometimes called "period 3 implies chaos," concerns a one-dimensional real dynamical system: a function from the real line to itself that you iterate and study the orbits of points. This theorem is fascinating because of its very simple […]

Speaker: Dorothy Buck, Professor of Mathematics, Duke University Title: Molecular Pasta: Complex Entanglement in Biopolymers Abstract: If you’ve cooked spaghetti, you’ve probably noticed how the pasta becomes entangled in the pot (especially in a small volume of water) or in your bowl afterwards.  This is a macro example of what I like to think about: […]