Title: Teaching Equity-minded Active Mathematics: A model for Instructional Change Speaker: Amelia Stone-Johnstone, Department of Mathematics, California State University, Fullerton Abstract: Active learning has been championed as a mechanism for […]
Title: A Group-Theoretic Ax-Katz Theorem Speaker: Pete L. Clark, University of Georgia Abstract: The Chevalley-Warning Theorem is a result from 1935 asserting that the number of solutions to a low degree polynomial system over a finite field is divisible by the characteristic of the field. It is an important result -- it includes a conjecture […]
The 14th Symposium for Women and Gender Minorities in Mathematics in Southern California WiMSoCal returns to SoCal after a four-year-hiatus due to pandemic. The symposium will provide an opportunity for women and gender-nonconforming individuals in mathematics in the Southern California area to get to know each other on a personal as well as professional level. […]
Title: Evolution of an Intriguing Recreational Math Problem Speaker: Shawn McMurran, California State University San Bernardino Abstract: Besides being popular and entertaining, recreational mathematics problems are often of historical interest. In this presentation we will highlight the origin and evolution of one such simply stated yet deep problem. The problem emerged during the eighteenth century […]
Title: Mirror Symmetry and Zeta Values Speaker: Sheel Ganatra, University of Southern California Abstract: Mirror symmetry is a conjectural correspondence, born out of ideas in string theory, between two geometries of very different nature. In its earliest mathematical appearance, mirror symmetry was used to make predictions for certain numerical measurements of one space in terms of […]
Title: Shrinkage Estimation for Causal Inference and Experimental Design Speaker: Evan T. R. Rosenman, Assistant Professor of Statistics, Claremont McKenna College Abstract: Passive collection of observational data -- in settings such as medicine, insurance, and e-commerce -- is a ubiquitous feature of modern life. For statisticians, these ever-proliferating datasets are both promising and perilous. Observational […]
Title: Math as Art and Recreation Speaker: Peter Kagey, HMC Abstract: Recreational Mathematics is an area of math which is rooted in exploration and playfulness, and includes puzzles, games, art, and more. This talk takes a closer look at these ideas, emphasizing how a foundation of curiosity and play can lead to insightful connections with various […]
Title: Graph Complexes and Moduli Spaces of Curves Speaker: Siddarth Kannan, UCLA Abstract: I will begin by defining a certain combinatorial object called a graph complex. Then I will give a brief introduction to the moduli space of curves. The study of the geometry of this moduli space has occupied several generations of mathematicians, across […]
Title: “The science of Mathematics is not crystallized into text-books” : The Bryn Mawr Mathematical Journal Club (1896 — 1924) Speaker: Jemma Lorenat, Pitzer College Abstract: As mathematics departments in […]
Title: Adinkra Heights and Color-Splitting Rainbows Speaker: Ursula Whitcher, American Mathematical Society Abstract: Adinkras are decorated graphs that encapsulate information about conjectural relationships between fundamental particles in physics. If we […]
Title: Lonely Runners and My Favorite Polyhedron Speaker: Matthias Beck, Department of Mathematics, San Francisco State University Abstract: We study the Lonely Runner Conjecture, conceived by Wills in the 1960's, and […]
Title: Slope gap distributions of translation surfaces Speaker: Taylor McAdam, Department of Mathematics, Pomona College Abstract: How “random” are the rational numbers? To make sense of this question, let us consider the set of Farey fractions of level n—that is, the rational numbers between 0 and 1 with denominator at most n. It turns out that these distribute uniformly in the […]
