Fall 2022
| DATE | SPEAKER | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| August 30th | Shelly Harvey (Rice University) | "Knotting and Linking in 4-dimensions" |
| September 13th | TBD | "Discussion with Math Majors" |
| October 4th | ||
| October 18th | Maria Ntekoume (Rice University) | "Dispersive PDEs and Where to Find Them" |
| November 1st | Hongdi Huang (Rice University | TBD |
| November 8th | Katherine Chui, Caden Farley, Evan Huang (Rice University) | "Undergraduate Math Research Talks" |
Spring 2022
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| March 22nd | Jason Joseph (Rice University) | From knots to knotted surfaces: isotopy and concordance |
| April 5th | Fumiko Futamura (Southwestern University) | Curios invariants in projective geometry, and where to find them in art and music |
Fall 2021
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 20th | Chelsea Walton (Rice University) | Hamilton's Quaternions |
| Oct 18th | Will Worden (Rice University) | From Knots to Hyperbolic 3-manifolds |
| Nov 1st | Mark Helman, Dhilan Lahoti, Daniel Qiu (Rice University Undergraduates) | What I Did Last Summer |
| Nov 22nd | Sarah Frei (Rice University) | Diophantine equations and Hasse principle |
Fall 2020
| Date | Speaker | Title | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26th | Jo Nelson’s research group | Symplectic Embeddings on the Virtual BeECH | A symplectic manifold is an even dimensional manifold, which admits a nondegenerate closed 2-form, an object akin to dxdy or rdrdθ from multivariable calculus. This object allows one to make 2-dimensional measurements (oriented area) within the manifold. A major question in the field is when one symplectic manifold can be symplectically embedded into another, leading to efforts in constructing and obstructing symplectic embeddings. This is particularly interesting and challenging because of the mixture of rigidity (structure) and flexibility (lack of structure) in symplectic geometry. Our research focuses on obstructions to symplectic embeddings of four-dimensional polydisks into four-dimensional ellipsoids. In this talk, we will give an overview of symplectic manifolds, symplectic embedding problems, and obstruction tools like symplectic capacities and the “Beyond ECH” methods. We will then provide a sketch of proof of our new result from the past summer using the former method. |
Spring 2020
| Date | Speaker | Title | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 27th | Jo Nelson Rice University |
Contact encounters in the third dimension | |
| February 17th | Michael Norton KIPP Texas Public Schools |
Today's Student Experience in K-12 Math Classrooms | I will discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by K-12 math educators in 2020. There are many strategies, protocols, and products that are divined on paper as ideal pedagogical solutions, but then must come alive in a messy reality. Find out about the key components that make for great math teaching & learning, and discover and experience how practitioners -both individual teachers & at those at various levels of the industry -are creating today's student experience in light of (e.g.) the Common Core, the emergence of new digital tools, and the abundance of educational data |
Trinity University |
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Texas A&M University |
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Rice University |
Fall 2019
| Date | Speaker | Title | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tuesday, September 3rd *Special day due to Labor Day holiday |
Robert Hardt Rice University |
Energy-Minimizing Unit Vector Fields in Three Space | Given a smooth real valued function g on the unit sphere S in R3, the function u on the closed unit ball B which coincides with g on S and has least energy∫|𝐷𝑢|2𝑑𝑥𝐵 is a harmonic function. These show up in classical mathematics, physics,and many applications; e.g. u represents the longtime steady-state temperature distribution resulting from keeping the surface temperature equal to g. Later, many other interesting problems required changing real-valued functions to unit vector fields. This seemingly small change led to many new problems and results. We will look at some of the basic examples, questions and solutions including:
|
| September 23rd | Siran Li Rice University |
The Many Facets of Harmonic Functions | In this talk, we shall describe harmonic functions on a domain in Rnfrom many different aspects ---the mean value properties, the PDEs (partial differential equations), the Newtonianpotential, and the probabilistic perspectives. The regularity theory of harmonic functions will be surveyed. Finally, we will discuss some recent constructions of ''weird'' spaces (manifolds) on which the regularity theory blatantly fails, in stark contrast to the Euclidean case. [Our talk is complimentary to Prof. Bob Hardt's talk at the beginning of the semester.] |
| October 28th | Selim Sukhtaiev Rice University |
Anderson localization for disordered quantum graphs | Disorder is one of the central topics in modern science. In this talk, we will discuss a mathematical treatment of a particular disordered system modeling localization of waves in random media. The model in equation was introduced by P. W. Anderson in his Nobel prize winning work in physics which led to a rich mathematical theory of random Schrodinger operators. The present talk is devoted to a particular Anderson model arising in the study of quantum graphs. I will provide an elementary introduction to quantum graphs and mathematical theory of Anderson localization, which lies at the interface of dynamical systems, differential equations, and linear algebra. No previous knowledge of or familiarity with this subject will be assumed |
| November 18th | Alan Reid Rice University |
Q&A for Math Majors and Minors with the Math Department Chair | Dr.Reid will begin by talking about some of his mathematical interests, his background, being chair of the department, and how this impacts the lives of undergraduate students. There will be a Q&A session to end the discussion |
Spring 2019
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| January 14th | Greg Chambers Rice University |
Constructing homotopies of low complexity |
| February 18th | Jack Petok Rice University |
Densest Sphere Packings, Lattices, and Theta Functions |
| March 25th | Daniel Hast Rice University |
The geometry of redistricting and gerrmandering |
| April 8th | Jen Berg Rice University |
Rental Harmony or, How to use math to make your roommates envy-free |
Fall 2018
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| August 24th | Michael Wolf Rice University |
Geometric optimization: An exploration through soap films |
| September 21st | Anastassia Etopolski Rice University |
The Congruent Number Problem and Elliptic Curves |
| November 9th | Max Lieblich University of Washington |
Algebraic geometry in computer vision |
| November 16th | Jacob Kesten and Sara Edelman-Muñoz Rice University |
What I did last summer |
Spring 2018
| Date | Speaker | Title |
| January 26th | Ronen Mukamel Rice University |
Billiards in Polygons |
| February 23rd | Alan Haynes University of Houston |
Constructibility, Solvability, and Origami |
| March 23rd | Casey Douglas St. Mary's College (MD) / Rice |
TBA |
Fall 2017
| Date | Speaker | Title |
September 15th |
Anthony Várilly-Alvarado Rice University |
Primes in arithmetic progressions |
| September 29th | Changhui Tan Rice University |
The mathematics in continuum mechanics |
October 27th |
Arindam Roy Rice University |
Ford Circles |
| November 10th | Ilya Marchenka '19 Anh Tran '19 Rice University |
What I Did Last Summer |
Spring 2017
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| January 20th | Stephen Wang Rice University |
Shape Shifting: Things you can and cannot do via cut and paste |
| February 17th | Brian Miceli Trinity University |
Combinatorial Enumeration in Pascal's Triangle |
| March 3rd | Betul Orcan-Ekmekci Rice University |
Beyond Classical Derivatives, Still Using Calculus |
| March 24th | David Krcatovich Rice University |
Planning robot motion using configuration spaces |
| April 7th | Neil Fullarton Rice University |
The lantern relation on a surface |
Fall 2016
| Date | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| August 26th | Frank Jones Rice University |
ABC's of the heat equation |
| September 2nd | Kyle Kinneberg Rice University |
Conformal maps and circle packings |
| September 14th (Wednesday at 4:30!) | An event with Google for math majors (room TBA) | |
| September 23th | Rice University |
Talk postponed until spring semester |
| September 30th | Richard Shadrach Rice University |
Hamilton's quaternions and how to algebraically roll a ball |
| October 21st | Vu Hoang Rice University |
Mathematics and Tightrope walking |
| October 27th (Thursday!) | William Dunham Bryn Mawr College |
Euler in Two Acts |
| November 4th | Zhenghe Zhang Rice University |
Stable and unstable dynamical behaviors in Hamiltonian systems |
| November 18th | Jonathan Celaya '17 Konstantinos Varvarezos '16 Rice University |
What I Did Last Summer |
