Colloquium & Seminar Schedules
Colloquium Schedule | Seminar Schedule
The Mathematics Department colloquium series is usually held on Fridays from 4:10 - 5:00 p.m. throughout the quarter (please check information below for location). Refreshments are served before the colloquium from 3:30 - 4:00 p.m. in the Math Department Conference Room, 25-208B. All interested faculty, staff, students and visitors are welcome to attend and meet the speaker before the colloquium.
Colloquia on topics of particular interest to undergraduates are also held during the quarter. These are scheduled on Thursdays from 11:10 a.m. - 12:00 noon. Check the posted flyers or this website for specific location.
Colloquium Schedule
Spring 2012 Colloquia
- Fair-Division Problems
Ted Hill, Professor Emeritus of Math, Georgia Tech and Research Scholar in Residence, Cal Poly
Abstract
The general subject of this talk will be the question of whether an object (such as a cake or piece of land) can be divided among N people so that each person receives a fair portion, according to his own values. Formally, there are N measures on the same object - a measurable space - and a typical goal is to find a partition of the object into N (measurable) pieces so that the minimum value of the Kth measure of the Kth piece is at least 1/N, or as large as possible. Classical fair-division includes Steinhaus' “Ham Sandwich Problem,” Dubin and Spanier's “Sliding Knife Algorithm,” Neyman and Pearson's “Bisection Problem,” and Fisher's “Problem of the Nile.” Generalizations based on Lyapounov's Convexity Theorem will be discussed, along with several applications and open problems. The talk will be aimed for the non-specialist.
- Student-centered Calculus
Karen Rhea, University of Michigan
Abstract
When thinking about IBL in introductory classes, there are many things to consider: the necessary syllabus of the courses, the expertise and training of instructors, the goals and expectations of the students and the institution. For many of us, introductory classes present a particular challenge on every level. In this talk, we will explore an introductory class model that encourages an interactive-engaged classroom for 5000 students per year, how the style is supported, and the reasons why we believe that model is an important support for the goal of our courses.
- The Making of The Best Writing on Mathematics series — ideas, people, and (mis)adventures —
Mircea Pitici, Cornell University
Abstract
The Best Writing on Mathematics is an annual series of anthologies aimed not only at professional mathematicians but also at non-mathematicians interested in matters concerning mathematics. Each volume offers a collection of remarkable writings on the nature, practice, teaching, history, philosophy, and importance of mathematics; texts already published during the preceding year in a variety of sources from around the world. The series initiator and editor will speak about the ideas and the circumstances that led him to start this series and about the people who are instrumental in making it happen. We will also discuss the elements of good writing on mathematics. Faculty, students, and staff are welcome to this talk, whether their work is related to mathematics or not.
Winter 2012 Colloquia
- On Interval Orders and Related Objects
Sergey Kitaev, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde
Abstract
A poset is called (2 + 2)-free if it does not contain an induced subposet that is isomorphic to the union of two disjoint 2-element chains. In 1970, Fishburn proved that (2+2)-free posets are in one-to-one correspondence with intensively studied interval orders. Recently, Bousquet-Melou et al. invented so-called ascent sequences which not only facilitated the enumeration of the posets, but also connected them to other combinatorial objects, namely to Stoimenow's diagrams (also called regular linearized chord diagrams which were used to study the space of Vassiliev's knot invariants), to certain upper triangular matrices, and to certain pattern avoiding permutations (a very popular area of research these days). Several other papers appeared following the influential work by Bousquet-Melou et al. Among other results, two conjectures, of Pudwell and Jovovic, were solved while dealing with (2+2)-free posets using ascent sequences. In my talk, I will provide an overview of relevant results and research directions.
- Characteristics of Successful Programs in College Calculus: Preliminary Findings from the MAA Study
David Bressoud, Department of Mathematics, Macalester College
Abstract
The Mathematical Association of America undertook a large-scale survey of Calculus I instruction across the US in the fall of 2010. This is a preliminary report of some of the main results that we have learned.
Seminar Schedule
Algebra Seminar
Fridays, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. in 25-208B.
Applied Mathematics Seminar
Anyone interested is welcome to attend. Please check link for meeting time/place and topic.
Geometry-Topology Seminar
Anyone interested is welcome to attend. Please check link for meeting time/place and topic.
Teaching Seminar
October 6, 11:15-12 and November 3, 11:15-12 in 25-208B.
Operator Theory Seminar
Mondays, 11:10 a.m. - 12:00 noon in 25-208B.