GSAC Colloquium
Fall 2024
Tuesdays, 12:55-1:45 PM, LCB 225
MATH 6960-001
(Dates with * indicate an unusual time or location)
| Date | Description | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 20 | GSAC Kickoff | Daniel Apsley |
| Aug 27 | Math Department Funding Opportunities Jon Chaika will talk about funding opppotunities within the department. |
Jon Chaika |
| Sep 3 | Canceled | |
| Sep 10 | Grad Student Panel | Daniel Apsley |
| Sep 17 | HB261: what does it mean as a graduate student? I will briefly review the text of the law HB261 which became effective on July 1st and provide an overview of the University response. The discussion will focus on how the law affects the students in your classes, how to help your students, and how to understand it as a graduate student. There will be plenty of time for questions and concerns. |
Christel Hohenegger |
| Sep 24 | Basic and Advanced Theory of Mathematical Humor The problem of making people laugh with wordplay is one of classical concern. Examples of work done in this problem can be found in comedies and literature dating back to ancient times. Due to the nature of this problem, different sub- areas have arisen to appeal to different types of people. In this talk, we partake in the rich history of math jokes. We explore the various theories that produce the maximal laughter, from simple puns to making light of some of the ridiculous aspects of mathematics. We will also touch on some advanced humor that produces counterintuitive results about the world we live in. This is joint work with a wide variety of funny and creative people from all over the world. |
Gari Chua |
| Oct 1 | Our Body, the Mathematician The human body has been able to do math long before humans were able to think about math. For example, the inner ear has an extremely sensitive mechanical system that converts sound waves to electrical signals using a method that looks very similar to Fourier Transforms. In this talk, I will explain 1) how the ear deconstructs sound, 2) how we use our understanding of Fourier Transforms to create design criteria for CD's, radio, etc, and 3) how using our understanding of electrical signals allows us to correct hearing impairment using cochlear implants. |
Keshav Patel |
| Oct 8 | Fall Break - No Meeting | |
| Oct 15 | Mobius Transformations - and a little bit of Representation Theory The rational function in \mathbb{C} given by f(z) = (az + b)/(cz + d) may seem both at once innocent and mysterious at the same time. We can, however, give so much more context to this object and reveal a very fun collection of geometric and algebraic properties which I will look to explore in this talk. At the very end, I will briefly discuss its appearance in the story that is the representation theory of Lie groups. |
Dimas Sanjoyo |
| Oct 22 | TBD | TBD |
| Oct 29 | Canceled | |
| Nov 5 | Canceled | |
| Nov 12 | TBD | Daniel Apsley |
| Nov 19 | TBD | Daniel Hallman |
| Nov 26 | Thanksgiving - No Meeting | |
| Dec 3 | TBD | TBD |
| Dec 10 | Exam Week - No Meeting |