Colloquium and Seminar Schedule
Fall 2014Watch here for the Fall Colloquium Schedule!
This is the schedule of colloquia and seminars inthe Department of Mathematics and Computer Science for the Fall 2014 semester.
October 2014
- "Modeling and Numerical Techniques: Tools of an Applied Mathematician"
Speaker: Karen Bliss, Assistant Professor, Quinnipiac University
Date: Thursday, October 30
Time: 4:45 PM
Location: Napier 201
Refreshments will be served at 4:30.
Abstract:
Mathematics is extremely powerful in that it can be used to investigate problems in many disciplines. I will give an overview of several projects I have worked on, including remediation of groundwater contaminant and studying materials to be used for vehicular armor. Then I'll discuss in some depth the modeling of red blood cell dynamics in patients with chronic kidney disease, and numerical techniques used to solve the problem.
November 2014
- "De Bruijn Sequences and Generalizations"
Speaker: Dr. Victoria Horan, Air Force Research Laboratory
Date: Monday, November 10
Time: 4:30 PM
Location: Napier 201
Refreshments will be served at 4:15.
Abstract:
Universal cycles and Gray codes are examples of listing elements of a combinatorial family in a specific manner, and overlap cycles were invented as a generalization of these in 2010. An s-overlap cycle orders a set of strings so that the last s letters of one string are the first s letters of the next (in order). Many combinatorial objects, such as permutations, do not lend themselves immediately to the universal cycle structure. In this talk we will discuss recent results over various types of objects such as permutations, as well as some interesting applications.
December 2014
- "Student Summer Research 2014"
Speakers: Alyssa Newman, Susie Tuvell and Chris Wilson
Date: Wednesday, December 3
Time: 4:15 PM
Location: Napier 201
Refreshments will be served at 4:05.
Abstract:
For the final colloquium of the semester, three math majors will present research that they did during the summer of 2014.
Critical Ramsey Graphs. We explored empirically the connections among properties of various graph families in relation to the structure of critical Ramsey graphs. In addition to analyzing computer-generated data for numerical patterns, visual symmetries, and property thresholds, we defined new graph properties and wrote programs to help us study them. Work involved intensive use of Mathematica and Java programming environments.
Modeling Friendship. We have developed a few models of college friendship formation that shed light on time and emotion management. We all need support from friends, especially when we are stressed. On the other hand, maintaining friendship requires time investment. Because the disposable time for every person is limited on a daily/weekly base, we must limit the time spent with friends to maintain our work/academic performance. We quantitatively measured the time college students spend with friends on a random social network and the work performance for these persons. We also discussed time management strategies that allow one to enjoy the most time with friends while maintaining their work performance to a desirable level.
Past Colloquia Series
Spring 2014 Fall 2013 Spring 2013 Fall 2012 Spring 2012 Fall 2011 Spring 2011
If you have interest in giving a talk or know of someone who does,
please contact Prof. Yan Hao at hao@hws.edu