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Past schedules:August|September|October| November| December| January|
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SPRING 2010 Seminars Schedule
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Mondays
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Analysis Seminar
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Time: 4:00-5:00pm *
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
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Host: Prof. Richard Rochberg
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Tuesdays
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Statistics Seminar
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Time: 4:30-5:30pm *
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
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Host: Prof. Nan Lin
Statistics Seminar Schedule
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Wednesdays
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Graduate Student Seminar
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Time: 1:00-2:00pm *
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
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Host: Prof. Guido Weiss
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Graduate Organized Talks Seminar
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Time: 4:00-5:00pm *
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
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Host: Raphiel Murden
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Math Club
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Time: 5:30-7:00pm *
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
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Host: Rajan Mehta
See Math Club page.
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Thursdays
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Combinatorics Seminar
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Time: 12:00-1:00pm *
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
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Host: Russ Woodroofe
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Fridays
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Wavelet Seminar
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Time: 3:30-4:30pm *
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
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Host: Prof. Guido Weiss
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Geometry and Topology Seminar
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Time: 4:00-5:00pm *
Location: Cupples I, Room 207
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Host: Prof. Xiang Tang
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* Times may vary, please consult the schedule below for details:
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FEBRUARY 2010
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Monday, February 01
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Richard Rochberg
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Speaker: Professor Vasiliy Dolgushev
Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside
Title: Puzzles of Deformation Theory
Abstract: A lot of interesting mathematical constructions are
motivated by questions of deformation quantization. In my talk I will
give a popular introduction to this fascinating topic. First, I will
show that formal deformations of an associative algebra are governed
by the Hochschild cochain complex. Second, I will discuss algebraic
operations on this complex. Then I will formulate the famous
Kontsevich's formality theorem and talk about its generalizations.
Finally, I will discuss applications of formality theorems for
Hochschild complexes to computation of Hochschild (co)homology and
description of traces on deformation quantization algebras. If time
will permit then I will also talk about the Kashiwara-Vergne
conjecture and about the mysterious action of the
Grothendieck-Teichmuller group on deformations of the polynomial
algebra.
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Wednesday, February 03
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Graduate Student Seminar
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Time: 1:00-2:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Guido Weiss
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Speaker: Professor Xiang Tang
Department of Mathematics, Washington University in St. Louis
Title: Laplace operator and Hodge decomposition
Abstract: In this talk, we will introduce the Beltrami-Laplace operator on a
compact riemannian manifold. We will explain how to use this operator to
study geometry and topology of the riemannian manifold. If time permits, we
will discuss a generalization of the Beltrami-Laplace operator on a
noncompact riemannian manifold with a proper cocompact group action.
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Wednesday, February 03
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Graduate Organized Talks Seminar
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Time: 4:00-5:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Raphiel Murden
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Speaker: Qingyun Wang
Department of Mathematics, Washington University in St. Louis
Title: Introduction to sheaf cohomology
Abstract: Cohomology, being the dual
of homology, is one of the fundamental ideas in algebraic topology. We have
various cohomology theories for different spaces. For topological spaces, we
have singular cohomology. For cell complexes or CW-complexes we have
cellular cohomology and CW-cohomology. For manifold we have de Rham
cohomology... Even though these cohomology theories appear to be very
different from the definitions, they share many common properties. Sheaf
cohomology is a way to unify all these cohomology theories in a natural way
and gives an axiomatic characterization. De Rham theorem is therefore a
direct consequence.
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Wednesday, February 03
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Math Club
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Time: 5:30-7:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Rajan Mehta
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Movie: A Beautiful Mind
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Thursday, February 04
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Combinatorics Seminar
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Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Russ Woodroofe
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Speaker: Russ Woodroofe
Department of Mathematics, Washington University in St. Louis
Title: Chordal clutters and k-decomposability
Abstract: The family of chordal graphs has excellent properties for geometric
combinatorics. Most interesting to us in this talk is that the independence
complex of a chordal graph is shellable, and in fact vertex decomposable.
I'll present an extension of the definition of chordal from graphs
to clutters. The resulting family of clutters is a common generalization of
chordal graphs, circuit clutters of matroids, and "acyclic" clutters. The
independence complex of a chordal clutters is shellable. In order to prove
shellability we extend the definition of k-decomposable to non-pure
complexes. I will also discuss a potential application in obstructions to
shellability, as well as other nice properties of chordal graphs that are
satisfied by chordal clutters.
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Thursday, February 04
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Colloquium
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CANCELLED
Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Richard Rochberg
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CANCELLED
Speaker: Professor Richard Kent
Department of Mathematics, Brown University
Title: Analytic functions from hyperbolic
manifolds
Abstract: At the heart of Thurston's proof of
Geometrization for Haken
manifolds is a family of analytic functions between
Teichmuller spaces
called "skinning maps." These maps carry geometric
information about their
associated hyperbolic manifolds, and I'll discuss
what is presently known
about their behavior. The ideas involved form a
mix of geometry, algebra,
and analysis.
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Friday, February 05
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Wavelet Seminar
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Time: 3:30-4:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Guido Weiss
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Speaker: Professor Jeff Hogan
Department of Mathematics, University of Newcastle, Australia
Title: Hypercomplex Fourier and wavelet transforms
Abstract: The Clifford Fourier transform is a generalisation of the usual
Fourier transform which treats multichannel signals as an algebraic whole
rather than as an ensemble of one-dimensional signals. In this talk we
present the basic theory of the Clifford Fourier transform and some
applications to the processing of multichannel signals, especially in the
two-dimensional case where the underlying algebra is that of the
quaternions. Some Cliffordised versions of well-known theorems of harmonic
analysis will be presented.
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Tuesday, February 09
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Richard Rochberg
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Speaker: Professor Alvaro Pelayo
Department of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley
Title: Hamiltonian Dynamics in Symplectic and Spectral Geometry
Abstract: We introduce symplectic manifolds, symplectic
torus actions and integrable systems, and some of the most
classical results about them. Next we will present the
recent classification of symplectic 2-torus
actions on 4-manifolds, and the recent classification
of integrable systems on 4-manifolds for which one
component of the system is peridic. Finally, we will
mention and inverse spectral conjecture for this type
of integrable systems and give some preliminary evidence
to support it. The talk is partly based on joint works
with JJ Duistermaat and S. Vu Ngoc.
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Wednesdays, February 10
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Graduate Organized Talks Seminar
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Time: 4:00-5:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Raphiel Murden
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Speaker: Andrew Womack
Department of Mathematics, Washington University in St. Louis
Title: The Posterior Predictive Information Criterion
Abstract: The Posterior Predictive Information Criterion
Abstract: I introduce as new information theoretic model selection
criterion which can be used in any inferential setting when
statistical claims are made. The method will be described in some
detail, especially its theoretical underpinnings and basic properties.
A simple example will be used to demonstrate the usefulness of the
method. In contrast to existing methods, this fully Bayesian
information theoretic approach allows one to use "vague" prior
information (think frequentist estimation of parameters) as well as
avoiding pitfalls like choice of parameter focus (to be explained).
The talk should be accessible to all graduate students.
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Thursday, February 11
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Richard Rochberg
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Speaker: Professor Ravindra Girivaru
Department of Mathematics, University of Missouri
Title: Lefschetz theorems and the geometry of hypersurfaces
Abstract: Let X and Y be algebraic manifolds (i.e. zero loci of
systems of homogeneous polynomials) in projective space. If X and Y
intersect ``nicely", then the codimension of the intersection Z in X
is equal to the codimension of Y in projective space. Conversely,
starting with a manifold X in projective space, one might ask if any
submanifold Z in X of codimension k, can always be obtained as an
intersection of X with a manifold Y of codimension k in the same
projective space. Questions such as these and their generalisations,
called Lefschetz type questions, are an attempt to capture the
geometry of an arbitrary algebraic manifold X by comparing it with the
ambient projective space, which is in some sense a better understood
manifold.
We shall start by discussing the classical case of codimension 1
subvarieties in smooth varieties where these questions are well
understood. Next we move onto the case of codimension 2 subvarieties
in hypersurfaces, where we show that though the geometric form of the
Lefschetz theorem does not hold, an algebraic form of this theorem
does.
This talk will be accessible to graduate students.
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Friday, February 12
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Algebraic Geometry Seminar
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Time: 3:30-5:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 218
Host: Prof. Mohan Kumar
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Speaker: Professor Adam Ginensky
WH Trading
Title: Determinantal Equations for Curves and their Secant Varieties
Abstract: We first prove the following: Let C be a smooth bicanonically embedded
curve, then Sec^j(C) has determinantal equations iff j < Cliff(C).
Examining the proof leads to a generalization of the Clifford index to
an arbitrary (very ample) line bundle L. This leads to a similar
theorem stating when C and it's secant varieties embedded in L
\otimes L have determinantal equations. If time permits the
generalizations to L_1 \otimes L_2 and a proof of the (scheme-theoretic)
Eisenbud-Koh-Stillman conjecture will be discussed.
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Friday, February 12
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Geometry and Topology Seminar
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Time: 4:00-5:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 207
Host: Prof. Xiang Tang
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Speaker: Professor Xiang Tang
Department of Mathematics, Washington University in St. Louis
Title: Bundles and Gerbes
Abstract: In this talk, I will explain what a $G$-gerbe is. I will discuss a
conjecture about duality between gerbes.
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Tuesday, February 16
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Richard Rochberg
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Speaker: Professor Frederic Rochon
Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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Wednesday, February 24
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Minor Oral
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Time: 1:00-2:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Renato Feres
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Speaker: Jamine Ng
Department of Mathematics, Washington University in St. Louis
Title: Separation Cutoffs for Birth and Death Chains
Abstract: Some ergodic Markov chains show a sharp transition in
convergence to stationarity. This occurrence has been termed "the
cutoff phenomenon," and we can ask the natural question, "when does
a cutoff phenomenon exist?" In the case of irreducible, continuous
time birth and death chains that start at 0, we will show that a
separation cutoff exists if and only if the product of the spectral
gap and mixing time tends to infinity.
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Thursday, February 25
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Roya Beheshti-Zavareh
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Speaker: Professor Payman Kassaei
Department of Mathematics, King's College
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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MARCH 2010
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Friday, March 19
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 3:30-4:00pm
Talk: 4:00-5:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Nan Lin
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Speaker: Professor Yazhen Wang
Department of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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Wednesday, March 24
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 3:00-3:30pm
Talk: 3:30-4:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Quo-Shin Chi
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Speaker: Professor Reiko Miyaoka
Department of Mathematics, Tohoku University
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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Thursday, March 25
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Hosts: Profs. Al Baernstein, Guido Weiss
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Speaker: Professor Rodrigo Bañuelos
Department of Mathematics, Purdue University
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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APRIL 2010
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Thursday, April 1
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Hosts: Prof. Nan Lin
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Speaker: Professor Peter Song
Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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Thursday, April 8
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Hosts: Prof. Quo-Shin Chi
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Speaker: Professor Yng-Ing Lee
Department of Mathematics, National Taiwan University
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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Wednesday, April 14
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Colloquium
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Time: 4:00-5:00pm
Location: TBA
Hosts: Profs. David Wright, Ken Kelton, Ram Cowsik
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Speaker: Professor Srinivasa Varadhan
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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Thursday, April 15
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Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Al Baernstein
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Speaker: Professor Terry Sheil-Small
Department of Mathematics, University of York, England
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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Wednesday, April 21
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Department Awards Ceremony
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Room 199
Host: Prof. Ronald Freiwald
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Awards to mathematics faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, ... , and more.
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Thursday, April 22
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Loeb Undergraduate Lecture in Mathematics
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: TBA
Host: Prof. Ronald Freiwald
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Speaker: Professor Martin Golubitsky
Department of Mathematics and Director of the Mathematical
Biosciences Institute, Ohio State University
Title: Symmetries and Animal Gaits
Abstract: Many gaits of four-legged animals can be described by
spatio- temporal symmetries. For example, when a horse paces it moves
both left legs in unison and then both right legs and so on. The
motion is
described by two symmetries: Interchange front and back legs, and
swap left and right legs with a half-period phase shift.
Biologists postulate the existence of a central pattern generator
(CPG) in the
neuronal system that sends periodic signals to the legs. CPGs can
be thought of as electrical circuits that produce periodic signals
and can be modeled by coupled systems of differential equations
with
symmetries based on leg permutation. In this lecture we discuss
animal gaits; describe how periodic solutions with prescribed spatio-
temporal symmetry can be formed in symmetric systems; construct a
CPG
architecture that naturally produces quadrupedal gait rhythms; and
make several testable predictions about gaits.
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Thursday, April 29
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Roever Colloquium
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Time: Tea: 4:00-4:30pm
Talk: 4:30-5:30pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Quo-Shin Chi
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Speaker: Professor Simon Brendle
Department of Mathematics, Stanford University
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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Friday, April 30
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Roever Seminar
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Time: 3:00-4:00pm
Location: Cupples I, Room 199
Host: Prof. Quo-Shin Chi
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Speaker: Professor Simon Brendle
Department of Mathematics, Stanford University
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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