Math Club Events, Fall 2011
- Sunday August 21 at 6:00pm: Big Red Welcome Street Fair
- The Math Club and Pi Mu Epsilon will have a table (# 424) setup to welcome new students and let them know about opportunities for undergraduates in mathematics. Free candy!
- Thursday August 25 at 5:00pm, Avery 106: First meeting
- Interested in the Math Club? Come meet its members and faculty advisors---pizza and pop provided!
Dr. Susan Hermiller will give a talk:
Reflections on a planar landscape.
Abstract. We will make a foray into a beautiful interplay between geometry and computer science. For reflections a, b, and c about three lines the plane, a composition of these three functions (for example abaccbcbabcaba) may end up not moving any of the points in the plane. We'll talk about deciding when this happens, and what sort of computer - if any - can determine the answer.
- Thursday September 8 at 5:00pm, Avery 108: Panel on graduate school in mathematics
- Thinking about graduate school in mathematics? A panel of faculty and grad students will address questions about the application process, life as a grad student, and whether or not grad school in math is right for you. As always there'll be pizza and refreshments!
- Friday September 23 at 4:00 pm in Avery 115: Fifth Annual Pi Mu Epsilon Lecture
- will be given by Professor Paul Zorn of Saint Olaf College College. The lecture will be preceded by Pi Mu Epsilon induction ceremony.
- Thursday October 6 at 5:00pm in Avery 106: Student presentations on summer research activities
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Join us for some pizza, refreshments, and listen to Adam Azzam speak about his exciting research work at an REU site this summer:
Embroidering in Hilbert Space.
Abstract. If you ask a first-year calculus student how class is going, they might beg you to "make the derivatives stop!" Underlying this futile request lies a subtle question: how many functions can you "get" by taking the derivative of a given function? Start with a polynomial? The derivative eventually smashes it to zero. Start with sine or cosine? It eventually repeats. Start with an exponential? You can't expect much change. How chaotic can this predictable process of taking derivatives be? Wild. In this talk, I'll present some basic theorems and some new results demonstrating how chaotic these linear functions can be.
- Friday October 14: AMS Conference Poster Session
- All undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in the Poster session to be held 8:30-9:30pm, Friday, October 14, at the Downtown Holiday Inn. This event will be a part of the Central Section Meeting of the American Mathematical Society. We expect a large crowd so this is a great chance to publicize your work and get to know people! To present a poster submit the abstract the registration page by September 30.
- Thursday October 20 at 5:00pm in Avery 106: Math course preview
- Wondering which class to register for? Come hear about Spring 2012 math courses from their instructors. Pizza and soda on tap!
- November 3: Game night in Avery 348! Come any time between 5 and 10 pm.
- Passionate about table games? How about some Chess, Go, Settlers of Catan, Carcassone, Khet, Set? -- All of these and more will be available. Bring your friends, and if there's a particular board game you have and enjoy do feel free to take it along. Pizza and refreshments will be provided, and while you are pondering the next move or savoring a slice of pizza, there will be a short presentation about the Theory of Corresponding Squares in Chess Endgames (no prior chess knowledge required).
- Thursday November 10 at 5pm in 110 Avery: Panel on undergraduate research opportunities
- This week the Math Club will be holding a panel on undergraduate research opportunities and related mathematical programs. Our panelists will be faculty: Richard Rebarber, who has directed a number of REU sites at UNL, and the chief undergraduate adviser Gordon Woodward; as well as students: Adam Azzam, Amy Been, and Daniel Miller all of whom have participated in various research programs. We'll be discussing both summer research sites (REUs, NSA, SMP, etc.) and programs available during academic year (such as UCARE and Honor's Thesis). And, of course, there'll be PIZZA and refreshments available for consumption!
- Thursday November 17: UNL Math Day
- Saturday December 3: Putnam Exam
- Thursday December 8 at 5 pm in 347 Avery: Talk by Dorea Vierling-Claassen
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My path from Math 221 to Neuroscience
Abstract. Since graduating from the UNL math department as an undergrad in 2001, I have been forging a career at the interface of dynamical systems mathematics and cutting-edge experimental neuroscience.
I did my graduate work at Boston University, using differential equations to study brain rhythms in schizophrenia. Since then, I've been doing research in both experimental and computational neuroscience at MIT and Brown University.
In this talk and discussion I'll take you on a whirlwind tour of the biological topics I've researched, via the gateway of my mathematics education, and talk about the career steps that got me from differential equations class my sophomore year to my current work in electrophysiology and computational neuroscience. I'll be looking forward to your questions about mathematics, neuroscience, and how I've balanced family and career.
