Time & Location: All talks will be in Gibson Hall 126-A on Thursdays at 3:30 pm unless otherwise noted. In order to have time to talk informally with the speakers, we will schedule a time we call “Tea with the speaker” that everyone is welcome to join.
Organizers: Tommaso Buvoli and Samuel Punshon-Smith
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Thursday, September 10
Colloquium
Topic: Making accessible documents with Latex - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Speaker: Alessanda Constantini - Tulane University (Host: Tommaso Buvoli)
Abstract: Due to recent changes in federal regulation, all public-facing digital content, like what we post on our websites and the digital course materials we provide to our students, must be fully accessible to screen readers. This presents a particular challenge for us as mathematicians, since the traditional pdf output produced with Latex is generally not accessible.
In this talk, I will share what I learned on this matter in the past couple of months. The Good news is that the Latex community has found easy ways to help us. The Bad news is that some things are not quite doable yet. The Ugly news is that, unfortunately, some of our favorite Latex features might soon become a memory of the past.
Location: Norman Mayer 200B
Time: 3:30 pm
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Thursday, September 17
Colloquium
Topic: Distribution of special points in the upper half plane
Speaker: Hui Xue - Clemson University (Host: Olivia Beckwith)
Abstract: The distribution of special points in interesting geometric objects has been an active research topic. The Gauss circle problem and Linnik's problems are two well-known examples in this area. In this talk, we will discuss two particular results of this type and their variations. The first result, due to Duke, is about the distribution of CM points and geodesics in the upper half plane. The second one, due to Rudnick, is on the distribution of zeros of modular forms in the upper half plane.
Location: Norman Mayer 200B
Time: 3:30 pm
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Thursday, October 8
Colloquium
Topic: When Is a Framework Rigid? From Graphs to Linear Algebra
Speaker: Alexander Michael Heaton - Lawrence University (Host: Daniel Bernstein)
Abstract: Imagine building a structure from rigid bars joined freely at their endpoints. When does the resulting framework hold its shape, and when can it flex? This simple question leads to the theory of generic rigidity, where one asks whether the answer can be determined from the underlying graph alone, independently of the particular geometry of a typical realization.
In the plane, there is a beautiful combinatorial characterization of generic rigidity, but in three and higher dimensions the problem becomes more subtle. I will describe a new characterization that works in arbitrary dimension. The resulting conditions are entirely combinatorial, although their origins lie in geometry and linear algebra. I will illustrate the main ideas through examples and explain how elementary tools such as Cramer's rule lead, perhaps surprisingly, to the algebraic structures that appear in the general result. No background in rigidity theory will be assumed.
Location: Norman Mayer 200B
Time: 3:30 pm
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Thursday, October 15
Colloquium
Topic: From neural activity to algebra and geometry
Speaker: Alexandra Secelanu - University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Host: Alessandra Costantini)
Abstract: Place cells in the brain become active when an animal occupies particular regions of its environment. Their patterns of simultaneous activity form a neural code, capturing how these regions overlap. Neural ideals, introduced by Curto, Itskov, Veliz-Cuba, and Youngs, translate these patterns into algebra. In this talk, I will explain how algebraic invariants detect geometric features of neural codes. We will focus on inductively pierced codes, which can be realized by adding regions one at a time with controlled overlaps, and see how Betti numbers recover the number and types of piercings involved. The talk will highlight connections with monomial ideals and chordal graphs and assume no background in neuroscience.
This is joint work with Hugh Geller, Rebecca R.G., and Nora Youngs.
Location: Norman Mayer 200B
Time: 3:30 pm
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Thursday, October 22
Colloquium
Topic: Self-Organization, Flows, and Transport in (and of) Living Cells
Speaker: Mike J. Shelly - NYU / Flatiron Institute (Host: Lisa Fauci)
Abstract: Organisms organize their internal contents at the microscale through striking dynamical processes. In the early C. elegans embryo, pronuclei are positioned by the interplay of centrosomal arrays and molecular motors as the cell prepares for its first division. In female Drosophila, self-organized intracellular flows transport materials across growing egg cells, establishing functional asymmetries essential for development. And in males, ultralong sperm - as long as the organism itself - are packed and stored in a remarkable state of ordered unrest. I will describe our work at Flatiron in understanding these phenomena by tightly interfacing multiscale modeling and simulation with quantitative experiment. The theoretical frameworks draw on fluid and nonlinear dynamics, coarse-graining, and active matter, and show how applied mathematics can illuminate the biophysical mechanisms that enable living systems to build, move, and organize themselves.
Biography: Dr. Michael J. Shelley is an applied mathematician who works on the modeling and simulation of complex systems arising in physics and biology. He is the Lyttle Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Courant Institute, co-founder of the Courant Institute's Applied Mathematics Lab, and is the Director of the Center for Computational Biology at the Flatiron Institute. He holds a B.A. in mathematics from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Arizona. He was a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University and a member of the mathematics faculty at the University of Chicago before joining NYU. Shelley has received the François Frenkiel Award from the American Physical Society and the Julian Cole Lectureship from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and he is a Fellow of both societies. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Location: Norman Mayer 200B
Time: 3:30 pm
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Thursday, October 29
Colloquium
Topic: TBA
Speaker: Josh Pollitz - Syracuse University (Host: Shahriyar Roshan-Zamir)
Abstract: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: 3:30 pm
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Thursday, November 05
Colloquium
Topic: Can Puzzles Change How Students See Mathematics? Designing a General Education Course Around Mathematical Sudoku
Speaker: Eliza Gallagher - Clemson University (Host): Micheal Joyce
Abstract: Many undergraduate students in non-STEM majors encounter mathematics primarily through procedural or remedial coursework that can reinforce negative beliefs about the subject. In this seminar we will examine the design of a puzzle-based general education mathematics course centered on mathematical sudoku, a genre that combines traditional sudoku with additional logical and mathematical constraints. Across three course units, students solve puzzles, document their reasoning, design and revise original puzzles, exchange feedback, and reflect on their mathematical experiences. We will consider how this structure is intended to support mathematical reasoning, creativity, productive struggle, and more positive relationships with mathematics. We will also discuss emerging results from a mixed-methods pilot study of two sections of the course taught in Fall 2025 at Clemson University. Paired pre-/post-survey responses yielded statistically significant increases in students’ beliefs that mathematics involves creativity and critical thinking, their confidence in their mathematical abilities, and their motivation to engage with mathematics. We will use these quantitative findings, together with qualitative results from reflective writings, to discuss the possibilities and limitations of puzzle-based general education mathematics, the measurement of attitudinal change, and implications for STEM education more broadly.
Location: Tilton Hall 305
Time: 3:30 pm
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