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The AMS Student Chapter Seminar (aka Donut Seminar) is an informal, graduate student seminar on a wide range of mathematical topics. Pastries (usually donuts) will be provided.
The AMS Student Chapter Seminar (aka Donut Seminar) is an informal, graduate student seminar on a wide range of mathematical topics. The goal of the seminar is to promote community building and give graduate students an opportunity to communicate fun, accessible math to their peers in a stress-free (but not sugar-free) environment. Pastries (usually donuts) will be provided.


* '''When:''' Wednesdays, 3:20 PM – 3:50 PM
* '''When:''' Wednesdays, 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
* '''Where:''' Van Vleck, 9th floor lounge (unless otherwise announced)
* '''Where:''' Van Vleck, 9th floor lounge (unless otherwise announced)
* '''Organizers:''' [https://www.math.wisc.edu/~malexis/ Michel Alexis], [https://www.math.wisc.edu/~drwagner/ David Wagner], [http://www.math.wisc.edu/~nicodemus/ Patrick Nicodemus], [http://www.math.wisc.edu/~thaison/ Son Tu], Carrie Chen
* '''Organizers:''' [https://people.math.wisc.edu/~ywu495/ Yandi Wu], Maya Banks


Everyone is welcome to give a talk. To sign up, please contact one of the organizers with a title and abstract. Talks are 25 minutes long and should avoid assuming significant mathematical background beyond first-year graduate courses.
Everyone is welcome to give a talk. To sign up, please contact one of the organizers with a title and abstract. Talks are 25 minutes long and should avoid assuming significant mathematical background beyond first-year graduate courses.
Line 9: Line 9:
The schedule of talks from past semesters can be found [[AMS Student Chapter Seminar, previous semesters|here]].
The schedule of talks from past semesters can be found [[AMS Student Chapter Seminar, previous semesters|here]].


== Spring 2020 ==
== Fall 2021 ==


=== February 5, Alex Mine===
=== September 29, John Cobb ===


Title: Khinchin's Constant
Title: Rooms on a Sphere


Abstract: I'll talk about a really weird fact about continued fractions.
Abstract: A classic combinatorial lemma becomes very simple to state and prove when on the surface of a sphere, leading to easy constructive proofs of some other well known theorems.


=== February 12, Xiao Shen===
=== October 6, Karan Srivastava ===


Title: Coalescence estimates for the corner growth model with exponential weights
Title: An 'almost impossible' puzzle and group theory


Abstract: (Joint with Timo Seppalainen) I will talk about estimates for the coalescence time of semi-infinite directed geodesics in the planar corner growth model. Not much probability background is needed.
Abstract: You're given a chessboard with a randomly oriented coin on every square and a key hidden under one of them; player one knows where the key is and flips a single coin; player 2, using only the information of the new coin arrangement must determine where the key is. Is there a winning strategy? In this talk, we will explore this classic puzzle in a more generalized context, with n squares and d sided dice on every square. We'll see when the game is solvable and in doing so, see how the answer relies on group theory and the existence of certain groups.


=== February 19, Hyun Jong Kim===
=== October 13, John Yin ===


Title: TBD
Title: TBA


Abstract: TBD
Abstract: TBA


=== February 26, Solly Parenti===
=== October 20, Varun Gudibanda ===


Title: TBD
Title: TBA


Abstract: TBD
Abstract: TBA


=== March 4, ===
=== October 27, Andrew Krenz ===


Title: TBD
Title: The 3-sphere via the Hopf fibration


Abstract: TBD
Abstract: The Hopf fibration is a map from $S^3$ to $S^2$.  The preimage (or fiber) of every point under this map is a copy of $S^1$.  In this talk I will explain exactly how these circles “fit together” inside the 3-sphere.  Along the way we’ll discover some other interesting facts in some hands-on demonstrations using paper and scissors.  If there is time I hope to also relate our new understanding of $S^3$ to some other familiar models.


=== March 11, Ivan Aidun===


Title: TBD
=== November 3, Asvin G  ===


Abstract: TBD
Title: Probabilistic methods in math


=== March 24 - Visit Day===
Abstract: I'll explain how you can provr that something has to be true because it's probably true in a couple of examples. One of the proofs is by Erdos on the "sum set problem" and it is a proof that "only an alien could have come up with" according to a friend.


==== Brandon Boggess, Time TBD====
=== November 10, Ivan Aidun ===
[[File:Screen Shot 2021-11-15 at 3.25.38 PM.png|thumb]]
Title: Intersection Permutations


Title: TBD
Abstract: During a boring meeting, your buddy slips you a Paris metro ticket with this cryptic diagram (see left).


Abstract: TBD
What could it mean?  The only way to find out is to come to this Donut Talk!


==== Yandi Wu, Time TBD====
=== December 1, Yuxi Han  ===


Title: TBD
Title: Homocidal Chaffeur Problem


Abstract: TBD
Abstract: I will briefly introduce the canonical example of differential games, called the homicidal chauffeur problem and how to use PDE to run down pedestrians optimally.


==== TBD, Time TBD====
=== December 8, Owen Goff  ===


Title: TBD
Title: The Mathematics of Cribbage


Abstract: TBD
Abstract: Cribbage is a card game that I have played many times over the years, that involves, among other things, finding subsets of set of numbers that equal a specific value (in the game that value is 15). In this donut talk I will attempt to use the power of combinatorics to find the optimal strategy for this game, particularly to solve one problem -- is there a way you can guarantee yourself at least one extra point by adding an additional card to your set?


==== TBD, Time TBD====
== Spring 2022 ==


Title: TBD
=== February 9, Alex Mine ===


Abstract: TBD
== Spring 2023 ==


==== TBD, Time TBD====
=== January 25, Michael Jeserum ===
Title: Totally Realistic Supply Chains


Title: TBD
Abstract: Inspired by a group of fifth and sixth graders, we'll embark on a journey to discover how supply chains definitely work in real life. Along the way, we'll eat donuts, learn about graphs and the magical world of chip-firing, and maybe even make new friends!


Abstract: TBD
=== February 1, Summer al Hamdani ===
Title: Monkeying Around: On the Infinite Monkey Theorem


==== TBD, Time TBD====
Abstract: Will monkeys keyboard bashing eventually type all of Hamlet? Yes, almost surely. We will discuss the history and proof of the infinite monkey theorem.


Title: TBD
=== February 8, Dionel Jaime ===
Title: The weird world of polynomial curve fitting.


Abstract: TBD
Abstract: You have some continuous function, and you decide you want to find a polynomial curve that looks a lot like your function. That is a very smart and easy thing to do. Nothing will go wrong.


==== TBD, Time TBD====
=== February 15, Sun Woo Park ===
Speaker: Sun Woo Park


Title: TBD
Title: What I did in my military service (Universal covers and graph neural networks)


Abstract: TBD
Abstract: I'll try to motivate the relations between universal covers of graphs and graph isomorphism classification tasks implemented from graph neural networks. This is a summary of what I did during my 3 years of leave of absence due to compulsory military service in South Korea. Don't worry, everything I'll present here is already made public and not confidential, so you don't need to worry about the South Korean government officials suddenly appearing during the seminar and accusing me of misconduct!


==== TBD, Time TBD====
=== February 22: NO SEMINAR ===


Title: TBD
=== February 28, Owen Goff ===
Title: The RSK Correspondence


Abstract: TBD
Abstract: In this talk I will show a brilliant 1-to-1 mapping between permutations on n elements and pairs of Standard Young Tableau of size n. This bijection, known as the Robinson-Schensted-Knuth correspondence, has many beautiful properties. It also tells you the best way for people to escape a series of rooms.


==== TBD, Time TBD====
=== March 8, Pubo Huang  ===
Title: 2-dimensional Dynamical Billiards


Title: TBD
Abstract: We have all played, or watched, a game of pool, and you probably noticed that when a ball hits the cushion on the table, its angle of rebound is equal to its angle of incidence.


Abstract: TBD
Dynamical Billiards is an idealization and generalization of the popular game called pool (or billiards, or snooker), and it aims to understand the trajectory (as time goes to infinity) of a ball on a frictionless table that rebounds perfectly. During the talk, I will provide a lot of examples of dynamical billiards on an actual table and compare it with its mathematical counterpart. We will also see how we can relate billiards on a rectangular table to the classical example of circle rotation in dynamics.


=== April 1, TBD===
=== March 16: NO SEMINAR (SPRING BREAK) ===
 
Title: TBD
 
Abstract: TBD
 
=== April 8, TBD===
 
Title: TBD
 
Abstract: TBD
 
=== April 15, TBD===
 
Title: TBD
 
Abstract: TBD
 
=== April 22, TBD===
 
Title: TBD
 
Abstract: TBD
 
== Fall 2019 ==
 
=== October 9, Brandon Boggess===
 
Title: An Application of Elliptic Curves to the Theory of Internet Memes
 
Abstract: Solve polynomial equations with this one weird trick! Math teachers hate him!!!
 
[[File:Thumbnail fruit meme.png]]
 
=== October 16, Jiaxin Jin===
 
Title: Persistence and global stability for biochemical reaction-diffusion systems
 
Abstract: The investigation of the dynamics of solutions of nonlinear reaction-diffusion PDE systems generated by biochemical networks is a great challenge; in general, even the existence of classical solutions is difficult to establish. On the other hand, these kinds of problems appear very often in biological applications, e.g., when trying to understand the role of spatial inhomogeneities in living cells. We discuss the persistence and global stability properties of special classes of such systems, under additional assumptions such as: low number of species, complex balance or weak reversibility.
 
=== October 23, Erika Pirnes===
 
(special edition: carrot seminar)
 
Title: Why do ice hockey players fall in love with mathematicians? (Behavior of certain number string sequences)
 
Abstract: Starting with some string of digits 0-9, add the adjacent numbers pairwise to obtain a new string. Whenever the sum is 10 or greater, separate its digits. For example, 26621 would become 81283 and then 931011. Repeating this process with different inputs gives varying behavior. In some cases the process terminates (becomes a single digit), or ends up in a loop, like 999, 1818, 999... The length of the strings can also start growing very fast. I'll discuss some data and conjectures about classifying the behavior.
 
=== October 30, Yunbai Cao===
 
Title: Kinetic theory in bounded domains
 
Abstract: In 1900, David Hilbert outlined 23 important problems in the International Congress of Mathematics. One of them is the Hilbert's sixth problem which asks the mathematical linkage between the mechanics from microscopic view and the macroscopic view. A relative new mesoscopic point of view at that time which is "kinetic theory" was highlighted by Hilbert as the bridge to link the two. In this talk, I will talk about the history and basic elements of kinetic theory and Boltzmann equation, and the role boundary plays for such a system, as well as briefly mention some recent progress.
 
=== November 6, Tung Nguyen===
 
Title: Introduction to Chemical Reaction Network
 
Abstract: Reaction network models are often used to investigate the dynamics of different species from various branches of chemistry, biology and ecology. The study of reaction network has grown significantly and involves a wide range of mathematics and applications. In this talk, I aim to show a big picture of what is happening in reaction network theory. I will first introduce the basic dynamical models for reaction network: the deterministic and stochastic models. Then, I will mention some big questions of interest, and the mathematical tools that are used by people in the field. Finally, I will make connection between reaction network and other branches of mathematics such as PDE, control theory, and random graph theory.
 
=== November 13, Jane Davis===
 
Title: Brownian Minions
 
Abstract: Having lots of small minions help you perform a task is often very effective. For example, if you need to grade a large stack of calculus problems, it is effective to have several TAs grade parts of the pile for you. We'll talk about how we can use random motions as minions to help us perform mathematical tasks. Typically, this mathematical task would be optimization, but we'll reframe a little bit and focus on art and beauty instead. We'll also try to talk about the so-called "storytelling metric," which is relevant here. There will be pictures and animations! 🎉
 
Sneak preview: some modern art generated with MATLAB.
 
[[File:Picpic.jpg]]
 
=== November 20, Colin Crowley===
 
Title: Matroid Bingo
 
Abstract: Matroids are combinatorial objects that generalize graphs and matrices. The famous combinatorialist Gian Carlo Rota once said that "anyone who has worked with matroids has come away with the conviction that matroids are one of the richest and most useful ideas of our day." Although his day was in the 60s and 70s, matroids remain an active area of current research with connections to areas such as algebraic geometry, tropical geometry, and parts of computer science. Since this is a doughnut talk, I will introduce matroids in a cute way that involves playing bingo, and then I'll show you some cool examples.
 
=== December 4, Xiaocheng Li===
 
Title: The method of stationary phase and Duistermaat-Heckman formula
 
Abstract: The oscillatory integral $\int_X e^{itf(x)}\mu=:I(t), t\in \mathbb{R}$ is a fundamental object in analysis. In general, $I(t)$ seldom has an explicit expression as Fourier transform is usually inexplicit. In practice, we are interested in the asymptotic behavior of $I(t)$, that is, for $|t|$ very large. A classical tool of getting an approximation is the method of stationary phase which gives the leading term of $I(t)$. Furthermore, there are rare instances for which the approximation coincides with the exact value of $I(t)$. One example is the Duistermaat-Heckman formula in which the Hamiltonian action and the momentum map are addressed. In the talk, I will start with basic facts in Fourier analysis, then discuss the method of stationary phase and the Duistermaat-Heckman formula.
 
=== December 11, Chaojie Yuan===
 
Title: Coupling and its application in stochastic chemical reaction network
 
Abstract: Stochastic models for chemical reaction networks have become increasingly popular in the past few decades. When the molecules are present in low numbers, the chemical system always displays randomness in their dynamics, and the randomness cannot be ignored as it can have a significant effect on the overall properties of the dynamics. In this talk, I will introduce the stochastic models utilized in the context of biological interaction network. Then I will discuss coupling in this context, and illustrate through examples how coupling methods can be utilized for numerical simulations. Specifically, I will introduce two biological models, which attempts to address the behavior of interesting real-world phenomenon.

Revision as of 19:30, 6 March 2023

The AMS Student Chapter Seminar (aka Donut Seminar) is an informal, graduate student seminar on a wide range of mathematical topics. The goal of the seminar is to promote community building and give graduate students an opportunity to communicate fun, accessible math to their peers in a stress-free (but not sugar-free) environment. Pastries (usually donuts) will be provided.

  • When: Wednesdays, 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
  • Where: Van Vleck, 9th floor lounge (unless otherwise announced)
  • Organizers: Yandi Wu, Maya Banks

Everyone is welcome to give a talk. To sign up, please contact one of the organizers with a title and abstract. Talks are 25 minutes long and should avoid assuming significant mathematical background beyond first-year graduate courses.

The schedule of talks from past semesters can be found here.

Fall 2021

September 29, John Cobb

Title: Rooms on a Sphere

Abstract: A classic combinatorial lemma becomes very simple to state and prove when on the surface of a sphere, leading to easy constructive proofs of some other well known theorems.

October 6, Karan Srivastava

Title: An 'almost impossible' puzzle and group theory

Abstract: You're given a chessboard with a randomly oriented coin on every square and a key hidden under one of them; player one knows where the key is and flips a single coin; player 2, using only the information of the new coin arrangement must determine where the key is. Is there a winning strategy? In this talk, we will explore this classic puzzle in a more generalized context, with n squares and d sided dice on every square. We'll see when the game is solvable and in doing so, see how the answer relies on group theory and the existence of certain groups.

October 13, John Yin

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

October 20, Varun Gudibanda

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

October 27, Andrew Krenz

Title: The 3-sphere via the Hopf fibration

Abstract: The Hopf fibration is a map from $S^3$ to $S^2$. The preimage (or fiber) of every point under this map is a copy of $S^1$. In this talk I will explain exactly how these circles “fit together” inside the 3-sphere. Along the way we’ll discover some other interesting facts in some hands-on demonstrations using paper and scissors. If there is time I hope to also relate our new understanding of $S^3$ to some other familiar models.


November 3, Asvin G

Title: Probabilistic methods in math

Abstract: I'll explain how you can provr that something has to be true because it's probably true in a couple of examples. One of the proofs is by Erdos on the "sum set problem" and it is a proof that "only an alien could have come up with" according to a friend.

November 10, Ivan Aidun

Screen Shot 2021-11-15 at 3.25.38 PM.png

Title: Intersection Permutations

Abstract: During a boring meeting, your buddy slips you a Paris metro ticket with this cryptic diagram (see left).

What could it mean?  The only way to find out is to come to this Donut Talk!

December 1, Yuxi Han

Title: Homocidal Chaffeur Problem

Abstract: I will briefly introduce the canonical example of differential games, called the homicidal chauffeur problem and how to use PDE to run down pedestrians optimally.

December 8, Owen Goff

Title: The Mathematics of Cribbage

Abstract: Cribbage is a card game that I have played many times over the years, that involves, among other things, finding subsets of set of numbers that equal a specific value (in the game that value is 15). In this donut talk I will attempt to use the power of combinatorics to find the optimal strategy for this game, particularly to solve one problem -- is there a way you can guarantee yourself at least one extra point by adding an additional card to your set?

Spring 2022

February 9, Alex Mine

Spring 2023

January 25, Michael Jeserum

Title: Totally Realistic Supply Chains

Abstract: Inspired by a group of fifth and sixth graders, we'll embark on a journey to discover how supply chains definitely work in real life. Along the way, we'll eat donuts, learn about graphs and the magical world of chip-firing, and maybe even make new friends!

February 1, Summer al Hamdani

Title: Monkeying Around: On the Infinite Monkey Theorem

Abstract: Will monkeys keyboard bashing eventually type all of Hamlet? Yes, almost surely. We will discuss the history and proof of the infinite monkey theorem.

February 8, Dionel Jaime

Title: The weird world of polynomial curve fitting.

Abstract: You have some continuous function, and you decide you want to find a polynomial curve that looks a lot like your function. That is a very smart and easy thing to do. Nothing will go wrong.

February 15, Sun Woo Park

Speaker: Sun Woo Park

Title: What I did in my military service (Universal covers and graph neural networks)

Abstract: I'll try to motivate the relations between universal covers of graphs and graph isomorphism classification tasks implemented from graph neural networks. This is a summary of what I did during my 3 years of leave of absence due to compulsory military service in South Korea. Don't worry, everything I'll present here is already made public and not confidential, so you don't need to worry about the South Korean government officials suddenly appearing during the seminar and accusing me of misconduct!

February 22: NO SEMINAR

February 28, Owen Goff

Title: The RSK Correspondence

Abstract: In this talk I will show a brilliant 1-to-1 mapping between permutations on n elements and pairs of Standard Young Tableau of size n. This bijection, known as the Robinson-Schensted-Knuth correspondence, has many beautiful properties. It also tells you the best way for people to escape a series of rooms.

March 8, Pubo Huang

Title: 2-dimensional Dynamical Billiards

Abstract: We have all played, or watched, a game of pool, and you probably noticed that when a ball hits the cushion on the table, its angle of rebound is equal to its angle of incidence.

Dynamical Billiards is an idealization and generalization of the popular game called pool (or billiards, or snooker), and it aims to understand the trajectory (as time goes to infinity) of a ball on a frictionless table that rebounds perfectly. During the talk, I will provide a lot of examples of dynamical billiards on an actual table and compare it with its mathematical counterpart. We will also see how we can relate billiards on a rectangular table to the classical example of circle rotation in dynamics.

March 16: NO SEMINAR (SPRING BREAK)