Date: Friday, December 1st, 2023
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: TBD

Back by popular demand, the Estimathon is a team-based contest that combines trivia, game theory, and mathematical thinking. Teams have 30 minutes to work on a set of 13 estimation problems. The winning team is the one with the best set of estimates.  Teams can be formed beforehand or at the event.

Hosted jointly with the Rutgers Undergraduate Math Association (RUMA). Pizza will be provided as well as T-Shirts. 

Sonia Kovalevsky Day will be hosted along with RUMA in Spring 2025. It is an outreach event for high school students which aims to encourage students from underrepresented groups to continue in mathematics. For more information, please visit this website:
Sonia Kovalevsky Day (google.com) 

This is an event which will require a lot of volunteers, if you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to rutgersSKday@gmail.com. 

We will most often be meeting on Tuesday afternoons at 11:00 AM in Hill 701, the graduate student lounge. 

Schedule 

• • Tuesday, October 2nd at 11 AM: Our first social lunch of the semester

  • Tuesday, October 24th at 11 AM: Kathryn Beck, a Ph. D student at the University of Delaware will tell us about her work on graph signal processing and her journey in mathematics.

Title: Signal Processing on Cayley Graphs

Abstract: Graph signal processing is a quickly growing field of study at the intersection of mathematics, engineering, and data science. The major focus is to develop signal processing methods for data on a graph domain that take into account the underlying structure of the graph. Previous work in this field has drawn on techniques from harmonic analysis, spectral graph theory, and representation theory, amongst others. An important tool that I will discuss is the graph Fourier transform, which is a generalization of the classical Fourier transform to the graph setting. I will also give an introduction to signal processing on Cayley graphs, motivated by an application to ranked data analysis. In the remaining time, I will share my mathematical journey and experiences as a math graduate student with you.

• • Tuesday, November 14th at 11 AM: Karie Schmitz, a Ph. D student at Syracuse University will be  giving a talk over Zoom. 

Title: A Shallow Introduction to Deep Learning and Generative Adversarial Nets

Abstract: In this talk, we will introduce the concept of deep learning, a subcategory of machine learning that each of us encounters every day. We will discuss some of the basics of deep learning, including perceptrons and gradient descent. Then we will focus on the mechanics of a specific type of deep learning model called generative adversarial nets. This talk will assume no statistical background and be accessible to all.

• • Friday, November 17th at 11 AM Hill 005: Julia Hartmann from UPenn will be giving a talk, details to come. 

Title: Symmetries of Differential Equations

Abstract: In this talk I will give an introduction to the Galois theory of differential equations. This theory mimics the usual Galois theory for polynomial equations and relates properties such as solvability to a related group of symmetries. I will also tell you about the role differential Galois theory has played in my experiences during my time as a researcher, from a beginning graduate student to today. 

We will most often be meeting on Friday afternoons at 12:30 in Hill 701, the graduate student lounge. Deviations from this time slot and location are indicated in red.

Schedule 

• Friday, February 3rd at 12:30 PM: Social lunch.

• Monday, February 20th at 12:30 PM:  Lunch with Tara Abrishami (PhD student at Princeton University).

Title: Treewidth in context: A history and survey of why it's useful 

Abstract: Treewidth is a graph parameter that measures roughly how "simple" or "complicated" a graph is. Treewidth has important applications to algorithms: problems that are NP-hard to solve in general, such as maximum weight independent set, can be solved in polynomial time in graphs with bounded treewidth. In this talk, I define the concept of treewidth, explain how and why it's useful, situate treewidth in the history of graph theory and theoretical computer science, and give a high-level survey of current research on treewidth. This talk assumes no background and will be accessible to all. I plan to finish with enough time for some general Q&A about my experience being a graph theory PhD student. 

• Friday, March 3rd at 12:30 PM: Lunch with Lucy Martinez speaking about mentoring for equity. 

Title: Mentoring through the lens of a mentee 

Abstract: In this talk, I will address some of the qualities of a good mentor. I will first talk about my experiences with some of my previous mentors. While it is beneficial to talk about mentoring with other faculty members, it is also important to hear from mentees about their experiences. As a mentor, we have to take initiative, be compassionate and understand the mentee's needs. I will highlight more of these qualities to be a good mentor and the impact they can have in the mentee's life both academically and personally. Note: This talk is for any audience, we don't have to be a professor to be a mentor. Some of us are already mentors to our own peers.

• Friday, March 24th at 12:30 PM: Social lunch.

• Thursday, April 20th at 11:30 AM: Lunch with Hannah Schwartz's  talk in Hill 701 

Title: Topology in smooth 4-manifolds, in the circus, and in the courtroom

Abstract: Topology is everywhere! In this talk, I will briefly survey the many ways in which topology motivates and inspires both my research and teaching. In particular, I plan to briefly introduce some topics in the field of low-dimensional topology, and then give a peek into the topology present in the two courses I have co-created and taught this semester: a freshman seminar at Princeton exploring the mathematics of the circus, and a course on mathematics in the courtroom for Criminal Justice studies majors inside of Northern State Prison.

• The last social lunch of the semester has been cancelled because of Lisa Carbone's talk on the same day below.

• Friday, May 5th at 5:00 PM in Hill 705: We will have Lisa Carbone speaking about recent studies about female participation in STEM. Refreshements will be served at 4:30 PM in Hill 701 (graduate student lounge). 

Title: Female participation in STEM professions: Recent studies

Abstract: We discuss some recent studies concerning female participation in STEM professions, the existence of implicit gender bias and the possibilites for mediating negative effects.

Date: Friday, March 10th, 2023

Time: 3PM

Location: Graduate student lounge or online at this zoom address: 979 1636 7756. Email ap1792@math.rutgers.edu for the password.

The Rutgers chapter of AWM welcomes prospective graduate students to come and meet our current members over some tea and snacks. 

Location: Hill Center room 703 (faculty lounge)

Date: Thursday 1/26/2023 at 6:30 PM

Come join us for the first AWM event of the semester this semester! This is a great opportunity to meet your fellow members, chat about math (or not-math), and relax. We will have cocoa, tea, snacks, and plenty of coloring supplies. 

Date: Friday, November 18, 2022
Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: Hill Room 703

The Estimathon is a team-based contest that combines trivia, game theory, and mathematical thinking. Teams have 30 minutes to work on a set of 13 estimation problems, the winning team being the one with the best set of estimates.

Together with the Rutgers Undergraduate Math Association (RUMA), we will host an Estimathon in Fall 2022. Pizza will be provided as well as T-Shirts.

If you plan on coming, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/ErEGce2gGZxkeaHx8 

Date: Bi-weekly Thursday meetings  - starting  October 13
Time: 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Location: Hill 701 (or Zoom)

Each Fall we hold a bi-weekly book club where we read a math-related book. Books we have read in the past are: Weapons of Math Destruction (Cathy O’Neill), x+y: A Mathematician’s Manifesto for Rethinking Gender (Eugenia Cheng). This semester we will read Hidden Figures  by Margot Lee Shetterly.

Date: September 16, 2022
Time: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Location: Hill Center, Room 703

During this welcome meeting, we will introduce the new board members of AWM, and talk about the events planned for the semester/year. Food will be provided! 

Date: Tuesdays  - starting  September 13, 2022
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location: Hill Center, Room 703

This is a weekly social hour to get to know other students in AWM! Tea and coffee will be provided, bring your own mugs if possible (mugs are available but limited). 

Note: Not happening during the Spring 2023 semester