Mailing List/Speaker Sign-up: https://forms.gle/FkCRxLdCrw5on8gp8
When: Thursday 12:30 - 1:30
Where: Vincent 570
Organizers: Tel (fahre062 AT umn.edu), Jacob (tanne277 AT umn.edu), Nathan (elang011 AT umn.edu), Thomas (coyle186 AT umn.edu), Carlos (rosil031 AT umn.edu), Daniel (kumm0035 AT umn.edu)
The Undergraduate Math Research Seminar (UMRS) is a seminar aimed to create a welcoming undergraduate research community at UMN. We will have opportunities for students to give low stakes talks on the research and reading they’ve done as well as hold sessions devoted to learning what research is like, the different areas of math research and how to create research presentations. If you’d like to be updated on the seminar, see the mailing list above. See here for the 2025-2026 schedule.
Sep 17: Introduction
Come and learn what UMRS is about! After a short presentation on the club, we will have a social hour where you can get to know peers interested in research mathematics and the club officers.
Sep 24: Social Hour
Come hang out, meet other math students, and chat about classes, research, or whatever you're working on currently.
Oct 1: Nathan Elango "Quantum Error Correction in Quantum Information Science for Two Dimensional S3 Topological Order"
Abstract:
Quantum computation is able to complete many tasks with better time complexity than the best known classical algorithms, notably prime factorization. Hence, quantum computers may be better suited than classical computers for certain large tasks. However, just like classical computers, quantum computers are prone to errors in their hardware which affect their accuracy. An active area of research in quantum computation is how to minimize the frequency of these errors, how to find them, and how to correct them via quantum error correction (QEC). The S3 quantum double model grants ways to physically encode and manipulate logical states using quantum systems (qudits). One may encode information through excitations at particular points on a lattice of qudits, based on the topological order derived from the algebraic group S3. The model is error resistant; it's designed so that some, but not all, errors on qudits won't affect the encoded logical states. These errors often cause unwanted excitations on the lattice. To correct errors that may affect logical computation, we must find them and implement QEC. In practice, this involves finding and moving erroneous excitations towards each other along particular classes of paths, annihilating them like particles and antiparticles. We investigate error location and QEC procedures in the S3 quantum double model.
Oct 8: UROP Panel
Curious about research, but not sure where to start? Join us for a panel of UMN undergraduates who have completed a UROP in mathematics!
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) provides UMN undergrads the opportunity to work on a research project with a faculty member. It's a great way to get involved in research, and no prior research experience is required to apply!
We will begin with questions students commonly have, such as how to approach professors, the application process, what the time commitment is, and how funding works. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions, so make sure to bring your own!
Oct 15: Daniel Kumm "Enumeration of Lozenge Tilings of a Hexagon with Holes"
Abstract:
Tiling research studies how to cover planes or other spaces with geometric shapes without any gaps or overlaps. In this talk, we will discuss how combinatorics connects to linear algebra to provide solutions to tiling enumeration problems without having to enumerate every possible arrangement. We begin by discussing examples such as domino tilings and Kasteleyn's Theorem, which uses weighted adjacency matrices and determinants to count tilings. We then explore tilings for hexagonal regions, introducing their connection to partitions with MacMahon's Formula and the Lindstrom-Gessel-Viennot lemma to count lattice paths for their enumeration. Lastly, we discuss Ciucu's factorization theorem and how symmetry can simplify a complicated tiling problem before sharing some results on a specific hexagonal region with holes.