Bard Conservatory Alumna Avery Morris ’18 Awarded Fulbright for Research in the Czech Republic
Bard Conservatory alumna Avery Morris ’18, who graduated with a BA in Mathematics and a BM in Violin Performance, has been selected for a prestigious Fulbright Study Research Award for 2023–24. Her project, “Gideon Klein’s Lost Works and the Legacy of Czech Musical Modernism,” aims to bring to light the early works of Czech composer and Holocaust victim Gideon Klein (1919–1945), which were lost until they were discovered in a suitcase in the attic of a house in Prague in the 1990s.
Bard Conservatory Alumna Avery Morris ’18 Awarded Fulbright for Research in the Czech Republic
Bard Conservatory alumna Avery Morris ’18, who graduated with a BA in Mathematics and a BM in Violin Performance, has been selected for a prestigious Fulbright Study Research Award for 2023–24. Her project, “Gideon Klein’s Lost Works and the Legacy of Czech Musical Modernism,” aims to bring to light the early works of Czech composer and Holocaust victim Gideon Klein (1919–1945), which were lost until they were discovered in a suitcase in the attic of a house in Prague in the 1990s. She will live in Prague for the upcoming academic year and continue her research on Klein, which has been a focus of her studies at Stony Brook University, where she is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance.
Seven Bard College graduates—Juliana Maitenaz ’22, Evan Tims ’19, Elias Ephron ’23, Eleanor Tappen ’23, Macy Jenks ’23, Avery Morris ’18, and Many Correa '21—have won 2023–24 Fulbright Awards for individually designed research projects, graduate study, and English teaching assistantships. During their grants, Fulbrighters meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The Fulbright program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Bard College is a Fulbright top producing institution.
Seven Bard College Graduates Win 2023 Fulbright Awards
Seven Bard College graduates have won 2023–24Fulbright Awards for individually designed research projects, graduate study, and English teaching assistantships. During their grants, Fulbrighters meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The Fulbright program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Bard College is a Fulbright top producing institution.
Juliana Maitenaz ’22, who graduated with a BA in Global and International Studies and a BM in Classical Percussion Performance, has been selected for an independent study–research Fulbright scholarship to Brazil for the 2023–24 academic year. Her project, “Rhythm and Statecraft,” seeks to identify Brazilian percussion and rhythms as a method of cultural communication. Maitenaz aims to conduct her research in São Paulo and will focus on how percussional elements in the Brazilian traditions of Carnival and Samba School performances are instrumental to the country’s statecraft and national identity. The goal of her research is to examine international communication and collaboration through cultural and musical diplomacy. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to learn more about the role Brazilian percussion plays as an inspiring means of cultural communication,” Maitenaz said.
Evan Tims ’19, who was a joint major in Written Arts and Human Rights with a focus on anthropology at Bard, has been selected for a Fulbright-Nehru independent study–research scholarship to India for the 2023–24 academic year. His project, “From the River to Tomorrow: Perceptions of Kolkata’s Water Future,” studies the perceptions of Kolkata’s water future among urban planners, infrastructure experts, and communities—such as those who work in river transport, fishing, and who live in housing along the banks—most vulnerable to water changes along the Hooghly River. He will analyze the dominant narratives of the city and river’s future and reference scientific and planning literature in understanding the points of confluence and divergence between scientific and colloquial understandings of the river, particularly as different stakeholder communities approach an uncertain water future. “In light of urban development and climate change, Kolkata’s water is facing significant change over the coming decades,” said Tims. “It is crucial to understand the complex, layered relationships between stakeholder communities as they seek to negotiate an increasingly uncertain water future.” While in India, Tims also plans to teach a climate fiction writing workshop. In 2021-2022, he was Bard’s first recipient of the yearlong Henry J. Luce Scholarship, which enabled him to conduct ethnographic research on Himalayan water futures and lead a climate writing workshop in Nepal and, later, in Bangladesh. Earlier this academic year, Tims won the prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship to China. As an undergraduate at Bard, Tims also won two Critical Language Scholarships to study Bangla in Kolkata during the summers of 2018 and 2019.
Elias Ephron ’23, a joint major in Political Studies and Spanish Studies, has been selected as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) to Spain for the 2023–24 academic year. While in Spain, Ephron hopes to engage with his host community through food, sharing recipes, hosting dinner parties, and cooking together; take part in Spain’s unique and visually stunning cultural events, like flamenco performances, and Semana Santa processions; visit the hometown of the great poet and playwright Federico García Lorca; and, as a queer individual, meet other queer people. “Having learned Spanish, French, and German to fluency or near-fluency, I understand that language learning requires many approaches. Some are more commonly thought of as ‘fun’ or ‘nascent’ modes of learning, while others more clearly resemble work. I hope to marry this divide, showing students that language learning is both labor and recreation; they may have to work hard, but it can be a great deal of fun, too,” said Ephron. In addition to his work as a writing tutor in the Bard Learning Commons, Ephron has received multiple awards, including the PEN America Fellowship and the Bard Center for the Study of Hate Internship Scholarship.
Eleanor Tappen ’23, a Spanish Studies major, has been selected as a Fulbright ETA to Mexico for the 2023–24 academic year. Tappen has studied abroad in Granada, Spain, received her TESOL certification (which involved 40 hours of training), volunteered in a local elementary school in the fall of 2022, and works as an ESL tutor at the Learning Commons. For Tappen, a Fulbright teaching assistantship in Mexico is an intersection of her academic interest in Mexican literature and her passion for accessible and equitable language learning. During her Fulbright year, Tappen intends to volunteer at a local community garden, a setting she found ideal for cross-cultural exchange and friendship during her time at the Bard Farm. She also hopes to learn about pre-Colombian farming practices, whose revival is currently being led by indigenous movements in Mexico seeking to confront issues presented by unsustainable industrial agricultural practices. “I’m thrilled by the opportunity to live in the country whose literature and culture have served as such positive and significant points in both my academic and personal life. During my time as an ETA in Mexico, I hope to inspire in my students the same love of language-learning I found at Bard.”
Biology major Macy Jenks ’23 has been selected as an ETA to Taiwan for the 2023–24 academic year. Jenks is an advanced Mandarin language speaker having attended a Chinese immersion elementary school and continuing her Mandarin language studies through high school and college, including three weeks spent in China living with host family in 2015. She has tutored students in English at Bard’s Annandale campus, as well as through the Bard Prison Initiative at both Woodbourne Correctional Facility and Eastern New York Correctional Facility. She also has worked with the Bard Center for Civic Engagement to develop curricula and provide STEM programming to local middle and high school students. “As a Fulbright ETA, I hope to equip students with the tools necessary to hone their English language and cultural skills while encouraging them to develop their own voices,” says Jenks. While in Taiwain, she plans to volunteer with the Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps, which offers medical care to rural communities, or with the Taipei Medical University in a more urban setting to further engage with the community and learn more about Taiwan’s healthcare systems and settings. With her love of hiking, Jenks also hopes to explore various cultural sites including the cave temples of Lion’s Head Mountain and Fo Guang Shan monastery and enjoy the natural beauty of Taiwan.
Bard Conservatory alumna Avery Morris ’18, who graduated with a BA in Mathematics and a BM in Violin Performance, has been selected for a prestigious Fulbright Study Research Award for 2023–24. Her project, “Gideon Klein’s Lost Works and the Legacy of Czech Musical Modernism,” aims to bring to light the early works of Czech composer and Holocaust victim Gideon Klein (1919–1945), which were lost until they were discovered in a suitcase in the attic of a house in Prague in the 1990s. She will live in Prague for the upcoming academic year and continue her research on Klein, which has been a focus of her studies at Stony Brook University, where she is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance.
Getzamany "Many" Correa ’21, a Global and International Studies major, has been selected as an ETA to Spain for the 2023–24 academic year. Correa was an international student in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary. As an international student in high school, she started an initiative called English Conversation Buddies with the State Department-sponsored American Corner in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has received her TESOL certification (which involved 40 hours of training) and worked as an ESL tutor at the Learning Commons. In Spain, Correa hopes to create a book club that introduces students to diverse authors writing in English, study Spanish literature, and host dinners with the locals she meets. She also plans to volunteer with EducationUSA and support students applying to colleges and universities in the U.S. “A year-long ETA in Spain will allow me to experience a culture and language central to my academic and personal interests, leverage my background in education while furthering my teaching experience, and make meaningful connections through cross-cultural engagement,” says Correa.
The Fulbright US Student Program expands perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue. Fulbright creates connections in a complex and changing world. In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright US Student Program offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. us.fulbrightonline.org.
Three Bard College alumni/ae—Beatrice Abbott ’15, Megumi Kivuva ’22, and Tobias Golz Timofeyev ’21—have been awarded competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships for the 2023 award year. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) aims to “ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States” and “seeks to broaden participation in science and engineering of underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans” through selection, recognition, and financial support of individuals who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers early in their careers.
Three Bard Alumni/ae Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Three Bard College alumni/ae—Beatrice Abbott ’15, Megumi Kivuva ’22, and Tobias Golz Timofeyev ’21—have been awarded competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships for the 2023 award year. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) aims to “ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States” and “seeks to broaden participation in science and engineering of underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans” through selection, recognition, and financial support of individuals who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers early in their careers.
Beatrice Abbott ’15, who majored in political studies at Bard, has won a fellowship for the field of social sciences. She is a master’s student in geography at the University of Kentucky. Her research interests include evidence/forensics, critical migration studies, critical cartography and geographic information systems (GIS), and visual culture.
Megumi Kivuva ’22, who majored in Spanish studies and computer science with a concentration in Experimental Humanities at Bard, has won a fellowship for the field of STEM education and learning research. Kivuva is a PhD student in computing education at the University of Washington. Their research “aims to broaden participation in computing education for Black and refugee students,” and they “use community participatory research to understand the barriers to accessing computing education and codesign interventions to make computing education more accessible to these communities.”
Tobias Golz Timofeyev ’21, who majored in mathematics at Bard, has won a fellowship for the field of mathematical biology. He is a PhD student in mathematical sciences at the University of Vermont. The fellowship will allow him to focus on his research project, "Decoding Parallel Processing in the Brain using the Connectome Eigenfunctions."
As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. The five-year fellowship period provides a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, as well as access to opportunities for professional development. NSF Fellows are anticipated to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. Each year, the NSF receives more than 12,000 applications to the GRFP program, which has awarded fellowships to its selected scholars since 1952.
Bard College Astronomer Shuo Zhang and Undergraduate Student Rose Xu Discover New X-ray Flares from the Galactic Center Supermassive Black Hole Sgr A*
Bard College Assistant Professor of Physics Shuo Zhang and Bard mathematics and dance major Rose Xu ’23 were invited by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) to present their most recent findings on new x-ray flares from the now inactive supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Their talk, “Detection of Seven High-Energy X-ray Flares from the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole,” was presented at the 241st AAS press conference on Thursday, January 12 from 5:15pm to 6:15pm ET, in person in Seattle and virtually via Zoom andYouTube livestream. For more information about the 241st AAS press conference, click here.
The center of the Milky Way galaxy harbors the nearest supermassive black hole Sgr A* to Earth, with forty million times the mass of the Sun. Although being in an inactive status nowadays, Sgr A* demonstrates mysterious flares almost every single day, which could come from magnetic phenomena. We are sitting in the front row of these cosmic fireworks. Using 2 Ms data from NASA’s NuSTAR X-ray telescope, our math senior Rose Xu, working with Bard physics professor Shuo Zhang, has discovered seven new hard X-ray flares that took place between 2016 and 2022. This new result doubled the current database of bright Sgr A* X-ray flares, and can help to answer long-standing questions in flare physics, such as: What are the physical mechanisms behind Sgr A* flare? Do bright flares and faint flares share the same origin?
Watch the Presentation at the American Astronomical Society Press Conference
“Astronomers are in the exhilarating process of revealing the physical conditions at the vicinity of our own supermassive black hole, which I couldn’t imagine myself being involved in before meeting professor Shuo Zhang. Solving practical problems from a liberal arts perspective is a skill that I am grateful to gain here at Bard College,” said Xu.
Jen Lara arrived at Bard intending to become a physics major with a future in engineering, but an important part of her Bard education included the realization that other interests were dearer to her heart.
“I saw that my real passion is not in the world of engineering. It doesn’t hold the sparkle for me. I've always been teaching, I have always tutored, I've always worked with nonprofits. I want to work in education in the minority community to see women in STEM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics]. STEM is where I can use my talents and abilities to do what I'm really passionate about, which is helping my community to do better in these subjects.”
So she is majoring in mathematics, and spent time teaching STEM at a nonprofit and at a local middle school. “Everything in my life revolves around education,” she says.
The daughter of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, and the first in her family to attend college, Lara grew up in the Corona, Queens, neighborhood of New York City. Her adviser convinced her to look at Bard, which, she says, was “the only school” that noted her first-generation status could be empowering rather than limiting. “They said, ‘We need to make a plan and find a space for you to be able to accomplish whatever you want to do. We’ll figure it out and we’ll make it happen.’ It was the first time I thought, ‘I don't have to do things by myself.’”
Lara became a peer counselor (PC) at Bard—someone in the residence halls who is trained to deal with many of her fellow residents’ concerns—which helped bring her out of her shell. “My first year I experienced culture shock, and being a PC has made me more social. I like being a support system for students, and the students are just as much a role model for me as I am for them. I take as much as I give. I tell them, ‘Advocate for yourselves; it’s the best thing that you can do.’”
In addition to being a PC and tutoring, she holds two jobs on campus while carrying her academic load. Nevertheless, she says, “I have students in my residence who run clubs and do athletics and their academics—that’s inspiring to me.”
One surprising thing she has learned at Bard is that “I learn very differently from most students. The time and dedication the faculty invested to help me made me realize that there are many different ways to learn. The strong support system makes sure that the way they are teaching matches the way you are learning.”
She wants students who are interested in Bard to know the kind of education she is receiving in Annandale: “You really learn how to be confident in your abilities and not be hard on yourself when things go wrong,” she advises. “You should be hungry, when you get here, to build the community that you want. The fact that Bard gives you the opportunity to do that is not something you’ll find at any other school.”
“At Bard,” she adds, “you are going to do things that you never thought you were capable of doing. And they might make you feel uncomfortable, but the fact that you can create a support system means you can also create the path that you want to take.”
Kate Belin BA ’04, MAT ’05, “Rock Star” Teacher, Talks Teaching Gerrymandering with Chalkbeat
Teaching without an agenda is not something that concerns Kate Belin BA ’04, MAT ’05. “I do have an agenda. I want to see a national shift in how we teach math, what math is, and who has access to it,” Belin said in an interview with Chalkbeat. In their role at the Bronx’s Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, they continue to teach the mathematics of gerrymandering, “an especially relevant topic” today, and one that “will likely continue to be.” A winner of the 2021 Math for America (MƒA) Muller Award for Professional Influence in Education, Belin says their belief in the power of education was developed while at Bard, both as an undergraduate and graduate student. “I learned in college that mathematics was about creativity, patterns, problem-solving, and many more things that aren’t necessarily taught in K-12 school,” they said. “The master’s program at Bard College gave me hope that it was possible to bring more real mathematics into schools and that more students might fall in love with it, too.”
Professor Japheth Wood Awarded the American Mathematical Society’s Epsilon Award for the Third Time
For the third time, the American Mathematical Society has awarded Japheth Wood, director of quantitative literacy and continuing associate professor of mathematics, and the Creative and Analytical Math Programs (CAMP) of the Bard Math Circle the Epsilon Award. The award aids and promotes programs that “support and nurture mathematically talented youth in the United States,” funding existing summer programs proven to reach and support high school students. CAMP will return to an in-person format this year and will serve local and regional middle school students, with a staff that includes Bard alumni/ae and current students in mathematics and computer science.
High School Mathematics Teacher and Bard Alumna Kate Belin Wins 2021 Math for America Muller Award
Kate Belin BA ’04, MAT ’05, who teaches at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx, is one of two winners of the 2021 Math for America (MƒA) Muller Award for Professional Influence in Education. This honor is given to two New York City public school teachers who, during their tenure as MƒA Master Teachers, have influenced the teaching profession in exceptional ways.
“Belin brings a creative approach to pedagogy and has dramatically improved math education at their school and beyond. She is being recognized for bringing her deep understanding of mathematics to all students and taking a leadership role to improve education and educational equity everywhere and for everyone,” writes MƒA.
“I am beyond grateful to MƒA for this recognition and for providing a space for teachers to come together as learners and leaders. This award also recognizes the work of the entire Fannie Lou community which has always understood that teaching is political,” said Belin. “We aren’t simply teaching subjects. We are teaching to fight injustices. Our job is to be activists and organizers in collaboration with our students—to mobilize youth for any issues that exist in their community, country, or world, and work together to make it better.”
Belin was recognized for her impact on the teaching profession and awarded $20,000 during a virtual MƒA award ceremony on Monday, October 18. In addition, $5,000 was awarded to the school or organization of their nominator. Belin was nominated by representatives from the Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School.
Kate Belin has taught mathematics at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School for the past 17 years, transforming the mathematics curriculum of the school and mentoring student teachers. She was a recipient of the 2011 Sloan Award for Excellence in Teaching Science in Mathematics and was a Fulbright Distinguished Awards Teaching Fellow to Botswana in 2016. Belin earned their B.A. in Mathematics and M.A.T. at Bard College and has been an adjunct professor at City College of New York, Bard College, and the Bard Prison Initiative.
Professor Lauren L. Rose Selected as Association for Women in Mathematics 2022 Fellow
Associate Professor of Mathematics Lauren L. Rose has been selected as one of 13 scholars to join the Fifth Class of Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) Fellows. These individuals are extraordinary researchers, mentors, and educators whose commitment to supporting and growing women across the mathematical sciences is praised by their students and colleagues.
Rose is being honored: “For broad efforts in the professional development of women in mathematics, especially undergraduate women; for her commitment to involving people from diverse communities in mathematics, through Math Circles and outreach in prisons; and for her creative contributions to the AWM including the We Speak Series and the Card Project,” states the AWM committee.
“I am very happy to announce the 2022 list of new AWM Fellows. We recognize these individuals for their exceptional dedication to increasing the success and visibility of women in mathematics,” wrote Kathryn Leonard, AWM President. The AWM 2022 Fellows will be recognized during the AWM reception held in January.
The Executive Committee of the Association for Women in Mathematics established the AWM Fellows Program to recognize individuals who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to the support and advancement of women in the mathematical sciences. The Fellows epitomize the mission of the AWM, which is to promote equitable opportunities and support for women and girls in the mathematical sciences.
Post Date: 10-14-2021
Mathematics Events
9/27
Wednesday
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 Chris Elliott, Amherst College RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 I'll give an introduction to the mathematics behind supersymmetry. Supersymmetry is a novel idea in physics for a symmetry that relates two different sorts of elementary particle: "bosons", which describe the fundamental forces of nature, and "fermions", which make up matter. In mathematics we can study "super" versions of objects such as vectors, which have bosonic and fermionic components. I'll introduce some of these ideas, and end by presenting some novel calculations in the world of superalgebra developed by my undergraduate research students Osha Jones and Ziji Zhou this summer, which have applications to quantum physics in three dimensions.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 RKC 111
10/25
Wednesday
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 Adam Sheffer, CUNY RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 The Szemerédi–Trotter theorem is a simple statement about points on lines in the plane. Surprisingly, this result turned out to be surprisingly useful. Over the past 20 years, it has been used to prove impressive results in combinatorics, number theory, harmonic analysis, model theory, theoretical computer science, and more.
In this talk, we will introduce the Szemerédi–Trotter theorem and see how it can be used in unexpected places. We will also chat about the current research front—how mathematicians are currently trying to extend this theorem.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 RKC 111
11/15
Wednesday
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 Zoe Wellner, Carnegie Mellon University RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5 Often, continuous and discrete are treated as opposites of each other. The Borsuk--Ulam theorem states that for any continuous map from the sphere to Euclidean space, $fcolon S^dto R^d$, there is a pair of antipodal points that are identified, so $f(x)=f(-x)$. This theorem deals with continuous objects, is fundamentally topological, and yet, it has numerous applications to discrete results. We will look at how these methods apply to some problems, including chromatic numbers of Kneser graphs (like the Petersen graph which you see pictured) and the Ham Sandwich theorem: given a $d$-dimensional sandwich with $d$ ingredients, with a single cut you can split your sandwich in half such that every ingredient is exactly halved as well. We will also look at what it means to take a colorful generalization of a result and why it is helpful.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5 RKC 111
12/06
Wednesday
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 R. Amzi Jeffs, Carnegie Mellon University RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5 How can you arrange a collection of convex sets in Euclidean space? This question underpins the study of "convex codes," a vein of research that began in 2013 motivated by the study of hippocampal place cells in neuroscience. Classifying convex codes is exceedingly difficult, even in the plane, and gives rise to a number of striking examples and neat geometric theorems. We will share some choice techniques and results, along with plenty of pictures.
Come meet math faculty and fellow math majors! Refreshments will be served! 3rd floor Albee Math Lounge5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
RKC 11111:50 am – 1:10 pm EDT/GMT-4 Eat Pizza and Meet Faculty and Students!
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Susan D'Agostino, '91 RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Long before Susan D’Agostino wrote, How to Free Your Inner Mathematician: Notes on Mathematics and Life (Oxford University Press, 2020), she was a student at Bard College in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There, she majored in anthropology, took nearly as many classes in film, and avoided the math department. She also filled countless journals sitting on the back steps of Manor House, nurturing a burning desire to write. But Bard writing faculty, including William Weaver, Chinua Achebe, John Ashbery, Mona Simpson, and Robert Kelly exuded a gentle, if unspoken, message that she needed more life experience to give her writing soul. And so, upon graduating from Bard, she moved into a small cabin 50 feet from a barn housing 42,000 chickens, took a job traveling through Central and South America, and began studying theoretical mathematics. Susan’s post-college path took her far from Annandale-on-Hudson, but the life perspective she cultivated at Bard continues to provide a true north in her life. In this talk, attendees will hear stories from her book that are focused on defining success for oneself in both math and life.
Susan D’Agostino is a science writer and mathematician whose work has been published in The Atlantic, Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed, Scientific American, Wired, Quanta, BBC, Nature, National Public Radio, and other outlets. She is the author of How To Free Your Inner Mathematician (Oxford University Press, 2020). Susan is the technology reporter at Inside Higher Ed, where she provides substantive analysis on pressing issues facing higher education today for 2.3 million monthly readers. Her writing has been recognized with fellowships from the Columbia University School of Journalism, Reuters Institute at Oxford University, the National Association of Science Writers, the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, and the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation. She earned a PhD in mathematics at Dartmouth College, an MA in science writing at Johns Hopkins University, and a BA in anthropology at Bard College.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Allison Stanger, Visiting Professor of Technology and Human Values RKC 11112:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Friday, April 28, 2023
John L. Bell, Western University Hegeman 10712:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 The concept of the continuum is one of the oldest in philosophy and mathematics. A continuum is conceived of as a continuous entity possessing no gaps or interruptions. We commonly suppose that space, time and motion are continua. The continuum concept was first systematically investigated by Aristotle c. 350 B.C. His major conclusion was that a continuum cannot be reduced to a discrete entity such as a collection of points or numbers. In the 17th century Leibniz’s struggle to understand the continuum led him to term it a labyrinth. In modern times mathematicians have formulated a set-theoretic, or “arithmetic” account of the continuum in discrete terms, although certain important thinkers, such as Brentano, Weyl and Brouwer rejected this formulation, upholding to Aristotle’s view that continua cannot be reduced to discreteness.
Closely allied to the continuum concept is that of the infinitely small, or infinitesimal. Traditionally, an infinitesimal has been conceived of, geometrically, as a part of a continuous curve so small that it may be regarded as “straight”, or, numerically, as a “number” so small that, while not coinciding with zero, is smaller than any finite nonzero number. The development of the differential calculus from the 17th century until the 19th century was based on these concepts.
In my talk I shall present a historical survey of these ideas.
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Kristina Striegnitz, Union College RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Data plays an increasing role in shaping our lives. It is, therefore, important to help non-experts understand, evaluate and draw inferences based on data. Data is often represented as graphs. However, prior research has shown that many people struggle with graph comprehension. We compared the effectiveness of presenting data as a graph to a text summary and to a combination of the two. Furthermore, we explored whether, in the combined presentation, color-coding or graph annotations helped non-expert readers better understand the underlying data.
Kristina Striegnitz is an associate professor of computer science at Union College in Schenectady, NY. Before coming to Union she did a postdoc with Justine Cassell at Northwestern University. Kristina has a joint PhD from Saarland University in Germany and University Henri Poincare, Nancy 1 in France. Her research is in natural language generation and dialog systems. She is particularly interested in embodied interactive systems that are situated in physical or virtual environments.
Monday, April 17, 2023
Alicia Lamarche, University of Utah RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Alan Thompson, Loughborough University RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 A pseudolattice is a (multidimensional) grid of points, equipped with a function that takes two points from the grid and returns an integer. A simple example would be the grid of points (x,y) in the plane with integer coordinates x and y, along with the dot product which takes two such points (a,b) and (c,d) and returns the integer ac+bd. I begin with a gentle introduction to the theory of pseudolattices, before presenting two settings in which they show up in geometry. The first describes configurations of points and curves on surfaces, whilst the second encodes the geometry of families of tori over a disc. Interestingly, despite the fact that the two settings seem unrelated, the pseudolattices that show up in each setting are identical. This is an example of the general phenomenon of "mirror symmetry," first discovered by theoretical physicists, which says that many geometric objects which seem to be unrelated nonetheless share fascinating properties.
Monday, April 10, 2023
Ursula Whitcher, American Mathematical Society RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Adinkras are decorated graphs that encapsulate information about the physics of supersymmetry. If we color the edges of an Adinkra with a rainbow of shades in a specific order, we obtain a special curve that we can study using algebraic and geometric techniques. We use this structure to characterize height functions on Adinkras, then show how to encapsulate the same information using data from our rainbow. This talk describes joint work with Amanda Francis.
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Karen Lange, Wellesley College RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 You can make a simple family tree by starting with a person at the root and then adding two branches for her parents, and then adding two branches for the parents of each of her two parents, and so on. Such a family tree is an example of a binary tree because each level of the tree has at most two branches. We'll see that every binary tree with infinitely many nodes has an infinite path; this result is called Weak Kőnig's Lemma. But just because we know a path exists, doesn't mean we can find it. Given Weak Kőnig's Lemma, it's natural to ask whether we can compute a path through a given binary tree with infinitely many nodes. It turns out the answer to this "Path Problem" is "no", so we say that the problem is not "computable". But then what exactly is the computational power of this Path Problem? Using the Path Problem as a test case, we will explore the key ideas behind taking a "computable" perspective on mathematics (over an "existence" one) and describe an approach for measuring the computational power of mathematical problems. We'll see that the computational power of problems varies widely and studying problems' power helps to illuminate what really makes problems "tick". This talk will highlight ideas from graph theory, theoretical computer science, and logic, but no background in any of these subjects is necessary.
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Rylan Gajek-Leonard, '16, Union College RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 We all have an intuitive notion of 'distance' between two numbers. For example, we might say that the distance between the numbers 3 and 5 is 2, and the distance between -5 and 1 is 6. But what do we really mean by 'distance'? Are there other ways to measure numbers? It turns out that the answer is yes: for every prime number p, there is a way to measure numbers in terms of their divisibility by p. In doing this, we are led to the world of "p-adic numbers", a strange place where all triangles are isosceles and where every point in a circle is its center. The theory of p-adic numbers permeates nearly all aspects of modern number theory. In this talk, we will define and gain intuition for the p-adic numbers and see some of their applications to problems in number theory.
Rylan completed his bachelor's degree in mathematics and music performance at Bard College, where he was also a cellist in the conservatory. He obtained a master's degree from the University of Cambridge, where he also performed with the Cambridge Philharmonic, and a PhD from UMass Amherst. Rylan currently teaches at Union College in Schenectady, New York. His research is in algebraic number theory and arithmetic geometry.
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
James Marshall, Sarah Lawrence College RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5 Since the 1920s, physicists and philosophers have been trying to understand the strangeness of the subatomic world as revealed by quantum theory, but it wasn't until the 1980s that computer scientists first began to suspect that this strangeness might represent a source of immense computational power. This realization was soon followed by key theoretical advances, including the discovery of algorithms that harness the quantum phenomena of superposition and entanglement, enabling quantum computers in principle to solve certain problems far more efficiently than any conventional computer. Around the same time, researchers built the first working quantum computers, albeit on a very small scale. Today the multidisciplinary field of quantum computing lies at the intersection of computer science, mathematics, and physics, and is one of the most fascinating areas in science, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the future. In this talk I will give an overview of the basic mathematical ideas behind quantum computing, and use them to illustrate two particularly interesting results: the quantum search algorithm, and quantum teleportation.
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Alejandro Morales, University of Massachusetts RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5 Flow polytopes are an important class of polytopes in combinatorics whose lattice points and volumes have interesting properties and relations to other parts of geometric and algebraic combinatorics. These polytopes were recently related to (multiplex) juggling sequences of Butler, Graham, and Chung. The Chan-Robbins-Yuen (CRY) polytope is a flow polytope with normalized volume equal to the product of consecutive Catalan numbers, one of the most well-known sequences in combinatorics. Zeilberger proved this by evaluating the Morris constant term identity, but no combinatorial proof is known. In this talk we will talk about the connection between juggling and (flow) polytopes and introduce a new refinement of the Morris identity with combinatorial interpretations both in terms of lattice points and volumes of flow polytopes.
Alejandro Morales is originally from Colombia and got his B.Math. from the University of Waterloo and a Ph.D. from MIT, working with Professor Alexander Postnikov. After postdocs at Université du Québec à Montréal and UCLA, he started a tenure-track position at UMass, Amherst where he is part of the Discrete Mathematics group. Morales works in enumerative and algebraic combinatorics and uses bijections, symmetric functions, and tools from algebra to study several objects including linearizations of posets, polytopes associated to graphs, and factorizations of permutations. Morales' research is funded by grants of the National Science Foundation and is a handling Editor of the mathematician owned journal Combinatorial Theory. You can see videos, slides, code, and conjectures of the work of Morales here: ahmorales.combinatoria.co
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Anca Radulescu, SUNY New Paltz RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Tifin Calcagni, The Global Math Circle RKC 11112:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5 Magic squares are mathematical structures that have been known since ancient times; most likely many of their properties are still left undiscovered. Magic squares are an ideal topic for mathematical exploration and discovery with participants of all levels. Since 2020, Global Math Circle has carried out this activity with various groups. This topic was the foundation of a whole circle project in Colombia. We made five versions in which children of the United States 2020-I, 2022-II, Colombia 2020-I (urban online), Colombia/Peru 2021-II (urban online), 2022-II Colombia (Rural Face-to-face). Exploration of magic squares lead to discussions ranging from basic arithmetic, combinatorics, geometry, vector spaces, and more. We want to show you how to use magic squares as a springboard topic to get at larger mathematical explorations with students of diverse backgrounds and readiness levels.
Friday, February 3, 2023
Brandon Look, University of Kentucky Olin 20412:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST/GMT-5 In his book on Leibniz's philosophy, Bertrand Russell writes that his first reaction to Leibniz's metaphysics was to think of it as "a kind of fantastic fairy tale, coherent perhaps, but wholly arbitrary." Upon further study, though, he saw that "this seemingly fantastic system could be deduced from a few simple premises, which, but for the conclusions which Leibniz had drawn from them, many, if not most, philosophers would have been willing to admit." While Russell's logicist interpretation of Leibniz has, to a degree, fallen out of favor among Leibniz scholars, I want to show that there is something right about reading Leibniz this way. In my talk, then, I shall present the core premises of Leibniz's thought and show how his metaphysics follows from them.