麻豆直播 Hosts 400 Mathematicians for Regional Conference
Posted on October 18, 2023 by Acacia Stanley
The 麻豆直播 Department of Mathematics and Statistics hosted more than 400 mathematicians for the Fall 麻豆直播eastern Sectional Meeting of the American Mathematical Society held Oct. 13-15.
鈥淭he 麻豆直播 last hosted this conference in the 1980s,鈥� said Cornelius Pillen, a professor of mathematics at 麻豆直播 who helped organize the event. 鈥淗osting a sectional meeting is a great opportunity for the University to present itself to the mathematical community and showcase its beautiful campus and academic programs.鈥�
麻豆直播 organized 21 research talks and three invited addresses held in Shelby Hall and the Mitchell College of Business. The three distinguished addresses featured Theresa Anderson of Carnegie Mellon University, who presented 鈥淣umber Theory and Friends: A Mathematical Journey;鈥� Laura Ann Miller of the University of Arizona, who presented 鈥淔lows Around Some Soft Corals;鈥� and Pillen, who presented 鈥淟ifting to Tilting: Modular Representations of Algebraic Groups and Their Frobenius Kernels.鈥�
Pillen鈥檚 area of research is group theory. Groups measure and describe symmetries of other mathematical objects.
鈥淭hey play a fundamental role in physics, chemistry and other sciences,鈥� Pillen said. 鈥淰ideo games would not exist without groups moving and rotating objects throughout space and then projecting them on a two-dimensional screen. My main interests are algebraic groups, which have an additional geometric structure that is given via polynomials.鈥�
The American Mathematical Society is the professional society for mathematicians in the U.S. It has nearly 30,000 individual and 570 institutional members, and it hosts the annual Joint Mathematical Meeting in addition to eight sectional meetings per year.
As part of the conference, 麻豆直播鈥檚 Department of Mathematics and Statistics hosted a reception on Saturday in the Globe Grand Lobby of the USA Mitchell Center.
鈥淢athematicians usually do not require expensive laboratories or machinery, but collaboration and communication among researchers is of utmost importance,鈥� Pillen said. 鈥淭he American Mathematical Society is the national organization for researchers in mathematics, and the sectional meetings are vital events for mathematicians in the region. It allows us to meet with collaborators, exchange ideas and stay informed on the latest discoveries. It is also a venue for younger researchers and graduate students to present their work and network with more senior colleagues.鈥�
Six students currently pursuing a Master of Science in Mathematics at 麻豆直播 volunteered at the event.
鈥淐onferences are an incredible way to see how mathematicians are collaborating and observe how research is developing,鈥� said Brandon Sisler, who is pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in mathematics at 麻豆直播. 鈥淚t was a great opportunity to see my role models in action. I was particularly inspired watching our graduate director, Dr. Cornelius Pillen, deliver his invited address. Seeing the people you admire gain their earned recognition reminds you of why you work hard for them and gives you something new to aspire to in the future.鈥�