Can math models help us understand the brain?

Thursday, April 16, 2026
5:00PM - 6:00PM @ DM Smith 115 
Reception at 4:00pm in Skiles Atrium

Stelson Lecture Abstract

Can math models help us understand the brain? I would like to think that they can, and will illustrate by sharing some work my collaborators and I have done on the monkey visual system, which is very similar to that of humans. Specifically, I will focus on two visual properties: one is used in the detection of edges, the other is relevant when our eyes track moving objects. To explain the origin of these properties, simple mathematical ideas were first developed in idealized settings. They were then tested -- and fine-tuned -- via simulations using large-scale dynamical network models that are biologically more realistic.

SoM Colloquium Abstract

Convergence of ergodic averages from an observational viewpoint (Friday 4/17 at 11am)
The Birkhoff Ergodic Theorem describes typical behaviors and averaged quantities with respect to an invariant measure. In this talk, I will focus on "observable" events, equating observability with positive Lebesgue measure. From this observational viewpoint, "typical" means typical with respect to Lebesgue measure. This leads immediately to issues for attractors, where all invariant measures are singular. I will present highlights of developments in smooth ergodic theory that address these questions. The theory of physical and SRB measures applies to dynamical systems that are deterministic as well as random, in finite and infinite dimensions (where observability has to be interpreted differently). This body of ideas argue in favor of convergence of ergodic averages for typical orbits. But the picture is a little more complicated: In the last part of the talk, I will discuss some recent work that shows that in many natural settings (e.g. reaction networks), it is also typical for ergodic averages to fluctuate in perpetuity due to heteroclinic-like behavior.

About the Speaker

Lai-Sang Young is a Professor of Mathematics and Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at the Courant Institute, New York University. She received her PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1978. Her primary area of research is dynamical systems, with applications to mathematical physics and computational neuroscience. She has given plenary lectures at the International Congress of Mathematicians (2018), International Congress on Mathematical Physics (1997, 2018), and in annual meetings of the American Mathematical Society and Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. Her recent awards include the Moser Prize (2021), Hopf Prize (2023), and Schock Prize (2024). She is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

When you look at your surrounding environment, it might seem like you’re living on a flat plane. After all, this is why you can navigate a new city using a map: a flat piece of paper that represents all the places around you. This is likely why some people in the past believed the earth to be flat. But most people now know that is far from the truth.

You live on the surface of a giant sphere, like a beach ball the size of the Earth with a few bumps added. The surface of the sphere and the plane are two possible 2D spaces, meaning you can walk in two directions: north and south or east and west.

What other possible spaces might you be living on? That is, what other spaces around you are 2D? For example, the surface of a giant doughnut is another 2D space.

Through a field called geometric topology, mathematicians like me study all possible spaces in all dimensions. Whether trying to design secure sensor networks, mine data or use origami to deploy satellites, the underlying language and ideas are likely to be that of topology.

The Shape of the Universe

When you look around the universe you live in, it looks like a 3D space, just like the surface of the Earth looks like a 2D space. However, just like the Earth, if you were to look at the universe as a whole, it could be a more complicated space, like a giant 3D version of the 2D beach ball surface or something even more exotic than that.

While you don’t need topology to determine that you are living on something like a giant beach ball, knowing all the possible 2D spaces can be useful. Over a century ago, mathematicians figured out all the possible 2D spaces and many of their properties.

In the past several decades, mathematicians have learned a lot about all of the possible 3D spaces. While we do not have a complete understanding like we do for 2D spaces, we do know a lot. With this knowledge, physicists and astronomers can try to determine what 3D space people actually live in.

While the answer is not completely known, there are many intriguing and surprising possibilities. The options become even more complicated if you consider time as a dimension.

To see how this might work, note that to describe the location of something in space – say a comet – you need four numbers: three to describe its position and one to describe the time it is in that position. These four numbers are what make up a 4D space.

Now, you can consider what 4D spaces are possible and in which of those spaces do you live.

Topology in Higher Dimensions

At this point, it may seem like there is no reason to consider spaces that have dimensions larger than four, since that is the highest imaginable dimension that might describe our universe. But a branch of physics called string theory suggests that the universe has many more dimensions than four.

There are also practical applications of thinking about higher dimensional spaces, such as robot motion planning. Suppose you are trying to understand the motion of three robots moving around a factory floor in a warehouse. You can put a grid on the floor and describe the position of each robot by their x and y coordinates on the grid. Since each of the three robots requires two coordinates, you will need six numbers to describe all of the possible positions of the robots. You can interpret the possible positions of the robots as a 6D space.

As the number of robots increases, the dimension of the space increases. Factoring in other useful information, such as the locations of obstacles, makes the space even more complicated. In order to study this problem, you need to study high-dimensional spaces.

There are countless other scientific problems where high-dimensional spaces appear, from modeling the motion of planets and spacecraft to trying to understand the “shape” of large datasets.

Tied Up In Knots

Another type of problem topologists study is how one space can sit inside another.

For example, if you hold a knotted loop of string, then we have a 1D space (the loop of string) inside a 3D space (your room). Such loops are called mathematical knots.

The study of knots first grew out of physics but has become a central area of topology. They are essential to how scientists understand 3D and 4D spaces and have a delightful and subtle structure that researchers are still trying to understand.

In addition, knots have many applications, ranging from string theory in physics to DNA recombination in biology to chirality in chemistry.

What Shape Do You Live On?

Geometric topology is a beautiful and complex subject, and there are still countless exciting questions to answer about spaces.

For example, the smooth 4D Poincaré conjecture asks what the “simplest” closed 4D space is, and the slice-ribbon conjecture aims to understand how knots in 3D spaces relate to surfaces in 4D spaces.

Topology is currently useful in science and engineering. Unraveling more mysteries of spaces in all dimensions will be invaluable to understanding the world in which we live and solving real-world problems.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

In the special issue, a select group of experts in dynamical systems have authored  papers which address a broad spectrum of significant problems and current research topics, including Benford's law in dynamical systems; inheritance of shadowing for dynamical semigroups; and generality of blow-up for complex Li-Sinai solutions of the 3D incompressible Navier-Stokes equations from computer simulations.

An extract from the Preface: 

Professor Bunimovich is best known for discovering a fundamental mechanism of chaos in dynamical systems referred to as the mechanism of defocusing. This discovery was a striking and unexpected development not only to mathematicians but also to the physics community. Perhaps the most famous class of systems exhibiting this mechanism is the class of billiard systems, particularly focusing chaotic billiards such as the Bunimovich stadium, Bunimovich flowers, and elliptic flowers. He also introduced the so-called Bunimovich mushrooms, which provide visual examples of billiards exhibiting the coexistence of regular and chaotic dynamics.

Pure and Applied Functional Analysis. (Year). Volume 11, Number 1. Yokohama Publishers. ISSN 2189-3756.

A Special Issue on Dynamical Systems and Related Topics
Dedicated to Professor Leonid Bunimovich on the occasion of his 75th birthday 

In the special issue, a select group of experts in dynamical systems have authored  papers which address a broad spectrum of significant problems and current research topics, including Benford's law in dynamical systems; inheritance of shadowing for dynamical semigroups; and generality of blow-up for complex Li-Sinai solutions of the 3D incompressible Navier-Stokes equations from computer simulations.

An extract from the Preface: 

Professor Bunimovich is best known for discovering a fundamental mechanism of chaos in dynamical systems referred to as the mechanism of defocusing. This discovery was a striking and unexpected development not only to mathematicians but also to the physics community. Perhaps the most famous class of systems exhibiting this mechanism is the class of billiard systems, particularly focusing chaotic billiards such as the Bunimovich stadium, Bunimovich flowers, and elliptic flowers. He also introduced the so-called Bunimovich mushrooms, which provide visual examples of billiards exhibiting the coexistence of regular and chaotic dynamics.

Leonid Bunimovich is a Regents’ Professor in the School of Mathematics. 

The paper aims to study the phenomenon of cross-immunoreactivity found in infectious diseases like Hepatitis-C, HIV, dengue, influenza, etc. Viral populations and, consequently, cross-immunoreactivity networks are not static and are subject to dynamical changes caused by emergence or introduction of viral variants with altered phenotypes. In this paper, the authors focused on the epidemiological event where a viral transmission occurs between two chronically infected hosts, which results in merging of two intra-host viral populations in the state of stable immune-adapted equilibrium. They found that such events may result in a rapid re-arrangement of the viral ecosystem and a change of the roles played by viral variants. These findings emphasize how phenotypic features of particular viral genomic variants are formed by both their antibody and "quasi-social" environments rather than pre-defined by their genomes. This also highlights challenges in effective vaccine design by demonstrating how the evolutionary trajectories of intra-host viral populations subjected to the introduction of new CRNs are affected by the state of pre-existing populations.

About the Award

The QBioS student awards are an annual tradition, where students are recognized for their recent publications in three categories - 1. Cellular and Molecular Biosciences, 2. Organismal Behavior and Physiology, and 3. Ecology, Evolution, and Population Biology. There is also an award for Community Outreach and Service, for contributions to QBioS, Georgia Tech, or the broader scientific community. The winners get a cash award and an opportunity to present their work during the QBioS annual Winter Share.

About Athulya Ram

Athulya was only the second graduate student from SoM to be a part of the QBioS program, which aims to bridge the gap between mathematics and biology to tackle important problems in the life sciences.. We are encouraged to hope that this recognition encourages more students with a mathematical foundation to pursue research in quantitative biosciences.

Athulya is currently a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics, Stanford University.

What are the odds your team will win, and what will the spread be? Our statisticians and mathematicians will help you understand the odds in sports events and how we calculate them. Try out the hands-on demos our team has developed! Sports stats are only one of the many ways math connects with sports. Find out how the wave moves through the audience in a stadium, how math helps perfect sports equipment, how to determine how much a team is worth, and more!   We will finish up the night with a round of mathy sports trivia.

Please note your ticket price includes a beer or soft drink!

USEFUL LINKS

• WHAT ARE THE ODDS will takle place 6:00-9:00 at the Wild Heaven’s Garden Room

•  Ticketing is through the Atlanta Science Festival (click!).

•  Travel and parking.  Wild Heaven is located at 1010 White St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310 in Atlanta’s West End.  Continue past the bar to reach the Garden Room.  There is free parking on site.  Wild Heaven is adjacent to the Beltline and is 0.7 miles from the West End MARTA Station.

•   Write us at mathinmotionatl@gmail.com for more information!

See https://blog.umd.edu/nwc/fft/fft-2026-heilfest/ for the full schedule and list of invited speakers.

Organizing Committee:
Radu V. Balan, John J. Benedetto, Wojciech Czaja, Brandon Kolstoe, Demetrio Labate, Kasso A. Okoudjou, Alexander Powell
Scientific Committee:
John J. Benedetto, Demetrio Labate, Kasso A. Okoudjou, Alexander Powell
Local Organizing Committee:
Radu V. Balan, Wojciech Czaja, Brandon Kolstoe

The conference is supported by the Department of Mathematics and the Brin Mathematics Research Center at the University of Maryland.

In total, four Georgia Tech faculty are among the 126 individuals selected from a pool of over 1,000 North American researchers nominated this year, including Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena of the School of Materials Science and Engineering and Daniel Genkin of the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy. 

"Sloan Research Fellowships are extraordinarily competitive awards involving the nominations of the most inventive and impactful early-career scientists across the U.S. and Canada,” says Adam F. Falk, president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Recipients will receive a two-year $75,000 Fellowship in support of their cutting-edge research. 

“I am thrilled to be a recipient of the Sloan Fellowship this year, and I am thrilled for what can be done with it,” says Blumenthal. “I am immensely grateful for the support of my colleagues and that of SoM at large, without whom this would not have been possible.” 

Blumenthal was also recently awarded an NSF CAREER grant to study chaotic fluid dynamics, one of the most challenging problems in his field. His research focuses on dynamic systems, and their statistical properties.  

Many systems and nature exhibit these seemingly random behaviors — imagine smoke rising from a candle and mixing with the air in a room, or the ripples of cream as they’re swirled into coffee. While extremely difficult to mathematically model and solve, Blumenthal explains that solving these types of problems could lead to innovations ranging from atmospheric modeling and weather predictions, to economics, to creating better salinity profiles in oceans. 

Du is developing quantum sensing and imaging techniques to study quantum materials at very small scales. Quantum materials are a large set of materials that have intriguing, unusual properties, which differ from that of traditional materials.  

“It is my great honor to be elected as a new Sloan Research Fellow in Physics,” Du says. “I appreciate the tremendous support from my colleagues, collaborators, mentors, and team members over my career development. This prestigious grant will support my research on developing state-of-the-art quantum sensing techniques to explore novel quantum materials and electronic devices for next-generation information technology."

She is involved with designing and engineering hybrid quantum devices, which have applications for quantum information. Her research into spintronics is at the forefront of information technology applications. Du was also recently selected for the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program, a distinction given to her for her exceptional potential and creative research. 

Georgia Tech faculty including School of Mathematics faculty Hannah Choi in 2022, Yao Yao in 2020, Konstantin Tikhomirov in 2019, Lutz Warnke in 2018, Zaher Hani in 2016, Jen Hom in 2015, and Greg Blekherman in 2012; along with School of Chemistry's Vinayak Agarwal in 2018, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences' Christopher Reinhard in 2015; and School of Physics’ Tamara Bogdanović in 2013 have previously received Sloan Research Fellowships.

“I am honored to receive the fellowship and am deeply grateful to the AMS for this award,” says Chen. 

The Stefan Bergman Fellowship is the society's first award specifically for early-career mathematicians. It supports scholars advancing research in real analysis, complex analysis, or partial differential equations and may be used in whatever capacity most effectively enables their work.

“There is intense competition for the Stefan Bergman Fellowship, but the breadth and depth of Gong's remarkable contributions clearly stood out,” says School of Mathematics Chair Michael Wolf. “We are thrilled that we were able to attract Gong to our faculty, and we are pleased to hear of his well-deserved award."

Chen’s research has earned wide recognition and focuses on problems in mathematical physics through the lens of analysis. He studies dispersive partial differential equations, drawing on harmonic analysis and spectral theory. His work is motivated by the pursuit of a rigorous mathematical understanding of fundamental physical phenomena.

“I owe a profound debt of gratitude to my mentors for their guidance and support, especially my thesis advisor, Wilhelm Schlag. I would also like to thank my collaborators for their inspiration and support, and my family for their unwavering encouragement,” says Chen.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, summa cum laude, from the University of Minnesota and received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Chicago. Chen has been an assistant professor of mathematics at Georgia Tech since July 2022.

Josh Hembree, a mathematics major from Villa Rica, Georgia, is the first Ramblin’ Wreck driver to drive the Wreck at his own wedding. He’s also the first transfer student Wreck driver in at least a decade. 

Like approximately 25% of each new class of Tech students, Hembree transferred to the Institute. When he applied for first-year admission, he received a transfer pathway offer outlining the specific criteria he could meet to transfer to Tech. 

He began his college career at LaGrange College, where he was on the tennis team, and then finished the rest of his transfer requirements at the University of West Georgia. He arrived at Tech in August 2023. 

Joanna, Hembree’s wife, was the one who initially encouraged Hembree to get involved in student life. With her cheering him on, Hembree found his way to the Ramblin’ Reck Club on campus, which promotes the traditions and spirit of Tech. 

Becoming the Wreck Driver 

The club was a perfect fit, as Hembree is a proud lifelong Yellow Jacket fan with several alumni family members. When he was initially named the Wreck driver, his first call was to his wife. His second was to his dad. 

“Somehow, he seemed even more excited than me,” said Hembree. “And my grandad thinks it’s the coolest thing ever – he was also a math major when he was here, but he spent a lot of time in his dorm room. So, he’s excited to see me out here doing things on campus. They’ve bought season football tickets to watch all the ride outs.” 

The Wreck driver is the sole person with keys to the vehicle and is charged with all major upkeep of the car. They drive the car everywhere it goes, including onto the football field before home games. All Wreck driver candidates campaign for the position through the Ramblin’ Reck Club.  

Hembree’s proposal was one of building an environment where all students can have a meaningful experience with the Wreck. 

“I want people to be able to say, ‘Yeah, I was running late one day, and the Wreck picked me up at a bus stop and took me to class,’” said Hembree. “It’s trying to reach as many people as possible and give them a memory to share forever. Because Tech is hard, and if you make it here, you deserve a ride in the Wreck.” 

Advice for New Students, Celebrating National Transfer Student Week 

When it comes to being new on Tech’s campus, Hembree now echoes the same advice his wife once gave him: get involved. 

“It can be tempting to say you don’t have time for anything but schoolwork,” he said. “But if you have even a two-hour window in your day, try to do something social during it. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, it’s so much more productive to meet and connect with your peers.” 

This year, National Transfer Student Week (NTSW), which celebrates transfer students across the U.S., overlaps with Tech’s Homecoming week. Hembree and other Ramblin’ Reck Club members will spend the week waking up at 4 a.m. each day to make sure all the traditions, like the Freshman Cake Race, Wreck Parade, and Mini 500, go off without a hitch. 

Despite the long days, Hembree is proud to be a Yellow Jacket and spread the good word. 

“It really is the coolest thing – people hear me coming in the car and get the biggest smile on their face,” said Hembree. “It’s all about reaching as many people as possible and giving them a memorable experience.” 

National Transfer Student Week takes place from Oct. 20 – 24. For resources, events, and to learn more about transferring to Tech, review the NTSW resource page.  
 

“I am honored to be named an AMS Fellow and join this distinguished group of mathematicians,” says Święch, who joined Georgia Tech in 1993.

Święch is a leading global expert in the theory of viscosity solutions in nonlinear partial differential equations and has published numerous seminal papers in this and other fields. His research is fundamental to advances in pure and applied mathematics and scientific problem solving.

He has served on the editorial boards of several academic journals, including Applied Mathematics and Optimization Journal (2016-present), Mathematical Control and Related Fields (2011-18), and Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Journal on Control and Optimization (2006-12). Święch gave the plenary lecture at the 2022 SIAM Annual Meeting and received, jointly with Shigeaki Koike, the Journal of the Mathematical Society of Japan’s 2010 Outstanding Paper Prize. In 2017, he coauthored, with Giorgio Fabbri and Fausto Gozzi, the book, Stochastic Optimal Control in Infinite Dimension: Dynamic Programming and HJB Equations.

Święch earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“This grant gives me a foothold in a new world where AI can be used in a very concrete way,” says Leykin. “It’s an opportunity to move beyond the hype and develop tools that truly benefit mathematical research.”

With a total of $18 million in inaugural grants to 29 project teams, the AI for Math Fund backs initiatives that create open-source tools, expand high-quality datasets for AI training, and make advanced systems more accessible to mathematicians. The fund received 280 grant applications from researchers and mathematicians worldwide. 

Building bridges

Leykin’s global team includes researchers from the University of South Carolina, University of Warwick, and Cornell University. Their project, “Bridging Proof and Computation: For a Verified Lean-Macaulay2 Interface,” aims to connect two powerful systems: Lean, a platform for assisting and formalizing mathematical proofs, and Macaulay2, a computational algebra system widely used in research.

By developing a native interface — a built-in connection that allows the two systems to work together without external tools — and a Lean-based domain-specific language, the project will enable communication between these systems. This will allow Lean users to formulate tactics that involve sophisticated computation done by algorithms implemented in Macaulay2; in return, Macaulay2 users can formalize computer-assisted proofs via Lean with a little help from AI.

“This integration has the potential to transform how mathematicians work,” says Leykin. “It will not only connect Lean and Macaulay2 but also lay the groundwork for a general interface that could benefit other computer algebra systems in the future.”

His goal is to create a robust proof-assistance system where AI can help generate strategies and validate proofs, driving progress in areas that require both computational power and rigorous verification.

About the AI for Math Fund

A joint initiative developed in partnership between Renaissance Philanthropy and founding donor XTX Markets, the AI for Math Fund is one of the largest philanthropic commitments supporting the development of AI and machine learning tools to advance mathematics. Individual grants range up to $1 million for 24 months of work on open-source projects and research.

October 30th from 4:30pm – 5:30pm
@ Skiles 006
Reception at 4pm

Title: The Convexity Conjecture, the Kahn-Kalai Conjecture, and introduction to k-thresholds

Abstract: The "Convexity Conjecture" by Talagrand asks (very roughly) whether one can "create convexity" in constant steps regardless of the dimension of the ambient space. Talagrand also suggested a discrete version of the Convexity Conjecture and called it "my lifetime favorite problem," offering $1,000 prize for its solution. We introduce a reformulation of the discrete Convexity Conjecture using the new notion of "k-thresholds," which is an extension of the traditional notion of thresholds, introduced by Talagrand. Some ongoing work on understanding k-thresholds, along with a (vague) connection between the Kahn-Kalai Conjecture and the discrete Convexity Conjecture, will also be discussed. Joint work with Michel Talagrand.

 

About the Speaker

Jinyoung Park is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the Courant Institute, NYU. Her research interests include extremal and probabilistic combinatorics. She earned her Ph.D. in mathematics from Rutgers University in 2020, under the supervision of Jeff Kahn. Following her Ph.D., she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Stanford University before joining the faculty of the Courant Institute at NYU in 2023. Park received her bachelor's degree in mathematics education from Seoul National University in 2005 and worked as a secondary school mathematics teacher until 2011. She has received several honors and awards, including the AMS Conant Prize, the Dénes König Prize, and the Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize.

Photo by Rod Searcey

Wang, who is a Ph.D. student in the School of Mathematics and a master’s student in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, will focus on developing mathematically-backed landing solutions for spacecraft. 

“I first became interested in powered descent problems during my Fall 2024 internship with NASA’s Human Landing System at Marshall Space Flight Center,” he says. “With my mathematical background in optimization and topology, and my passion for space exploration, I saw this research topic as a perfect fit when my co-advisor Dr. Panagiotis Tsiotras suggested it.”

Wang is co-advised by School of Mathematics Professor and Hubbard Research Fellow John Etnyre alongside Panagiotis Tsiotras, who holds the David and Andrew Lewis Endowed Chair in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering and is also associate director at the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines.

In addition to his Georgia Tech advisors, Wang will collaborate with a NASA Subject Matter Expert, who will connect him with the larger technical community. He will perform part of the research as a visiting technologist at multiple NASA centers, giving him the opportunity to work with leading engineers and scientists and share his research results directly with the NASA community.

From abstractions to space exploration

“NASA’s upcoming missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond need technology that allows spacecraft to land precisely at their intended sites,” says Wang. “My research will focus on the last stage of landing, called powered descent. This stage powers up engines, which guide the spacecraft into a safe landing using a pre-designed trajectory that autopilot follows.”

This means that researchers need to figure out the correct thrust, direction, and timing to reach a landing spot — all while navigating a landing that uses as little fuel as possible.

“A common approach is to treat this as an optimization problem: minimizing fuel consumption with rigid-body physics as constraints to determine the best thrust profile,” Wang explains. “This can work well, but it has drawbacks. It assumes that there is no uncertainty in the system (for example, that the thrust of the engines is applied perfectly) and it simplifies the motion of the spacecraft by treating it as though it’s traveling through flat space instead of on a true curved geometry. Both shortcuts introduce errors  — our research aims to address these gaps.”

To improve landing precision, Wang will develop a curved-space geometric mathematical model, which takes into account the curved-space geometry of spacecraft motion rather than assuming flat space. To find a fuel-efficient landing trajectory, Wang will develop the model around optimal covariance steering, a stochastic control problem that both minimizes fuel costs while keeping the uncertainty of the spacecraft's exact landing spot within a safe amount.

It’s a problem that leverages his experience in theoretical math and his background in aerospace engineering. “I’m incredibly honored that NASA finds this research exciting and is supporting my pursuit of it,” he says. “There are so many fascinating engineering problems that could benefit from deeper theoretical scrutiny, especially using abstract machineries not typically covered in an engineering curriculum. I hope this inspires more theoretical researchers and graduate students to explore bridging these gaps.”

Stelson Public Lecture

Thursday, September 18, 2025
5:00pm - 6:00pm @ Boggs B5
Reception 4:00-4:45pm in Skiles Courtyard

Projection areas of 4-dimensional convex bodies

Consider a convex body in 4-dimensional space—perhaps an ellipsoid or a polytope. When we project the convex body onto the six coordinate planes, we obtain six planar shadows whose areas we can measure. This leads to a deceptively simple question: which six numbers can arise as these projection areas?

Behind this concrete geometric problem lies a web of deep mathematics connecting Minkowski's classical work on the isoperimetric problem to recent developments in algebraic geometry. I will trace the path to the answer, revealing the rich mathematical landscape that emerges from this seemingly elementary question.

SoM Special Colloquium 

Friday, September 19, 2025
11:00am - 12:00pm
Skiles 006

Volume polynomials

Volume polynomials constitute a distinguished class of log-concave polynomials with remarkable analytic and combinatorial properties arising from convex bodies and projective varieties. I will introduce new entropy inequalities satisfied by volume polynomials, discuss applications to the combinatorics of algebraic matroids, introduce the new class of analytic matroids, and pose several open questions (based on joint with Lukas Grund, Mateusz Michalek, Henrik Süss, and Botong Wang).

About the Speaker

Professor June Huh is known for forging deep and unexpected connections between combinatorics and algebraic geometry. His work has transformed how mathematicians think about longstanding problems involving discrete structures, such as graphs and matroids, by importing tools from geometry traditionally used to study curves, surfaces, and other solutions to polynomial equations.

While still a graduate student, Huh resolved Read’s conjecture—a 1968 problem in graph theory—by applying techniques from algebraic geometry to prove a pattern in the coefficients of chromatic polynomials. This breakthrough launched a line of research that culminated in a proof of the Rota-Welsh conjecture with collaborators Karim Adiprasito and Eric Katz, establishing a striking bridge between combinatorics and Hodge theory, a foundational topic in geometry.

With Petter Brändén, Huh also introduced the theory of Lorentzian polynomials, providing a new framework for understanding log-concavity and related phenomena across combinatorics, computer science, and probability. For his groundbreaking contributions bringing ideas from Hodge theory into combinatorics, Huh was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship and the 2022 Fields Medal.

Huh’s current research interests include tropical geometry, Lorentzian polynomials, correlation phenomena for models in statistical physics, connections between realizability problems in algebraic geometry and combinatorics, and the geometry of matroids and polymatroids.

“AI and ML have the potential to revolutionize scientific discovery, but there is a clear need for foundational research centered on AI/ML methodologies and application to scientific problems,” says Dimitrios Psaltis, professor in the School of Physics.

Psaltis will co-lead the center with Molei Tao, professor in the School of Mathematics, and Audrey Sederberg, assistant professor in the School of Psychology.

The new center will combine expertise and resources from various disciplines to foster the creation of robust, reusable tools and methods that can be used across scientific domains. Specifically, the center will organize seminars and an annual conference in addition to providing seed funding for collaborative projects across units. 

Nearly 40 faculty members from the College’s six schools have already agreed to participate in activities proposed by the center; additional faculty involvement is expected from across the Institute.

The center builds upon initiatives such as Tech AI, the Machine Learning Center, and the Institute for Data Engineering and Science, which seek to boost Georgia Tech’s leadership in cutting-edge, AI/ML-powered interdisciplinary research and education.

The College’s seed grant program will sponsor the center for three years, starting in fiscal year 2026. Created in 2024, this program funds new centers that seek to increase the College’s research impact and advance its strategic goal of excellence in research through a focus on novel interdisciplinary areas or discipline-specific topics of high impact. The AI4Science Center is the third initiative to be seeded by this program, following the funding of the Center for Sustainable and Decarbonized Critical Energy Mineral Solutions and the Center for Research and Education in Navigation in 2024.

“The AI4Science Center was selected for its approach, timeliness, organization, and strong support from all six of the College’s schools,” says Laura Cadonati, associate dean for Research and professor in the School of Physics. “Faculty enthusiasm about this initiative reflects the growing importance of AI/ML tools in research today and the desire for more interdisciplinary collaboration in this space at the College and beyond.”

About

 Long ago, Evans was the first person Science ATL connected with at Georgia Tech when the Atlanta Science Festival was just an idea. As a Professor of Mathematics and an Associate Dean in the College of Sciences, he took the vision of Festival and ran with it, bringing the university on board as a founding partner.

Since those early days of helping create the Festival, Evans has poured every ounce of creativity possible into creating incredible events annually for the Festival. From partnering with circus artists to introduce Atlanta to the Science of Circus to coupling with choreographers to explore math concepts through dance, Evans has made science and math entertaining and engaging for thousands of people in Atlanta.

For years, Evans has worked with the Atlanta Science Festival to provide science and math outreach to the Atlanta community, so it is great to see this recognition of Evans' efforts. The work is especially meaningful and impactful at the present time, when public awareness and appreciation of science and scientists is at a critical juncture. Congratulations to Evans on this well-deserved distinction for his impact on science engagement in the community!

“We are excited to launch this event that honors the achievements of our incredible alumni,” says Susan Lozier, dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair of the College of Sciences and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “Their accomplishments reflect the principles that define our College — curiosity, collaboration, and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. We’re grateful for the ways they continue to inspire and lead our community, and we look forward to celebrating them.”

Honorees will be recognized at the inaugural Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration on Wednesday, October 1, from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Historic Academy of Medicine.

Recognition categories include the Distinguished Alumni Awards, honoring one graduate from each School; the Distinguished Young Scientist Award, recognizing early-career excellence; and the College of Sciences Impact Award, honoring transformative contributions to the College’s mission and future.

“These outstanding alumni, nominated by their peers and leadership from the College of Sciences, are bold thinkers, dedicated leaders, and passionate advocates for progress,” says Director of Alumni Relations Leslie Roberts. “As the inaugural class of honorees, they embody the breadth of talent, vision, and valued engagement that define our alumni network.”

Alumni and friends are invited to join the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration at the Historic Academy of Medicine and help us honor these outstanding alumni. More information and registration links can be found here.

Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Rutt Bridges (Physics 1973, M.S. Geophysical Sciences 1975)

Geophysicist, Entrepreneur, Author, and Founder, Rutt Bridges Venture Fund

School of Biological Sciences

Jack McCallum, M.D., Ph.D. (Applied Biology 1966)

Chairman and CEO, IntegerHealth

School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Kelly Sepcic Pfeil, Ph.D. (M.S. Chemistry 1992, Ph.D. Chemistry 2003)

Owner and President, Villa Splendida and Former President, ArrowInno

School of Mathematics

Frank Cullen, Ph.D. (Math 1973, M.S. Industrial and Systems Engineering 1976, Ph.D. Industrial and Systems Engineering 1984)

Emeritus Principal, Blackstone and Cullen

School of Physics

D. Nathan Meehan, Ph.D., P.E. (Physics 1975)

Professor, Texas A&M University and Founder, CMG Petroleum Consulting, Ltd.

School of Psychology

Margaret Beier, Ph.D. (M.S. Psychology 1999, Ph.D. Psychology 2004)

Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychological Sciences, Rice University

Distinguished Young Scientist Award Recipient

Kristel Topping, Ph.D. (Ph.D. Physiology, 2021)

Principal Researcher, The Home Depot

College of Sciences Impact Award Recipient

John Sutherland, Ph.D. (Physics 1962, M.S. Physics 1964, Ph.D. Physics 1967)

Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, Augusta University

“Speaking as a section lecturer at ICM is a rare distinction and prestigious honor,” says School of Mathematics Chair and Professor Mike Wolf. "Fewer than two dozen researchers in the world are asked to speak on geometry and topology at this event, which happens just once every four years. We are thrilled, but not surprised, that John has been selected. His top-notch research and teaching are truly world class.” 

Known for his expertise in the area, Etnyre will speak on the topic of Geometry. “I was surprised and excited to receive the invitation to speak,” says Etnyre. “It is a great honor to represent my branch of mathematics and the School of Mathematics at ICM. The School of Mathematics has had several ICM speakers in the past, and I am very happy to continue that legacy.”

H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor Katya Scheinberg has also been selected as a section lecturer and will speak on Control Theory and Optimization.

About John Etnyre

Etnyre is known for his expertise in topology, including knot theory, which is crucial to understanding three- and four-dimensional spaces, with applications ranging from string theory to DNA recombination and understanding the shape of the universe. He also studies contact and symplectic geometry and three- and four-dimensional manifolds.

“A large part of my work over the years has been to demonstrate that special subspaces of contact and symplectic manifolds are the keys to unlocking their subtle nature,” he explains. “This goes back, at least, to Bennequin in the early 1980s and then Eliashberg in the late 1980s and 1990s. My talk at ICM will survey this research, starting with Bennequin’s work and ending with current trends in the field.”

Etnyre’s previous distinctions include being in the Inaugural Class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society. He has also received a National Science Foundation CAREER grant award and was a Simons Fellow in Mathematics.

Chris Jankowski Wins the Dean George C. Griffin Award for Faculty Member of the Year

At the "Up with the White & Gold (UWWG)" award ceremony, the Student Government Association -- Undergraduate House of Representative -- awarded Chris Jankowski the Dean George C. Griffin Award for faculty member of the year.

Chris Jankowski is a key contributor to the success of the SoM’s teaching mission, and I’m happy to see him win this award.

- Matt Baker

This unique honor to a single faculty member at the Institute represents the opinion of the students as which faculty member has had an especially positive impact on them while at Tech. The citation reads (in part),

The House voted you the winner for your outstanding teaching and bringing clarity to a very difficult course for many students, Linear Algebra. There was very high praise from many students regarding your passion to teach and meet students where they are at.

Congratulations to Chris for this well-deserved important distinction! We in the school greatly appreciate your efforts and are privileged to work beside you as you constantly help to advance the teaching mission of the school. Well done!

Chris Jankowski Wins Fulmer Prize 2025

The SoM is pleased to announce that Chris Jankowski is this year's recipient of the Fulmer award.

The Herman K. Fulmer Faculty Teaching Fund Endowment for the School of Mathematics was established by the late Howard Woodham (Georgia Tech alumnus, Engineering ’48), in memory of Professor Herman Fulmer, his former mathematics professor. Each year the Fulmer award recognizes one of our faculty who exhibit genuine regard for undergraduate students during the first few years of their Engineering studies at Georgia Tech.

Through his teaching of Math 1553, and in his coordinating role, Chris has stood out as a dedicated instructor that delivers masterful lectures, is always available to his students, and helps each student have a strong start in their undergraduate studies.

Congratulations Chris on this well-deserved award!

Please join us in congratulating the following honorees:

ANAK Awards

• Outstanding Faculty ANAK Award: Susan Lozier, Dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, College of Sciences

Center for Teaching and Learning Awards

• Innovation and Excellence in Laboratory Instruction Award: Emily Weigel, Senior Academic Professional, School of Biological Sciences
• Undergraduate Educator Award: Mary Holder, Senior Academic Professional, School of Psychology
• TA and Future Faculty Awards: Twenty members of the College of Sciences community were honored for teaching excellence during a ceremony in March 2025.

College of Sciences Student Excellence Awards

• A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Prize: Phat Phan
• Cynthia L. Bossart and James Efron Scholarship: Sabrina Downie
• Metha Phingbodhipakkiya Memorial Scholarship: Arya Akbarshahi
• Robert A. Pierotti Memorial Scholarship: Alexander Divoux, Jedrzej Konarkowski, Austin Shoemaker
• Roger M. Wartell, Ph.D., and Stephen E. Brossette, M.D., Ph.D. Award for Multidisciplinary Studies in Biology, Physics, and Mathematics: Rehaan Naik
• Virginia C. and Herschel V. Clanton Jr. Scholarship: Haelin Lee

Georgia Tech Chapter Sigma Xi Awards

• Best M.S. Thesis Award: Nikolas Alansson, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Advisor: Lynn Kamerlin
• Best Ph.D. Thesis Award: Yuqing Wang, School of Mathematics, Advisor: Molei Tao
• Best Undergraduate Research Award: Alice Heranval, School of Physics, Advisor: Laura Cadonati
• Young Faculty Award: Pengfei Liu, Assistant Professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Georgia Tech Division of Student Life and SGA Awards

• Dean George C. Griffin Award for faculty member of the year: Chris Jankowski, Director of Graduate Advising and Assessment and Assistant Director of Teaching Effectiveness, School of Mathematics

Institute Awards

Research Awards

• Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development Award: TRU CoRE:NNSA Transuranic Chemistry Center of Research Excellence
  • Henry Storms La Pierre, Associate Professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Julie Niklas, Research Scientist II, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Keisha Durggin, Research Admin Manager, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Staff Performance Awards

• Spirit of Georgia Tech Award: Christopher Pruitt, Facilities Manager II, School of Physics 

Academic Advising Awards 

• Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advisor – Faculty Advisor: Meghan Babcock, Academic Professional, School of Psychology 

Awards for Student Excellence

• Outstanding Learning Assistant Award: Emily Hill
• Outstanding Tutor Award: Eric Baker
• Provost’s Academic Excellence Award: Alexander Divoux

School of Mathematics Associate Professor Benjamin Jaye has been awarded a prestigious Simons Fellowship in support of his research into these types of related qualities (like time and frequency), and how precisely we can know one without knowing the other.

Called the Fourier uncertainty principle, it’s a centuries-old subject, but progress on this topic is still in its infancy, Jaye says. Using mathematics, he will unravel how much information, or partial information, is needed about a function’s frequencies in order to determine what the original function is.

Advancing fundamental mathematics

While his work centers on theory, there are a number of fields that can benefit from it.

“These problems interest me as basic questions in harmonic analysis,” a fundamental area of mathematics used for research in fields ranging from quantum mechanics to neuroscience, Jaye says, adding that “the specific forms I am interested in arose from work in probability theory — in particular, understanding the probability that a system is reliable over a long period of time.” 

This type of reliability analysis and probability theory plays a crucial role in predicting how safe equipment and processes are, and could lead to advancements in more reliable public transportation to safer planes.

Jaye also notes applications for partial differential equations, in particular “dampening” a wave function to ensure that energy is lost at a certain rate — a critical area of research for controlling and predicting waves, with applications in engineering, physics, and optics.

“I have had many amazing colleagues who have piqued my interest in these questions over the last ten years,” Jaye says. “The Simons Fellowship gives me an important opportunity to develop mathematical theories around them in a systematic way.”

The work could lead to new discoveries and a deeper understanding of how celestial bodies like planets, moons, and asteroids interact. The fellowship will fund one year of work, during which Leykin also plans to finish writing a book on nonlinear algebra for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students.

Leykin explains that the mathematical problem — known as “Smale's sixth problem” for its position as number six on the list of questions for the 21st century compiled by Fields Medalist Stephen Smale — involves understanding the number of ways celestial bodies can be arranged in space so that they stay at relative equilibrium, growing neither further apart nor closer to each other as they orbit.

“People have been trying to solve this problem for more than two hundred years — since Euler and Lagrange — but even proving that the number of relative equilibria in an n-body problem is finite is extremely difficult,” Leykin says. One reason for this? “Even for small cases, (e.g. n=5) the brute-force approach leads to an enormous amount of computation.”  

Each of Leykin’s initial experiments for the case n=6 required a CPU year — the computational power equivalent to a single computer running for an entire year. 

This difficulty is partially what draws Leykin to the problem. “We use supercomputers to help with the computation time, but this isn’t an area that AI and machine learning can advance,” he explains. “For this type of problem, we need human intelligence — and even with our current technology, there are no easy solutions. It’s a challenge, but that is what makes it interesting.”

Stellar pathways

Imagine the Moon and Earth as two celestial bodies on a plane. Both exert gravitational force on each other — we can see the result as tides on Earth and the Moon’s orbit. Now add the Sun and other planetary bodies to the plane: asteroids, satellites, and other planets. These bodies also exert gravitational force — a function of their masses and distances apart — creating a complex system of orbits and trajectories.

Smale’s sixth problem imagines a plane like this, with any number of celestial bodies arranged on it. The problem considers an arrangement of the bodies in a way that the gravitational forces balance, so that even while they are interacting and orbiting, none of the bodies travel further away or closer to each other.

“It has been conjectured, but so far not shown, that the number of such configurations is finite,” Leykin says. “It seems simple. Is it finite or infinite? But progress is minimal at the moment.  Several approaches settle the question for almost all values of n=5 masses with the case n=6 wide open, even for a non-special choice of masses.”

Leykin is taking a different approach than many researchers, leveraging a field of mathematics called tropical geometry, which simplifies the geometry of curved equations as straight lines. 

“We're not trying to compute or describe the original solution manifold but rather replace it with its tropicalization, a combinatorial shadow which captures the finiteness aspect,” he explains. 

Leykin’s method has already found success for the case n=5. “A recent paper proved that for five bodies, if the masses are general enough, there are a finite number of relative equilibria,” Leykin shares. “Using our approach, we were able to reproduce the result for five celestial bodies in a simpler way.”

“Our goal now is to collect more evidence by solving the problem for six bodies,” he adds. “If this helps lead us to a general solution to the problem as a whole — that would be great.”

Space ‘storage spots’

While the project is theoretical, it could lead to a greater understanding of celestial mechanics.

Leykin is collaborating on a separate but related project with aerospace departments around the country. “We're working to understand the trajectories of a massless spacecraft, assuming it is primarily affected by gravitation of the Moon and the Earth,” he shares.

The 18th century mathematics developed for this type of problem, a restricted three-body problem, could help teams use the gravitational pull of the Earth and Moon to place a small spacecraft near a Lagrangian point — a space “storage spot” where it would remain stationary relative to the Earth.

“You can place something at a Lagrangian point, and it will stay stationary relative to the system,” Leykin explains. “It's a way to place things so they don't move.” For example, in the Sun-Earth system, the James Webb Space Telescope was placed at one of these points, where it conveniently stays in Earth’s shadow — avoiding the bright light and heat of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

“Smale’s sixth problem is about acquiring more theoretical knowledge,” Leykin adds. “If we discover something on the theoretical front, it can be of practical importance for applied scientists and designing missions for exploratory spacecraft going far into the solar system.”

“The one thing that impressed me the most [about] Kyle is his mathematical versatility: he is a master of so many areas, from analytic number theory to combinatorics, from algebra to arithmetic geometry.”

Read more »

The College of Sciences hosted its Spring Sciences Celebration at Tech Harrison Square this week to recognize outstanding faculty and staff for the 2024-25 academic year. Four recent retirees were also among those honored during the annual event.

“Spring Sciences is one of my favorite traditions at the College, a special moment to celebrate and thank exemplary members of our community,” says Susan Lozier, dean of the College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “While all our faculty and staff do incredible work every day, these honorees have gone above and beyond in their service and dedication to our mission.” 

The 2025 awards and honorees are:

Faculty Development Awards

The Cullen-Peck Scholar Awards were established by Frank Cullen (Math 1973, M.S. ISyE 1976, Ph.D. ISyE 1984) and Elizabeth Peck (Math 1975, M.S. ISyE 1976) to encourage the development of especially promising mid-career faculty. 

• Vinayak Agarwal, Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Alex Blumenthal, Mathematics
• Wing ‘Winnie’ Chu, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences 

The Gretzinger Moving the School Forward Award, endowed by Ralph Gretzinger (Math 1970) and named to honor his late wife Jewel, recognizes the leadership of a school chair or senior faculty member who has played a pivotal role in advancing equal opportunity in the composition of tenure-track faculty, fostering a family-friendly work environment, and providing a supportive environment for early-career faculty. 

• Tansu Celikel, Psychology

The Eric R. Immel Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, endowed by Charles Crawford (Math 1971), recognizes exemplary teaching in foundational undergraduate courses.

• Emily Alicea-Munoz, Physics

The Leddy Family Dean’s Faculty Excellence Award was established by Jeff Leddy (Physics 1978) and Pam Leddy to support a faculty member at the associate professor level with proven accomplishments in research and teaching. 

• James Wray, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

The CoS Faculty Mentor Awards, established jointly by the College of Sciences and its ADVANCE Professor, honors the efforts and achievements of faculty members engaged in mentoring fellow faculty. 

• Randall ‘Randy’ Engle, Psychology
• Teresa Snow, Biological Sciences
• Hui Zhu, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Faculty Research Awards

The CoS Outstanding Junior Research Faculty Award and CoS Outstanding Senior Research Faculty Award recognize postdoctoral and non-tenure track research faculty who have made exceptional research contributions with significant impact on their field of study.

CoS Outstanding Junior Research Faculty Award

• Sarah Orr, Biological Sciences

CoS Outstanding Senior Research Faculty Award

• Matthew Liska, Physics

The CoS Research Faculty Community Trailblazer Award recognizes postdoctoral and non-tenure track research faculty who have demonstrated and sustained leadership that strengthens the sense of community among research faculty within the College.

• Avery Davis Bell, Biological Sciences

Staff Awards

The College of Sciences Staff Awards are made possible by funding from the Betsy Middleton and John Sutherland Dean’s Chair endowment. 

The Leadership in Action Award is presented to a staff member who has made exceptional contributions to the College through innovative and strategic leadership, change management, business process improvement, special project leadership, and similar accomplishments. 

• Arian Padron, Academic and Research Computing Services

The Exceptional Staff Award and Friend of the Sciences Award recognize and celebrate performance above and beyond the call of duty. The awardees demonstrate high levels of execution in their primary job duties, auxiliary roles, and citizenship — positively impacting the strategic goals of their department and the College.

Exceptional Staff Award

• Dexter Dean, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Friend of the Sciences Award

• Kay May, Office of Faculty Affairs

The Rising Star Award honors a newer staff member who has made a significant impact during their short tenure by contributing to the strategic goals and initiatives of the College, showing passion for their work, and embracing the Institute’s culture and values.

• Nadia Moore, Academic and Research Computing Services

2025 Retirees

• Ellery Ingall, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
• James “Jim” Sowell, Physics
• Kurt Wiesenfeld, Physics
• Z. John Zhang, Chemistry and Biochemistry

What: Math & Pizza
When: 11AM - 2PM April 10
Where: Clough 102
Why: For fun!

Graduate students present cool math topics designed specifically for you!

◊ Sphere packing in 3 dimensions
◊ Active contour without edges
◊ Diffusion generative modeling algorithms
◊ Filamentations of vortex patches on planes and spheres
◊ Mathematics of Grid Cells
◊ Sum of squares and non-negative polynomials
◊ Simple Random Walks in different dimensions
◊ Introduction to artificial neural network
◊ Proof of Isoperimetric inequality by using Knothe map

Drop by when it’s good for you. Stay as long as you want. This is a casual event!

RSVP at https://gatech.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3saXKOBi0ktndvE

Jointly hosted by the combinatorics groups at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and Emory University.

organized by Tom Kelly, Liana Yepremyan, and Yi Zhao.

The talk will be at 5pm on April 3rd in the Bill Moore Student Success Center Press Room A, with refreshments at 4:30. 

Please Note: The location is now Press Room A.

Title: Nodal Statistics for Graphs and Matrices

Abstract: The study of nodal statistics provides insight into the spectral properties of graphs and matrices, drawing strong parallels with classical results in analysis. In this talk, we will give an overview of the field, covering key results on nodal domains and nodal counts for graphs  and their connection to known results in the continuous setting. In addition, we will discuss some recent progress towards a complete understanding of the extremal properties of the nodal statistics of a matrix.

Bio: John Urschel is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at MIT, and a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. Previously, he was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from MIT in 2021 under the supervision of Michel Goemans. His main research interests include matrix analysis, numerical linear algebra, and spectral graph theory. He recently received the SIAM DiPrima Prize and the SIAM Early Career Prize in Linear Algebra.

About the Atlanta Combinatorics Colloquium

The Atlanta Combinatorics Colloquium is a seminar in discrete mathematics jointly hosted by the combinatorics groups at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and Emory University.
 

Come participate in the first-ever SoM Speed Networking Event!

Friday, April 4th • 4-6PM • Skiles 006

Presented by the Skiles Committee

Hosted by the Skiles Committee, the event is open to all members of SoM. Each round will give 5 minutes to introduce yourself, exchange thoughts, and network with someone new. Don’t miss your chance to expand your circle and meet some other members of SoM. Refreshments will be served. Confirm your spot at

https://gatech.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0O3KRuLgbltXqJg

Presented by Mathematics in Motion, VinsonArt.com

Experience the beauty of mathematical art and create some yourself during Mathapalooza!, which marks the opening of The Art of Math at the Sun ATL gallery. The afternoon will start with a mathematical magic show by Matt Baker and end with a performance of Bach's Crab Canon by Tracy Woodard including a discussion of the symmetries hidden in that work. While visiting the exhibition you will explore the math in circus arts, construct mathy artwork yourself, and learn about math through puzzles, games, and more!

Stay for the whole show from 3:00 to 7:00 or drop by at any time.

Tickets to "Mathapalooza!" will also be valid for admission to "The Art of Math" for the duration of the Atlanta Science Festival.

Sunday, March 9th, 2025
3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

VENUE

Indoor Event

The Sun ATL Gallery
399 Edgewood Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
Transportation

GETTING THERE

ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION
Take MARTA bus route 3 and exit at Edgewood Ave SE and Boulevard SE. Walk east on Edgewood Ave SE for about .1 miles to arrive at the Sun ATL Gallery.
 

written by John Etnyre
originally appeared in The Conversation nonprofit news source

When you look at your surrounding environment, it might seem like you’re living on a flat plane. After all, this is why you can navigate a new city using a map: a flat piece of paper that represents all the places around you. This is likely why some people in the past believed the earth to be flat. But most people now know that is far from the truth.

You live on the surface of a giant sphere, like a beach ball the size of the Earth with a few bumps added. The surface of the sphere and the plane are two possible 2D spaces, meaning you can walk in two directions: north and south or east and west.

What other possible spaces might you be living on? That is, what other spaces around you are 2D? For example, the surface of a giant doughnut is another 2D space.

Through a field called geometric topology, mathematicians like me study all possible spaces in all dimensions. Whether trying to design secure sensor networks, mine data or use origami to deploy satellites, the underlying language and ideas are likely to be that of topology.

The shape of the universe

When you look around the universe you live in, it looks like a 3D space, just like the surface of the Earth looks like a 2D space. However, just like the Earth, if you were to look at the universe as a whole, it could be a more complicated space, like a giant 3D version of the 2D beach ball surface or something even more exotic than that.

While you don’t need topology to determine that you are living on something like a giant beach ball, knowing all the possible 2D spaces can be useful. Over a century ago, mathematicians figured out all the possible 2D spaces and many of their properties.

In the past several decades, mathematicians have learned a lot about all of the possible 3D spaces. While we do not have a complete understanding like we do for 2D spaces, we do know a lot. With this knowledge, physicists and astronomers can try to determine what 3D space people actually live in.

While the answer is not completely known, there are many intriguing and surprising possibilities. The options become even more complicated if you consider time as a dimension.

To see how this might work, note that to describe the location of something in space – say a comet – you need four numbers: three to describe its position and one to describe the time it is in that position. These four numbers are what make up a 4D space.

Now, you can consider what 4D spaces are possible and in which of those spaces do you live.

Topology in higher dimensions

At this point, it may seem like there is no reason to consider spaces that have dimensions larger than four, since that is the highest imaginable dimension that might describe our universe. But a branch of physics called string theory suggests that the universe has many more dimensions than four.

There are also practical applications of thinking about higher dimensional spaces, such as robot motion planning. Suppose you are trying to understand the motion of three robots moving around a factory floor in a warehouse. You can put a grid on the floor and describe the position of each robot by their x and y coordinates on the grid. Since each of the three robots requires two coordinates, you will need six numbers to describe all of the possible positions of the robots. You can interpret the possible positions of the robots as a 6D space.

As the number of robots increases, the dimension of the space increases. Factoring in other useful information, such as the locations of obstacles, makes the space even more complicated. In order to study this problem, you need to study high-dimensional spaces.

There are countless other scientific problems where high-dimensional spaces appear, from modeling the motion of planets and spacecraft to trying to understand the “shape” of large datasets.

Tied up in knots

Another type of problem topologists study is how one space can sit inside another.

For example, if you hold a knotted loop of string, then we have a 1D space (the loop of string) inside a 3D space (your room). Such loops are called mathematical knots.

The study of knots first grew out of physics but has become a central area of topology. They are essential to how scientists understand 3D and 4D spaces and have a delightful and subtle structure that researchers are still trying to understand.

In addition, knots have many applications, ranging from string theory in physics to DNA recombination in biology to chirality in chemistry.

What shape do you live on?

Geometric topology is a beautiful and complex subject, and there are still countless exciting questions to answer about spaces.

For example, the smooth 4D Poincaré conjecture asks what the “simplest” closed 4D space is, and the slice-ribbon conjecture aims to understand how knots in 3D spaces relate to surfaces in 4D spaces.

Topology is currently useful in science and engineering. Unraveling more mysteries of spaces in all dimensions will be invaluable to understanding the world in which we live and solving real-world problems.

organized by: Alex Dunn, Xiaoyu He, Rose McCarty, Dmitrii Ostrovskii, and Wei Zhu

Abstract

I will give an overview of a research path in data driven modeling of complex systems over the last 30 or so years – from the early days of shallow neural networks and autoencoders for nonlinear dynamical system identification, to the more recent derivation of data driven “emergent” spaces in which to better learn generative PDE laws. In all illustrations presented, I will try to point out connections between the “traditional” numerical analysis we know and love, and the more modern data-driven tools and techniques we now have – and some mathematical questions they hopefully make possible for us to answer.

About the Speaker 

Yannis Kevrekidis studied Chemical Engineering at the National Technical University in Athens. He then followed the steps of many alumni of that department to the University of Minnesota, where he studied with Rutherford Aris and Lanny Schmidt (as well as Don Aronson and Dick McGehee in Math). He was a Director's Fellow at the Center for Nonlinear Studies in Los Alamos in 1985-86 (when the Soviet Union still existed and research funds were plentiful). He then had the good fortune of joining the faculty at Princeton, where he taught Chemical Engineering and also Applied and Computational Mathematics for 31 years; seven years ago he became Emeritus and started fresh at Johns Hopkins (where he somehow is also Professor of Urology). His work always had to do with nonlinear dynamics (from instabilities and bifurcation algorithms to spatiotemporal patterns to data science in the 90s, nonlinear identification, multiscale modeling, and back to data science/ML); and he had the additional good fortune to work with several truly talented experimentalists, like G. Ertl's group in Berlin. Currently -on leave from Hopkins- he works with the Defense Sciences Office at DARPA. When young and promising he was a Packard Fellow, a Presidential Young Investigator and the Ulam Scholar at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He holds the Colburn, CAST Wilhelm and Walker awards of the AIChE, the Crawford and the Reid prizes of SIAM, he is a member of the NAE, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Academy of Athens.

About Elaine Hubbard

The SoM Colloquiums are named in honor of Elaine M. Hubbard (MATH 1972, M.S. MATH 1974, Ph.D. MATH 1980), who died in 2016 after a 28-year career as a mathematics professor at Kennesaw State University. Hubbard was a long-time friend and supporter of the School of Mathematics and a member of the College of Sciences Advisory Board. 

Hubbard also included a provision in her estate that established the Elaine M. Hubbard Endowed Chair for the School of Mathematics.

“The festival spans three weeks and includes events all over town,” says Jennifer Leavey, assistant dean for Faculty Mentoring in the College of Sciences, principal academic professional in the School of Biological Sciences, longtime festival volunteer. “It helps me recharge my science enthusiasm batteries every year and lets me approach science education creatively.”

The annual festival features over 150 science-themed events for all ages and has become an Atlanta staple over the past decade. This year, the festival will host events from March 9 to March 22, culminating in the Exploration Expo event in Piedmont Park featuring 100 different demonstrations — on March 23. 

As one of its founding partners, Georgia Tech has served a key role in the Festival for over a decade. Last year’s iteration featured several events hosted by Tech — from a science fashion show to a virtual college prep workshop — hosted by volunteers from across campus.

“As a volunteer, you could help with one of the partner events or the Exploration Expo: the culminating street party at the end of the festival,” says Leavey. “Volunteering is a great way to meet people, learn more about science, get in events for free, and share your love of science with the community.”

Here are a few ways to get involved with this year’s festival. Look out for the full schedule and attendee registration on the Atlanta Science Festival website. 

Volunteer for GT Science and Engineering Day | March 9

For several years, Georgia Tech has opened its doors to the Atlanta community during Science and Engineering Day. With demonstrations on everything from robotics and neuroscience to paper and chemical engineering, there’s always been an activity for everyone. Last year’s event saw over 1,500 attendees, with more than 40 host units and student organizations.

This year, Science and Engineering Day will serve as the kickoff event for the entire festival, taking place on March 9 from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. Those interested in volunteering or hosting a demonstration of their work should register here by January 25.

Visit research.gatech.edu/ATLScienceFestival to learn more.

High School Math Day | March 9

Science and Engineering Day will also host this year’s High School Math Day, a tradition at Georgia Tech since 1958. A day of logic puzzles, math demonstrations, and friendly competition, last year’s event saw over 250 students, parents, and teachers from 42 schools around the state.

“My favorite part of High School math day is seeing all the students get excited about doing the activities with each other and winning the awards at the end of the day,” says Lea Marzo, program operations director for the College’s community engagement efforts and one of the co-organizers of the event.

If you know a high schooler who is a math expert or even math-curious, encourage them to stop by on March 9 from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M.

“It really is for any level of Math — whether you are in 9th grade Math or more advanced Math,” says Marzo. “There are a lot of activities planned for students and it includes food and a cool T-Shirt!”

Visit hsmd.math.gatech.edu to learn more.

Host a demonstration at the Exploration Expo | March 23

The Exploration Expo is the finale to the Festival, taking over Piedmont park every year with roughly 100 different science demonstrations. Often referred to as “Atlanta’s biggest science party,” this free event has a little something for everyone.

“Whether you’re about to start preschool or volunteering with your grandkids, you’re here because you also believe that Atlanta is a science city — that we’re here to learn, teach one another, and improve our world through shared inquiry,” shares Jess Hunt-Ralston, director of Communications for the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech, who also represents the Institute on the Science ATL Board of Directors. “And there’s nothing quite like seeing the scales of a butterfly wing for the first time, playing brain games with new friends, or peering through a telescope together to help spark and sustain that spirit of curiosity.”

Contact Jennifer Leavey (jennifer.leavey@cos.gatech.edu) for more information.

Volunteer for other events at the Festival

Interested in volunteering at the Festival in another way? Learn more about how to volunteer here.

After the Festival: Georgia Tech Energy Materials Day | March 27

If you're looking for more science after the festival, join us for the Georgia Tech Energy Materials Day on March 27 at the Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall. This event will bring together representatives from academia, government, and industry to accelerate energy materials research. It will also provide an opportunity for key stakeholders to interact with Georgia Tech researchers in this important area.

Register for the event here, or click here to learn more.

The TA & Future Faculty Awards recognize TAs who receive Thank-a-Teacher notes; Graduate Teaching Fellows; International Teaching Assistant Liaisons; participants of the Tech to Teaching program; and Outstanding TA nominees selected by their respective schools.  

The Thank-a-Teacher program began in November 2005 and provides students with an opportunity to give feedback to outstanding teachers, teaching assistants, advisers, and mentors. In 2023, 172 TAs received notes thanking them for their hard work, dedication, and support of students.  

Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTFs) are a cohort of graduate students from various disciplines who work with faculty in the Center for Teaching and Learning in support of TA and future faculty programs. International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Liaisons support ITAs across campus through classes, consultations, orientations, and more. This year, 10 GTFs and 6 ITAs were recognized at the ceremony. 

The Tech to Teaching program prepares graduate students and postdocs for college teaching positions. Participants who complete the foundation level of the program receive a CIRTL Associate Certificate; in order to complete the entire Tech to Teaching program, participants must then teach or co-teach a course for their teaching capstone. Sixty-nine program participants were recognized for receiving their CIRTL Associate certificates and 40 were recognized for successfully completing the entire Tech to Teaching program. 

As part of the celebration, the Center for Teaching and Learning hosts the annual “TA Awards,” a competition that culminates at the end of the ceremony with the announcement of 14 institute-wide winners. To be recognized as an Outstanding TA in the TA Awards, schools must nominate teaching assistants for consideration; nominees must then submit endorsements from faculty, staff, and students. Each Outstanding TA is recognized at the ceremony with a certificate. From this list, final winners are selected by a review committee and announced at the ceremony. The 14 institute-wide award winners each received a $500 stipend and a framed certificate thanks to the generous endowments of the Class of ’57 and Class of ’72.  

The 2024 award winners are listed below by award category. 

Graduate Student Instructors: 

• Eunbee Kim – School of Psychology 
• Egan Lua – Scheller College of Business 
• Markace Rainey – School of Chemistry & Biochemistry 

Graduate Teaching Assistants:

• Joshua Ayers – School of City & Regional Planning 
• Athulya Ram Sreedharan Nair – School of Mathematics 
• Malav Patel – School of Computing Instruction 

Online Head Teaching Assistants:

• Kathryn Krupczak – School of Computer Science 
• Brandon Pries – School of Physics 

Online Teaching Assistants: 

• Shazia Ali – School of History & Sociology 
• Estelle Hansen – School of Mathematics 
• Suryateja Ravutla – School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering  

Undergraduate Teaching Assistants:

• Marianne Al Haj – School of Biomedical Engineering 
• Javier Pratdesaba – School of Mathematics  
• Morgan Polk – School of Chemistry & Biochemistry

On behalf of the Center for Teaching and Learning, we extend our thanks to all Georgia Tech teaching assistants. Thank you for striving for excellence, innovation, and inclusion in your endeavors, and may you continue to pursue your passion for education.

To view the full digital program with the names of those recognized, click here. View a highlights video here.

See the full list of student awardees from across the Institute.
View photos from the Student Honors Celebration — and more spring events around the College of Sciences.

Institute Awards

Provost’s Academic Excellence Award

• Hope Hazelton
  Psychology Major
• Zikang Leng 
  Physics and Computer Science Dual Major

Outstanding Tutor Award

• Harrison Banks 
  Physics Major

Outstanding Learning Assistant Award

• Ellia Kelso
  Biology Major (Pre-Med)

College of Sciences Awards

A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Prize

Lance Lampert
Mathematics and Physics Dual Major

The Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Undergraduate Research Award is presented by the College of Sciences to a student who has engaged in scholarship at the interface of physics and mathematics.  

Lance Lampert entered Georgia Tech as a graduate of Syosset High School, in Syosset, New York. This May, he will graduate with dual degrees in Physics and in Mathematics. Lampert has research experience in the School of Physics with both Professor Dragomir Davidovic and Professor Colin Parker, and with the GTRI Quantum Systems Division.

In summer 2022, Lampert participated in the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the University of Michigan, and he spent last summer as a researcher at the CERN in Switzerland where he worked on advancing the measurement of the gravitational acceleration of antimatter. Lampert will embark on graduate study in physics this fall, and is currently deciding between multiple offers of positions.
 

Roger M. Wartell, Ph.D., and Stephen E. Brossette, M.D., Ph.D. Award for Multidisciplinary Studies in Biology, Physics, and Mathematics

Brittany Ahn
Neuroscience Major, Mathematics Minor

The Roger M. Wartell and Stephen E. Brossette Award is presented to a student who has engaged in scholarship at the interface of the life sciences with physics or mathematics. 

This May, Brittany Ahn will graduate with a degree in Neuroscience and a minor in Mathematics. At Georgia Tech, Ahn engaged in research in the Computational Industrial Design Lab, the GTRI Electrical-Optical Lab, and the Mathematical Neuroscience Lab with Professor Hannah Choi. 

Last summer, Ahn participated in the NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology Research Experience for Undergraduates program at Northwestern University, during which she modeled the effect of temperature on neuronal action potential dynamics. 

Ahn has served as a teaching assistant in both industrial systems engineering and the neuroscience program, a math tutor, and as a volunteer with the Atlanta Science Festival and the Special Olympics. This fall, Ahn will enroll in the doctoral program in Computational Neuroscience at Boston University.
 

Robert A. Pierotti Memorial Scholarship

• Callie Goins
  Chemistry Major, Materials Science and Engineering Minor
• Emily Melvin
  Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Major
• Michelle Seeler
  Biology Major, Spanish Minor

The College of Sciences presents the Robert A. Pierotti Memorial Scholarship to top graduating seniors. This year there are three recipients.

Callie Goins will graduate with a degree in Chemistry and a minor in Materials Science and Engineering. Prior to attending Georgia Tech, Goins attended River Ridge High School in Woodstock, Georgia, and dual enrolled at Kennesaw State University.

For the last three years, she has conducted research in the laboratory of Professor John Reynolds, leading to her undergraduate thesis titled “Investigating IR Switching of Dioxythiophene-Based Conjugated Polymers.”

Goins has also completed summer internships with Alcon and with Parker Lord, and served as a teaching assistant in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Goins appears as a co-author on peer reviewed articles in the journals Materials Advances and ACS Materials Letters and on a number of conference presentations. She is the recipient of the American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry.

Professor Reynolds shares that “Callie has always demonstrated a tremendous enthusiasm for learning … She is a student who loves scientific discourse and takes advantage of every opportunity that she gets to share her research.” This fall, Goins will embark on graduate studies; she is currently choosing between a number of opportunities.

Emily Melvin will be among the first graduates of the new Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences B.S. degree (AOS). Melvin’s degree will include the AOS research option, also offered through the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

Melvin hails from Marstons Mills, Massachusetts. She has served as an intern with Brookhaven National Laboratory and at the Naval Research Laboratory where she worked on simulations of the proposed flight plans to explore the marine atmospheric boundary layer. Beyond academic work, Melvin has volunteered as treasurer and marketing manager of The Dance Company at Georgia Tech, a group of Tech students who love to dance and perform.

Melvin plans to attend graduate school in atmospheric sciences and is currently selecting a program of study.

Michelle Seeler grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She is graduating with a degree in Biology, a minor in Spanish, and completion of the research option. For the last two years, Seeler has worked with Professor Julia Champion on the targeted delivery of therapeutics.

In summer 2022, Seeler conducted research at the Jackson Laboratory (JAX) biomedical research institution, and she spent the summer of 2023 at Harvard Medical School. She served as the founding president of the March of Dimes at Georgia Tech, and as president of the Support Health and Education for Women initiative at Georgia Tech.

Professor Champion notes that “Michelle is an intelligent, motivated, a dedicated researcher and effective communicator, and she has an innate desire to use her talents to help patients in the future — especially women who have been underserved by current research efforts and spending.” After graduation, Michelle plans to enroll in the Ph.D. program in Biomedical Sciences at University of California, San Francisco.

We are honored to celebrate this defining moment in our faculty members' careers.

• Joy Arulraj, School of Computer Science, College of Computing
• Saad Bhamla, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
• Alex Blumenthal, School of Mathematics, College of Sciences
• Lindsey Bullinger, School of Public Policy, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
• Andre Calmon, Scheller College of Business 
• Yue Chen, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
• Lily Cheung, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
• Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena, School of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering 
• Claudio Di Leo, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering
• Alberto Fuentes, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts & School of City and Regional Planning, College of Design
• Neha Garg, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
• Nima Ghalichechian, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
• Matthew Gombolay, School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
• Roberto Gonzalez, School of Economics, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
• Josiah Hester, School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
• Yongtaek Kim, School of Modern Languages, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
• Zsolt Kira, School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing & GTRI
• Gongjie Li, School of Physics, College of Sciences
• Yingyan (Celine) Lin, School of Computer Science, College of Computing
• Brooks Lindsey, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
• Nian Liu, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
• Jorge Macedo Escudero, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
• Jesse McDaniel, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
• Ameet Pinto, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
• Seumalu Elora Lee Raymond, School of City and Regional Planning, College of Design
• Alexander Robel, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Sciences
• D. Zeb Rocklin, School of Physics, College of Sciences
• Alberto Stolfi, School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences
• Anne Sullivan, School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
• Kathy Wang, Scheller College of Business
• Daniel Weagley, Scheller College of Business
• Eunhwa Yang, School of Building Construction, College of Design
• Tuo Zhao, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering

Members of the College of Sciences community gathered at Harrison Square on May 8 to recognize outstanding faculty and staff as part of the 2023-2024 academic year Spring Sciences Celebration. 

“It is always a pleasure to honor faculty who excel in teaching and research,” says Susan Lozier, dean of the College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, “and to celebrate staff members across our College who are exceptionally committed to service and excellence.”

During the annual event, Lozier also recognized faculty and staff members who recently retired. 

This year’s honorees include:

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

The Cullen-Peck Fellowship Awards were established by Frank Cullen (‘73 Math, MS ‘76 ISyE, PhD ‘84 ISyE) and Elizabeth Peck (‘75 Math, MS ‘76 ISyE) to encourage the development of especially promising mid-career faculty:

• Wenjing Liao, Mathematics 
• Jenny McGuire, Biological Sciences
• Elisabetta Matsumoto, Physics

The Gretzinger Moving Forward Award, endowed by Ralph Gretzinger (‘70 Math) and named to honor his late wife Jewel, recognizes the leadership of a school chair or senior faculty member who has played a pivotal role in diversifying the composition of tenure-track faculty, creating a family-friendly work environment, and providing a supportive environment for early-career faculty:

• Michael Lacey, Mathematics

The Eric R. Immel Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, endowed by Charles Crawford (‘71 Math), honors exemplary instruction of lower division foundational courses. It honors the late School of Mathematics professor Eric R. Immel, who greatly influenced Crawford’s undergraduate experience at the Institute:

• Samantha Wilson, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences   

The Leddy Family Dean’s Faculty Excellence Award, established by Jeff Leddy (’78 Physics) and Pam Leddy, supports a faculty member at the associate professor level with proven accomplishments in research and teaching:

• Simon Sponberg, Physics

The Faculty Mentor Award, established jointly by the College of Sciences and its ADVANCE Professor, awards the efforts and achievements of our faculty members who mentor fellow faculty:

• Shana Kerr, Biological Sciences

RESEARCH FACULTY AWARDS

The Outstanding Junior Research Faculty Award and Outstanding Senior Research Faculty Award honor postdoctoral and non-tenure track research faculty who have made exceptional research contributions with significant impact on their field of study:

• Outstanding Junior Research Faculty: Yinghao Wen, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

• Outstanding Senior Research Faculty: Anna Österholm, Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Research Faculty Community Trailblazer Award recognizes postdoctoral and non-tenure track research faculty who have demonstrated and sustained leadership that strengthens the sense of community among research faculty within the College of Sciences:

• Jessica Bowman, Chemistry and Biochemistry  

STAFF AWARDS

The College of Sciences Staff Awards are made possible by funding from the Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Dean’s Chair endowment. They include:

The Exceptional Staff Member Award and Staff Excellence Awards honor College of Sciences staff who exemplify outstanding performance above and beyond the call of duty — positively impacting the strategic goals of their department and the College, consistently providing excellent service within their school or the overall College, and demonstrating exemplary teamwork.  

Exceptional Staff Member Award

• Verene Lancaster, Biological Sciences

Staff Excellence Awards

• Lea Marzo, Center for Promoting Inclusion and Equity in the Sciences

• Faith Taylor, Dean’s Office

The Leadership in Action Staff Award and Excellence in Leadership Staff Awards recognize College of Sciences staff who have made exceptional contributions to the College through innovative and strategic leadership, change management, business process improvement, special project leadership, and similar accomplishments.

Leadership in Action Staff Award

• Erin Nagle, Dean’s Office

Excellence in Leadership Staff Awards

• Monica Branch, Chemistry and Biochemistry

• Troy Hilley, Academic and Research Computing Services

The researchers received the Fulkerson Prize, which awards outstanding papers in discrete mathematics. The Mathematical Optimization Society and the American Mathematical Society jointly award the prize every three years. This year’s prize was presented at the International Symposium on Mathematical Programming (ISMP 2024) in July in Montreal.

Many solutions have been proposed to estimate the volume of a convex body, but these have all been time-consuming and highly impractical. In 2018, Vempala and Cousins found a method that is faster in theory and practical in thousands of dimensions.

Their new method makes it faster to estimate the volume by working with a sequence of Gaussian distributions- or high-dimensional bell curves- inside the convex body of interest.

To achieve these improvements, the method involves a faster and more efficient way of picking random points inside the shape. It also chains together these samples to obtain an accurate estimate of the volume. Sampling and volume computation have diverse applications in fields such as Bayesian inference, differential privacy, systems biology, and others.

"The algorithmic perspective in high dimension has been very rewarding; I am grateful to have been introduced to it early in my research life and eager to see what lies ahead,” said Vempala.

Renowned computer science researcher Ravi Kannan offered his congratulations to Vempala. In 1991, Kannan received the Fulkerson Prize for his work with Martin Dyer and Alan Frieze on the first theoretically efficient approximation of the volume of a convex body.

"He has been a leader in high dimensional geometric algorithms derived with the help of his deep insights into the mathematical structure and richly deserves the prize," Kannan said. 

Along with his role in SCS, Vempala serves as the Frederick Storey II Chair of Computing and as an adjunct professor in the School of Mathematics and the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He is also the director of Georgia Tech’s Ph.D. program in Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization, which includes faculty from multiple Georgia Tech schools.

“I am both deeply honored and thrilled to receive the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize,” says Dunn, whose research centers on analytic number theory as well as automorphic/metaplectic forms and their connections to prime numbers and integer partitions. “Ramanujan’s work has had surprising and profound influences over my research, and I hope that this is the case for the future.”

School of Mathematics Chair Michael Wolf says the honor is remarkable: “The award celebrates breakthrough work of Alex and his collaborator in the past few years. But especially given the list of previous winners, many of whom went on from this award for young people to become the most recognized of their generation, it also shows the promise that Alex has for important impactful work in the future. We couldn't be happier that he agreed to join our faculty last year.”

Solving a 19th-century mystery

The SASTRA Ramanujan Prize was awarded in recognition of Dunn’s work in solving the Kummer-Patterson Conjecture on the distribution of cubic Gauss sums, work he began while a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology. Dunn collaborated with Mathematics Professor Maksym Radziwill to write a conditional proof on the Conjecture, which explains a mathematical mystery about bias, or non-randomness, in the pattern of sums involving prime numbers. Their paper, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Annals of Mathematics, represents a significant breakthrough in the field of analytic number theory.

Dunn and Radziwill’s conditional proof comes nearly two centuries after the German mathematician Ernst Kummer first examined the distribution of cubic Gauss sums for the first 45 nontrivial primes. In 1846, Kummer discovered a bias — specifically, a clustering of the sums along the positive side of the number line — instead of a more even distribution. However, subsequent researchers using early computers to calculate larger samples of sums did not replicate this bias. 

Then, in 1978, Samuel Patterson proposed that the bias could be “overwhelmed” in a larger sample size, resulting in the apparently uniform distribution that early computers had shown. The proof written by Dunn and Radziwill serves to both explain the bias observed by Kummer and confirm Patterson’s conjecture, solving a nearly two-century-old mystery.

About Alexander Dunn

Dunn, who joined the College as a faculty member last year, graduated with a Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Queensland in Australia, receiving the University Medal for his academic performance. He obtained a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was awarded the Paul T. Bateman Fellowship in Number Theory to write his dissertation and the Bateman Prize in Number Theory for his thesis. During 2020-23, Dunn served as the Olga Taussky and John Todd Instructor in Mathematics at the California Institute of Technology. In the spring of 2021, he was a Junior Fellow at the Institut Mittag-Leffler Institute in Sweden. 

About the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize

Established in 2005 by the Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology, and Research Academy (SASTRA), the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize is an annual award bestowed to mathematicians aged 32 and younger who have made outstanding contributions to the field. The award, which was named after the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, includes a $10,000 prize.

About Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one of the top public research universities in the U.S., developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and  sciences degrees. Its more than 47,000 undergraduate and graduate students represent 54 U.S. states and territories and more than 143 countries. They study at the main campus in Atlanta, at instructional sites around the world, or through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society. 

Tao is an applied and computational mathematician who designs and synergizes mathematical tools to solve practical problems. Recently, he has focused on the applications of these tools to machine learning. Tao works on multiple subareas of machine learning, including deep learning theory, probabilistic methods, generative modeling, and artificial intelligence for science (“AI4Science”). 

"Molei is doing breakthrough work on machine learning and artificial intelligence,” says Mike Wolf, chair of the School of Mathematics. “It is wonderful to see him recognized by Sony, both for his accomplishments so far and also his promise for the future. His unique perspectives, informed by an astonishing deep breadth of understanding of mathematics, have already made him one of the more prominent researchers in this extremely competitive and important field. I know that this award will fuel even more impactful works. We are just thrilled to have Molei on our faculty in the School of Mathematics."

Revolutionizing Generative AI

The award recognizes Tao’s research on the mathematical and algorithmic aspects of diffusion generative modeling, which is considered one of the foundations of modern Generative AI. Using advanced machine learning algorithms, these models have revolutionized the generation of image, video, and 3D content. 

“Exciting products such as ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion, and Sora are generative AI tools, and a good number of them are powered by diffusion models,” explains Tao. “The way the magic works is you basically give a machine learning model a collection of training data, and then the algorithm can generate more content that is similar to the training data. The ability of generating new content is called generative modeling. Diffusion model is one of the latest technologies for generative modeling.”

Tao’s work aims to make diffusion models more versatile and scalable. He hopes to broaden their application and possibly create the next generation of generative modeling tools. 

“The large-scale impact of this research is to make generative AI more accessible, more creative, safer, and more trustworthy,” he adds. 

To learn more about Tao's research, visit his blog or follow him on Twitter at @MoleiTaoMath.

This year, Georgia Tech is represented by 84 teams — among the approximately 4,000 total in the main program — that have contributed new discoveries to AI technologies and applications, including several faculty from the School of Mathematics.

Explore the interdisciplinary teams and papers from Georgia Tech and its partners.

The M.S. QCF program is an interdisciplinary program jointly offered by the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business, the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE), and the School of Mathematics. This unique collaboration combines expertise from three disciplines to provide students with a comprehensive education in quantitative finance. Students graduate with the necessary tools in finance, mathematics, and computational techniques to solve real-world financial problems, preparing them for successful careers in the fast-evolving financial sector. By continuously revising its curriculum and adding new offerings in fintech, crypto tokens, and AI, the program ensures alignment with evolving industry demands. 

Distinguished by its ability to drive exceptional career outcomes for its graduates, the program’s Class of 2023 boasts a 100% placement rate within three months of graduation, with 93% of graduates securing positions by the time they finish the program and 89% of the program's graduates employed in the U.S. With an average starting salary of $135,462, the M.S. QCF program boasts an exceptional return on investment. Total in-state tuition cost equates to an average two and half months of post-graduation salary and out-state tuition an average five and half months. 

“We are extremely proud of the QCF program’s success in terms of career outcomes, ROI, and academic excellence,” said Sudheer Chava, director of the M.S. QCF program and Alton M. Costley Chair at the Scheller College of Business. “We will continue to strengthen the program and provide our students with the skills and opportunities they need to succeed in the rapidly changing world of finance.” 

Learn more about the program.

This story first appeared in the Scheller College of Business newsroom.

Sal Barone is a Senior Academic Professional who first arrived at Georgia Tech in 2013 as a Hale Postdoctoral Fellow doing research in Real Algebraic Geometry, and became the school's first Director of Communications (DoCSoM) as an Academic Professional in 2017. With a clear passion for teaching, Dr. Barone has contributed to the service mission of SoM by coordinating Math 1554 Linear Algebra since Spring 2020.

About the Fulmer Prize

We thank the late Howard Woodham (Georgia Tech alumnus, Engineering ’48) for the establishment of the Herman K. Fulmer Faculty Teaching Fund Endowment for the School of Mathematics, in memory of Professor Herman Fulmer, his former mathematics professor. Each year this award recognizes one of our faculty who exhibit genuine regard for undergraduate students during the first few years of their Engineering studies at Georgia Tech.” 

Previous Fulmer Prize Winners

• 2023 Klara Grodzinsky
• 2021 Xu-Yan Chen
• 2020 Michael Lacey and Greg Mayer
• 2019 Dan Margalit and Joe Rabinoff
• 2018 Sung Ha Kang

Klara Grodzinsky is a Senior Academic Professional and the Director of Teaching Assistants for the School of Mathematics. Over her 27-year career in SoM, Ms. Grodzinsky has been a critical component to the teaching mission of Georgia Tech and the School of Mathematics. 

In 2000, she co-created a training program for graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants, which earned the Board of Regents Teaching Excellence Award in 2006 and has been used as a model for other campus departments. In addition to directing the TA program, Ms. Grodzinsky has taken on key roles in course coordination, registration, permits, and the course scheduling team.

About the Fulmer Prize

We thank the late Howard Woodham (Georgia Tech alumnus, Engineering ’48) for the establishment of the Herman K. Fulmer Faculty Teaching Fund Endowment for the School of Mathematics, in memory of Professor Herman Fulmer, his former mathematics professor. Each year this award recognizes one of our faculty who exhibit genuine regard for undergraduate students during the first few years of their Engineering studies at Georgia Tech.” 

Previous Fulmer Prize Winners

• 2021 Xu-Yan Chen
• 2020 Michael Lacey and Greg Mayer
• 2019 Dan Margalit and Joe Rabinoff
• 2018 Sung Ha Kang

Stelson Lecture Abstract

Ramanujan and Expander Graphs (Thursday 10/24 at 4:30pm in Bill Moore SSC Press Rooms A & B)

Expander graphs are highly connected  sparse graphs. They have wide theoretical and practical applications in Computer Science and Engineering. Ramanujan Graphs are optimal expanders and as the name suggests they are constructed number theoretically. We review their construction as well more recent constructions that use statistical physics. We highlight some recent applications in the reverse direction where combinatorial ideas are combined with arithmetical ones to establish expansion of graphs arising in diophantine analysis.

SoM Colloquium Abstract

The Arithmetic Structure of the Spectrum of a Metric Graph (Friday 10/25 at 11am in Skiles 005/006) 

Endowing a finite combinatorial graph with lengths on its edges defines singular 1-dimensional Riemannian manifolds known as metric graphs. The spectra of their Laplacians have been widely studied. We show that these spectra have a structured linear part described in terms of arithmetic progressions and a nonlinear "random" part which is highly linearly and even algebraically independent over the rationals.These spectra give rise to exotic crystalline measures ("Generalised Poisson Summation Formulae") and resolve various open problems concerning the latter. Joint work with Pavel Kurasov.

About the Speaker

Professor Peter Sarnak is a South African/American mathematician who has been a member of the permanent faculty of the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study since 2007. He is also Eugene Higgins Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University since 2002.  Professor Sarnak has made important contributions to analysis and number theory. Sarnak’s work on the existence of cusp forms led to the disproof of a conjecture of Selberg. He has obtained the strongest known bounds towards the Ramanujan–Petersson conjectures for sparse graphs, and he was one of the first to exploit connections between certain questions of theoretical physics and analytic number theory. Professor Sarnak has also made fundamental contributions to arithmetical quantum chaos, a term which he introduced, and to the relationship between random matrix theory and the zeros of L-functions. His work on sub-convexity for Rankin–Selberg L-functions led to the resolution of Hilbert's eleventh problem.   Professor Sarnak has received many international prizes in recognition of his broad and deep contributions to mathematics. He was awarded the 2024 Shaw Prize for "his development of the arithmetic theory of thin groups and the affine sieve, by bringing together number theory, analysis, combinatorics, dynamics, geometry and spectral theory”.  Professor Sarnak has mentored over 57 PhD students during his career, many of whom have gone to have spectacular careers in mathematics.

The beginning

The Distance Math program was created long before distance learning became a global concept. Mathematics Professor Emeritus Tom Morley designed the original concept when Georgia Tech was approached by administrators in five Fulton County schools to help high school students who had exhausted all high school math classes. He created a program that broadcast his math courses to classrooms of high school students as he simultaneously taught Georgia Tech students on campus. The design was similar to a television newscast, but leveraging two-way video so Morley could see the highschoolers when needed. Much like today’s modern conference calls, students could ask questions via a microphone to participate in real-time discussions — a pioneering concept 20 years ago. Georgia Tech’s professional education staff couriered any written assignments or homework between the students and Morley.

“I’m really proud of what I started. For many years, it was the most successful recruiting outreach that Tech had with local Georgia schools,” Morley says. 

Originally called Distance Calculus, the program changed its name to Distance Math in 2016. 

Director of Non-Degree Programs Laura Simmons has been working in the Distance Math program for nine years. She says the program was cutting edge when it began, and the evolution of technology only further advanced the program. “Back in 2005, it was unusual that we were beaming Georgia Tech classrooms out to high schools,” she explained. “They used very large, very bulky equipment which was considered elite at the time. The pandemic in 2020 made it necessary to move to a more asynchronous program, but we were already poised to do that.” 

Currently, students are taught via recorded videos, allowing students more flexibility, and live “studio sessions” give students the opportunity to ask teaching assistants questions. However, the program maintains the tradition of students taking exams with pencil and paper while being proctored at the high school.

The best and brightest

Math Professor Michael Lacy, who currently teaches in the Distance Math program, says the students in the program are “typically, the best students in the state.” He explained the high school students who enroll not only seek out but excel in all advanced courses, including every math course his or her school offers.

“These are very strong students, highly engaged in the world around them,” he adds. “I had a student in F1 racing competitions; I had a National Student Poet in one of my classes. They come with interesting backgrounds and interests plus their own histories. It is a privilege to enrich their secondary education this way.”

Georgia Tech’s Director of Online Learning Gregory Mayer agrees. “These students are extremely bright with very, very bright futures so this feels like a dream to me, to get to teach in this program.” 

Georgia Tech student Adi Krish was in the Distance Math program his junior and senior years of high school, and is now a second year computer science major who works as a research assistant in both the Techtonics lab and the Teachable A.I. Lab. “Distance Math was a great experience that put me in a good position to start college,” he says. “Plus, I thought it was a good way to bond with a bunch of fellow nerds over math. We had multiple study groups including groups across different schools.”  

From then to now

From a start of only serving five Fulton County schools, the program now serves nearly 100 high schools across the state. Georgia Tech is the only USG institution to offer math at this level in a dual enrollment program. The tremendous success of Distance Math is credited to those who continue to put in long hours to make it work. 

“I consider myself extremely lucky to be a part of this program,” Mayer says. “I enjoy answering questions from these students about what's next, how to choose college courses, and what I recommend for extracurriculars. I think it’s wonderful to get to help navigate the landscape of what college is all about.” 

The 20th anniversary of the program, coincidentally, marks the intersection of distance learning and Distance Math. “This class entering into the fall 2024 cohort started high school online,” Simmons says. “They were the students for whom there were no rules. There were barely any deadlines and not many expectations of whatever they were doing.” 

However, she added, “I have no doubt the students in this year’s Distance Math program will continue to leave us in awe.” 

While many connections are immediately apparent in a network, these systems also contain a large amount of hidden information. For example, a social network might connect the last 15 people you interacted with, but hidden in that network could be information about age, ethnicity, location, and more.

“When scientists are given a network, their interest is typically to extract some information or structure hidden in the network,” Cheng Mao, an assistant professor in the School of Mathematics, explains.

To do so, scientists engage in network analysis, leveraging mathematics and statistics. Now, a new $450,000 NSF CAREER grant will help Mao research and develop new mathematical methods and models to facilitate this work. 

The National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award is a five-year grant designed to help promising researchers establish a foundation for a lifetime of leadership in their field. Known as CAREER awards, the grants are NSF’s most prestigious funding for untenured assistant professors.

The award, for “Statistical Inference on Random Graphs and Hypergraphs: Geometry, Combinatorics, and Computation” will also support Mao as he integrates the research into his teaching, with an emphasis on supporting students from diverse backgrounds. “I taught a topics course on Statistical Inference on Random Graphs at Georgia Tech and look forward to further developing the course,” he adds. “I aim to expand the lecture notes into a long-form text that can be used by students and junior researchers interested in this area.”

Reading between the lines

“Statistics are playing an increasingly significant role in network analysis by providing a toolbox for extracting information from noisy network data.” Mao explains. “This project aims to develop statistical models and computational methods for uncovering such hidden information so that we can make sense of large complex networks.”

Imagine a network of researchers, where each person is represented as a dot on a page — a node on a graph, in mathematical terms. Every researcher who has co-authored a paper might be connected with a line, creating a web, or network of collaborators. And while this graph does immediately convey some information, additional information is hidden within it. 

“What information is hidden in this network?” Mao asks. “One example is the geographic locations of these researchers. Researchers based in the same institution or the same country may collaborate more often, so there may be more links between them in the network.” This is where Mao’s research comes in.

Using tools from statistics and information theory, Mao aims to leverage mathematical models to characterize these connections in order to decode them — and reveal information that might not be immediately available. “This part of research is closely connected to the areas of theoretical computer science and machine learning, where a major task is to develop fast algorithms and then rigorously analyze their performance,” he explains.

Mathematics, and beyond

Mao underscores the intersectionality of his research: networks are studied by economists and ecologists, psychologists, and mathematicians. “It is common that researchers in different scientific and engineering fields study a similar problem but develop their own ways to solve it,” he says, adding that “we aim to widely disseminate the research results to statisticians, computer scientists, and any researchers who study or use network analysis.” He hopes the research can facilitate the analysis of social and biological networks, leading to discoveries and innovations across many fields.

In turn, these real-word applications could lead to theoretical breakthroughs on the mathematical side of things. “While mathematical research can evolve on its own, real-world problems can also provide guidance for developing theoretical mathematics,” Mao explains. “So our goal is to make this research impactful for everyone — both theorists and practitioners.”

School of Physics Assistant Professor Zeb Rocklin has also been awarded a CAREER grant for his research on flexible metamaterials and deformable solids. Read “Smart Solids: Zeb Rocklin Awarded NSF CAREER for Flexible Metamaterials Research” to learn more.

ProofReader 2024

In this edition:

• Letter from the Chair
• NSF REUs
• Linear Algebra: The Musical
• SoM with ICERM at Brown
• Highly Efficient Method for Solving 'Hard Minimal Problems'
• Richard A. Duke Endowed Assistant Professorships
• First Cohort of Ascend Faculty Professional Development Program Announced
• Roberta Shapiro Recieves Herbert P. Hayley Fellowship
• SoM Welcomes New Faculty
• Jen Hom Recognized by AMS
• AMS Awards Trio with Top Research Prize
• Alex Blumenthal Awarded NSF CAREER Grant for Research in Chaos, Fluid Dynamics
• Wenjing Liao Awarded DOE Early Career Award for Model Simplification, Deep Learning
• Santosh Vempala Named Simons Investigator
• Fulmer Prizes 2023-2024
• Stelson Lectures 2023-2024
• SoM Mathapalooza! Event
• Workshop on Graph Theory and Combinatorics, In Memory of Robin Thomas
• Alumni News: Diana M. THomas Awarded Dolciani Prize for Excellence in Research
• Reimagining High School Math Day
• The 2024 Atlanta Science Festival
• Matt Baker Appears on "Penn & Teller: Fool Us!"
• SoM Alumni Profile: Nikki Cross

Location: Georgia Tech, Atlanta, USA

The Meeting on Applied Algebraic Geometry (MAAG 2023) is a regional gathering which attracts participants primarily from the South-East of the United States. Previous meetings took place at Georgia Tech in 2015, 2018, and 2019, and at Clemson in 2016. 

MAAG will be followed by a Macaulay2 Day on April 16, organized by Anton Leykin.

• Daniel Brosch (University of Klagenfurt)

• Diego Cifuentes (Georgia Tech, ISyE)

• Harm Derksen (Northeastern University)

• Papri Dey (Georgia Tech, Math)

• Heide Gluesing-Luerssen (University of Kentucky)

• Amy Huang (Auburn University)

• Svetlana Poznanović (Clemson University)

Organizers: Abeer Al Ahmadieh, Greg Blekherman, Anton Leykin, and Josephine Yu.

We are grateful to the National Science Foundation for providing funding for the conference

April 5 - 6, 2024

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Conference website: https://wliao60.math.gatech.edu/2024ACMWorkshop.html

Description: The Southeast Applied and Computational Math (ACM) Student Workshop is for graduate students, postdocs, professors, and other researchers in Southeast US to meet and exchange ideas, highlight local ACM research and to foster collaborations. This annual workshop was initiated in 2023 and is open to the entire research community. It will be held in the School of Math at Georgia Tech in 2024.

Plenary Speakers: 

• Peng Chen, Georgia Tech, Computational Science and Engineering
• Sung Ha Kang, Georgia Tech, Math
• Zecheng Zhang, Florida State University, Math
• Haomin Zhou, Georgia Tech, Math

Registration: The registration deadline (March 5th) has passed. You can still register it here, but travel support is not provided for participants who register after March 5th.

Conference site: Skiles 005 in the School of Math at Georgia Tech

Organizers:

• Peng Chen, pchen402@gatech.edu
• Sung Ha Kang, kang@math.gatech.edu
• Wenjing Liao, wliao60@gatech.edu
• Haomin Zhou, hmzhou@math.gatech.edu
• Feng Bao, fbao@fsu.edu
• Sanghyun Lee, lee@math.fsu.edu
• Ziad Musslimani, musliman@math.fsu.edu
• Zecheng Zhang, zzhang14@fsu.edu

Workshop in 2023: Florida-Georgia Applied Computational Math Student Workshop

Penn & Teller are famous magicians who have mixed comedy with their magic since they first started performing in the late 1970s. They’ve appeared on talk shows, sitcoms, Broadway, and broadcast and cable television specials, with Penn Jillette as the taller, more gregarious partner, while Raymond Teller usually remains silent as their act delights audiences. 

“I’ve watched and admired Penn & Teller since I was a teenager,” says Matt Baker, professor in the School of Mathematics at Georgia Tech and an award-winning magician, who found inspiration in their approach. “As an educator, I’ve used magic to make my classes more fun and interesting, and in some cases, even more educational.”

Baker got the chance to show Penn & Teller the latest math-based tricks up his sleeve in person, when he was invited this August to tape a segment of the duo’s CW show, Penn & Teller: Fool Us. 

How to tune in

Baker’s taping, from the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, is set to air at 8 p.m. EST Friday, December 1. In Atlanta, you can watch it on Peachtree TV (WCPH), channel 17. Online streaming will be available Saturday, December 2, at cwtv.com

The series episode, titled “The Bill in Penn’s Head Trick,” will feature Baker showing off his skills among four magicians.

“As a magician, it’s clear why the opportunity to appear on Fool Us was exciting to me — it’s the longest-running and most-watched magic show on television, and it’s considered the most prestigious gig in the magic business,” Baker says. 

“I’ve put a lot of thought and effort into designing original magic tricks which utilize mathematical principles in new and interesting ways,” Baker added. “I think the routine I’m performing on Fool Us is a great example of this.” 

Fool Us has invited aspiring magicians to Las Vegas to appear on the show since it premiered in the U.S. in 2014. If the hosts can’t guess how the trick was done, or they guess wrong, the magician receives a Fool Us trophy and a chance to return to Las Vegas for an appearance at one of Penn & Teller’s shows. 

A successful audition

Baker sent an audition tape of a magic trick — less than five minutes, one continuous shot with no edits — to the show’s producers in April. He heard back within a week that he had been selected for the trip to Las Vegas to perform in front of a live studio audience. 

“It was truly an unforgettable experience,” Baker says. “It’s easy to get so stressed out about appearing on television, or performing in front of Penn & Teller, that you don’t actually enjoy the experience at the moment, but I didn’t have that problem. I had a lot of fun on stage. And I did exactly what I set out to do, performance-wise; I didn’t drop any lines or fumble my props, and I think I remembered to look at the camera and smile.”

Fooling the magicians

Baker can’t talk about whether or not he successfully fooled Penn & Teller, but said the show’s producers make it clear that stumping the duo is a secondary consideration. 

“According to Penn & Teller themselves, the purpose of the show is to highlight good magicians and good magic tricks, and the reality TV aspect of making it into a competition is just a gimmick to get people to watch and to keep the show on the air,” Baker said. “The producers make a big point of saying that if you appear on the show, you’ve already won. Fooling Penn & Teller is just a bonus.”

About Matt Baker

Baker, who is currently on sabbatical through a Simons Foundation Fellowship, served as associate dean for Faculty Development in the College of Sciences for five years. In that role, Baker helped develop programs that enhanced the instructional, research, and career opportunities for faculty, with a focus on hiring, mentoring, retention, diversity, and inclusion. 

Baker’s academic accomplishments have won him numerous awards and honors, including his election as a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2012, and selection for an earlier Simons Fellowship in Mathematics in 2017. Baker has also edited or written four books, but only his most recent one, The Buena Vista Shuffle Club, is about his magic obsession. 

That affinity also earned him accolades: the Atlanta Society of Magicians named Baker Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year in 2015 and 2019. 

Rachel Kuske’s new role with the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) is just one Georgia Tech connection to the Center, based at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. 

More than 20 School of Mathematics faculty members and graduate students have participated in recent ICERM programs, including a series of seminars during Fall 2022’s semester on harmonic analysis and convexity, mathematical processes that help researchers navigate large collections of data.

“The participation of School of Mathematics members at different levels in ICERM, one of several leading math research institutes in the U.S., is representative of the School’s leadership in the broader research community,” said Kuske, a former School of Mathematics chair. “Georgia Tech’s multi-faceted involvement benefits our research groups as well as research advances and development of talent in the wider research community.”

John Etnyre, a professor specializing in low-dimensional topology, is also involved in various ICERM activities, and helped co-organize a semester-long program on braid theory in Spring 2022. “ICERM is an excellent research center,” Etnyre said. “They provide a great environment to collaborate with others, as well as great conference facilities. They are certainly one of the best mathematical research centers in the world, and they are unique in their focus on bringing computation and experimentation into mathematics.”

Mathematics labs and more

ICERM’s mission is to expand the use of computational and experimental methods in mathematics, support theoretical advances related to computation, and address problems posed by the existence and use of the computer through mathematical tools, research and innovation.

ICERM pursues these goals by supporting what Kuske calls “mathematics labs,” which are typically human resource-intensive, and highly collaborative nationally and globally. 

“ICERM’s goals include catalyzing new directions in research and collaborations, as well as exploiting and expanding the interface between mathematics, computations, and experiments, computational and otherwise,” she said. These intersections have historically been represented in ICERM’s scientific board, with Kuske citing Dana Randall, ADVANCE Professor of Computing in the School of Computer Science, and an adjunct professor in the School of Mathematics, as an example.

Kuske views chairing ICERM’s Board of Trustees as a way to “provide an opportunity to contribute in several directions, including making sure that present and future resources, policies, and procedures support ICERM’s mission.” These include increasing diverse and inclusive participation in mathematical sciences and relevant areas, raising public awareness of the impact of mathematics, and continued service and leadership in the research community.

Etnyre said an important computational aspect to topology — the study of surfaces that can be twisted, bent, or otherwise deformed but never broken — has been around for a while, “but its importance has been increasing over the years,” he said. For example, software called SnapPea/SnapPy “is a program where you can input a three-dimensional space and it will compute a myriad of data about the space. It also has a list of thousands of spaces and data about them. When trying to determine if something you are interested in is true or not, it is always helpful to be able to check its validity on such a large sample of spaces.”

More recently, Etnyre says several teams of people have been using machine learning algorithms to explore relations involving knot theory, the study of closed curves in three dimensional spaces. “There are many other ways in which computation and experimentation is important in topology, and it was great that the ICERM program was able to expose these techniques to a large number of researchers during our program.”

Knot theory and an associated subdiscipline, braid theory, help bring structure to large, complex data problems. Possible applications include finding out more about DNA recombination, Etynre said.  “There are also connections with physics through string theory and gauge theory. There are connections between braids and many areas in mathematics. That was really the focus of the program at ICERM last spring,” referring to the Spring 2022 program he helped co-organize at the center.

Collaboration on convexity 

Galyna Livshyts, associate professor in the Georgia Tech School of Mathematics; Ben Jaye, assistant professor, and postdoctoral researcher and visiting assistant professor Naga Manasa Vempati recently completed the semester-long program on harmonic analysis and convexity at ICERM. Livshyts said the center is one of several institutions around the world that provide such lengthy research opportunities for various areas in mathematics.

“The harmonic analysis and convexity research program presented us with the opportunity to collaborate with other researchers in the area during this time,” Livshyts said. “Also, ICERM often hosts various interesting and stimulating workshops. ICERM is located in the buzzing town of Providence, and it has excellent facilities to allow people to discuss mathematics, and also provide some great views.”

The following Georgia Tech School of Mathematics faculty and students have participated in various recent ICERM programs:

The Combinatorial Algebraic Geometry virtual workshop in early February 2021 included Trevor Gunn, Arvind Ramaswami, Matthew Baker, Cvetelina Hill, and Alperen Ozdemir.

Matthew Baker, Justin Chen, Tianyi Zhang, Anton Leykin, Josephine Yu, and Josiah Park also took part in Collaborate@ICERM projects in 2021.

School of Mathematics students Yvon Verberne, Sudipta Kolay, Justin (Yi-Chang) Chen and Jiaqi Yang were named ICERM Postdoctoral Fellows for 2021-22. 

Professor John Entyre co-organized the Spring 2022 Braids semester program at ICERM, and Professor Dan Margalit participated in Braids in Symplectic and Algebraic Geometry. Postdoctoral students Miriam Kuzbary and Hannah Turner took part in the entire Braids program. Graduate student Sally Collins and undergraduate student Sarah Pritchard participated in the Braids in Low-Dimensional Topology conference in April. 

Georgia Tech faculty and students taking part in the Harmonic Analysis and Convexity program in September 2022 at ICERM include Manuel Fernandez, Orli Herscovici, Galyna Livshyts, Naga Manasa Vempati, Shixuan Zhang, Ben Jaye.

Mohit Singh and Swati Gupta are scheduled to participate in an ICERM program, Combinatorics and Optimization, March 27-31, 2023. 

This year’s initiatives included National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) programs, a new initiative to engage Georgia community college students, summer workshops in computational chemistry and quantitative biosciences, and more.

Through the workshops, students learned to navigate new methods of research that involve data analysis and computational aspects of disciplines like chemistry and biology — as well as communicate connections across concepts like group theory, topology, combinatorics, and number theory.

Meanwhile, the NSF REU programs across the College’s six Schools of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Physics, Psychology, and Mathematics, as well as the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program, allowed early-year students to get their first taste of in-depth research with unique expertise and equipment available at Georgia Tech. 

Other students took advantage of special fellowships to attend summer conferences in their chosen disciplines, where they networked with fellow young scientists and mathematicians while soaking up knowledge from peers and mentors. 

Here’s a roundup of some of the 2022 summer undergraduate student research programs and events led by the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech:

The Summer Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (STACC) Workshop 

Undergraduates eager to try calculations in areas such as quantum dynamics, electronic structure theory, and classical molecular dynamics — and who want to know more about new data science and machine learning tools — got their chance during this two-week early summer computational chemistry workshop.

“Theoretical and computational studies provide a necessary complement to experimental investigations because they are able to obtain the atomistic level of detail that is near impossible to probe with experiment,” said Joshua Kretchmer, assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. 

“It is becoming more and more routine to use these techniques, even outside of pure theory research groups, as computers have become more powerful and more easy-to-use software is being developed to perform these calculations,” Kretchmer said. “It is thus important for students to be exposed to these techniques early on in their undergraduate education so they have a basic understanding of how and when the slew of different computational techniques are best utilized.”

2022 was the first year for the STACC Workshop, and Kretchmer added that the students “seem to be engaged and excited by the material, both in terms of learning the technical skills necessary to utilize high-performance computers and the unique aspects that can be learned about chemical systems from computer simulations.”

Those thoughts were echoed by University of South Florida student Nicholas Giunto. “After simulating and calculating these various processes, I realized how theoretical chemistry can do so much more than just simulate these scenarios. This technique of chemistry can be used in many other fields of science as well,” Giunto said. “This workshop has broadened my perspective of chemistry, and taught me a whole new field of science that is innovative and prudent.”

For more information, check out the STACC website here. 

Summer College Research Internship 

Thanks to a grant from the Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Dean’s Chair, community college students in Georgia were paired up with a Georgia Tech College of Sciences lab — at no cost to the students — for the inaugural Summer College Research Internship (SCRI).

The idea for SCRI grew from Shania Khatri’s experiences conducting research for the first time. Khatri, a fourth-year Biological Sciences major scheduled to graduate in December 2022, began research in high school through a program at a local university that placed students, especially those historically underrepresented in STEM, in labs to complete their own summer research projects. 

“I felt firsthand how important mentorship was in building confidence in STEM, promoting belonging, and ultimately influencing my decision to pursue higher education and research,” Khatri said. “Research shows that students who complete high school and undergraduate programs are more likely to pursue STEM majors and consider doctoral degrees, underscoring that mentorship early in careers can improve achievement and retention of these students.”

SCRI students helped design experiments, collected and analyzed data, and presented the results of their work. They worked closely with their Ph.D. student mentors, learning from them as well as the broader community of their host labs. They also heard weekly lectures from College of Science faculty as they learned about the broader research environment at Georgia Tech. 

“The accepted students have strong scholastic potential, and we hope that we can excite them about the research happening at Georgia Tech and potentially recruit them to join our programs, either as transfer students or future graduate students,” said William Ratcliff, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences and co-director of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Quantitative Biosciences Program. Ratcliff also co-leads the SCRI with Todd Streelman, professor and chair of the School of Biological Sciences at Tech.

Three students from two-year community college programs in Georgia were chosen for the inaugural SCRI, Ratcliff said. With diverse interests, all three researched in labs within the Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection (CMDI). 

“While this was not part of our review criteria, two of the three students are members of groups that are underrepresented in science according to National Institutes of Health criteria, so this is a great opportunity to broaden participation in academic research,” Ratcliff added.

“When discussing diversity in STEM and retention of underrepresented minorities, community college students should be at the forefront of the discussion,” Khatri said. “It is my hope that through this program the students will gain confidence in their own abilities, and learn skills of science communication, data analysis, critical thinking, collaborative work, and problem solving that will aid them in any career path.”

More information on the Summer College Research Internship is available here. 

Child Lab Day

Child Lab Day is the capstone assignment for students in the School of Psychology course PSYC 2103 Human Development. Christopher Stanzione, senior lecturer and associate chair for undergraduate studies for the School, said his students conducted cognitive, language, and conceptual assessments in June on children ranging in age from four months to nine years old. 

“This is a great applied experience for the Georgia Tech students,” Stanzione said. “All semester we study these concepts, but to see development in action is special. They’ll likely see the gradual change between concepts by administering the assessments to kids of different ages.”

The first Child Lab Day was in 2019. This summer, students majoring in psychology, biomedical engineering, computer science, biology, neuroscience, and economics took part in this second one. “They loved it,” Stanzione said.

National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REUs)

For the first time, this year all six schools across the College of Sciences — plus the Neuroscience program at Tech — led Research Experiences for Undergraduates, a National Science Foundation initiative. 

Each student was associated with a specific research project, and worked closely with school faculty and other researchers. Students were given stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel to help cover the experience.

“Since most of the undergraduate participants are recruited from institutions that do not have extensive research infrastructure, the immersive research experience available to them in these programs can be transformational,” said David Collard, professor and senior associate dean in the College, who previously led the REU program in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry for more than a decade. 

“A measure of success of the REU programs in the College of Sciences is that many of the undergraduate participants subsequently go on to complete their Ph.D., some at Georgia Tech, and others elsewhere,” Collard added.

The following are the details for each College of Sciences school’s REU program. Learn more about future Summer Research Programs for Undergraduates here.

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences REU:

Georgia Tech Broadening Participation in Atmospheric Science, Oceanography, and Geosciences

Working under the supervision of a School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) faculty member, participants focused on a single research project, but also gained a broad perspective on research in Earth and atmospheric sciences by participating in the dynamic research environment. This interdisciplinary REU program had projects ranging from planetary science to meteorology to oceanography. In addition to full time research, undergraduate researchers participated in a number of professional development activities, seminars with faculty and research scientists, presentation and research poster symposiums, and social activities with other summer REU students.

Schools of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering REU:

Aquatic Chemical Ecology (ACE) at Georgia Tech

The Aquatic Chemical Ecology REU gave students the opportunity to perform research with faculty from five Georgia Tech schools. 

Students participated in research with one or more faculty members, learned about careers in science and engineering, and saw how scientists blend knowledge and skills from physics, chemistry, and biology to investigate some of the most challenging problems in environmental sciences. 

This was the first REU experience for Jenn Newlon, a rising senior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. In fact, “I’d actually never heard of an REU before I came here,” she said. “It’s been a really good experience. I never really saw this side of research in my institution. While I did get to do undergraduate research, it was more of, ‘do this in a lab, this is what happens.’ I had to present my findings every week to my PI (principal investigator), who gave really good feedback. And all the people in my lab were really kind and helpful.”

Schools of Psychology, Biological Sciences REU:

Neuroscience Research Experience for Undergraduates

The first week of the inaugural Neuroscience/Psychology REU was a Neuroscience Bootcamp, where students engaged in hands-on activities to learn about brain anatomy, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), encephalography, and other techniques.  Then the student researchers spent time working on projects in the laboratories of mentors in either the School of Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, or with researchers at Georgia State University. They also attended professional development and social activities with other REU students.

“There is tremendous interest in neuroscience, and we have seen an incredible expansion of technology in our ability to record from the human nervous system,” said Lewis Wheaton, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences and co-director of the Neuroscience/Psychology REU. 

“At the same time, many students do not have access to these technologies at their academic institutions because of expense,” Wheaton said. “We feel that it is vital to ensure that students who do not have access to these technologies at their universities get exposure to the tools and approaches to understand the human brain. I am excited to further focus on providing opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities to engage in this research.”

A unique feature of the Neuroscience REU program is that it allows some students to come back for a two-year experience, “which can really provide a great opportunity to enhance their research, and put these students in a stronger position to advance their careers,” Wheaton added.

“It is also great that we can show them the research and educational environment at Georgia Tech and in the broader Atlanta area,” said Eric Schumacher, professor in the School of Psychology and co-director of the Neuroscience/Psychology REU. “This is an opportune time to showcase our two schools and the Institute, given that both schools are working with the College and Institute to offer a cross-disciplinary Neuroscience Ph.D. program soon.” 

That was the impression that Alexa Toliver came away with. The fourth year student at Arizona State University is majoring in neurobiology, “but I always wanted to do neuroscience research,” she said during the recent REUs poster session at the Ford Environmental Science and Technology Building. “It was a little new, but it was a great opportunity and I never felt uncomfortable with any of the topics. This was the only neuroscience REU that I could find, and I applied to it and I got it, so I was excited.”

School of Physics REU:

Georgia Tech Broadening Participation in Physics

Working under the supervision of a physics faculty member, participants focused on a single research project but also gained a broad perspective on research in physics by participating in the dynamic research environment. 

Available projects for the REU spanned the field of physics ranging from quantum materials, quantum simulation/sensing, astrophysics, physics of living systems, and non-linear dynamics. 

In addition to full time research, undergraduate researchers participated in a number of professional development seminars, research horizon lunches, and social activities with other summer REU students.

Brendan D’Aquino, a rising senior at Northeastern University in Boston, had planned to use his computer science background to get an industry job after graduation. Then he attended the 2022 School of Physics REU. 

“After doing an internship last year at a software company that does physics, I kind of realized I wanted to make the switch,” D’Aquino said. “So I applied to the program. I got to work here. And I thought it was super cool. So this was my first time doing research. I kind of had grad school in the back of my mind for a while. But 10 weeks here kind of makes me more sure that I want to get into that in the future.”

School of Mathematics REU:

The School of Mathematics has a rich tradition of offering summer undergraduate research programs. The projects have been mentored by faculty and postdocs covering a range of topics, such as graph coloring, random matrices, contact homology, knots, bounded operators, harmonic analysis, and toric varieties. 

Previous Math REU students have published many papers, won a number of awards, and have been very successful in their graduate school applications.

“The main purpose of our REU is to give students research experience which should help them decide if they want to do math research for a living, and in particular, go to a math grad school,” said Igor Belegradek, professor and director of Teaching Effectiveness in the School of Mathematics. Belegradek also coordinates the Math REU. “Also, if there is a publication or poster at a conference, their grad school application will definitely become more competitive.”

Sometimes that application is sent to Georgia Tech. “We did have a few students who were accepted to our grad school after attending an REU with us,” Belegradek said. “It definitely helps put Georgia Tech Mathematics on the map. This summer we have 22 REU students, and only two of them are from Georgia Tech.”

Mathematics topics for the 2022 REU included aspects of graph coloring, Legendrian contact homology, Eigenvectors from eigenvalues and Gaussian random matrices, and applications of Donaldson's Diagonalization theorem.

Read more about the 2021 Mathematics REUs here.

In July, the School of Mathematics also hosted its biennial Topology Students Workshop, organized by Professor Dan Margalit since 2012. 

Events included a public lecture on campus, “Juggling Numbers, Algebra, and Topology”, accessible for curious people of all ages and backgrounds.

“One goal of mathematics is to describe the patterns in the world, from weather to population growth to disease transmission,” event organizers said. The workshop used mathematics to describe juggling patterns, count the different kinds of patterns, and create new patterns, “making surprising connections to group theory, topology, combinatorics, and number theory.”

The 36th Annual Symposium of the Protein Society 

From microproteins, protein condensates, synthetic biology and biosensors, to the latest developments in machine learning and imaging technologies, to addressing health disparities, the Protein Society Symposium, held in San Francisco in early July, provided a state-of-the-art view of the most exciting areas of research in biology and medicine.

Four students of Raquel Lieberman’s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry lab attended, thanks to Protein Society travel fellowships: 

• Lydia Kenney, fourth-year undergraduate and Beckman Scholar in the Lieberman lab. Kenney was also selected to give an oral presentation in a dedicated session to undergraduates
• Minh Thu (Alice) Ma, fourth-year Ph.D.student
• Emily Saccuzzo, fourth-year Ph.D. student
• Gwendell Thomas, first-year Ph.D. student

Kenney and Ma won Best Poster awards at the symposium, and Saccuzzo won an honorable mention.

“The conference was amazing! We saw so many great speakers and presentations about protein science, and it was a great way to meet scientists from all over the world,” Kenney said. “I’m so grateful for this experience, especially as I begin to apply to graduate school and think about my future career in science. It was a great experience, and one that has truly deepened my appreciation for science and research.”

“To have each of these superstars selected for travel fellowships puts them in an elite cohort of trainees at this 500-plus person meeting,” Lieberman said. “I am so excited for them to present their thesis research and to get feedback from colleagues in our field from all over the world. I’m sure new ideas, collaborations, and other opportunities will emerge from this experience. It’s just the boost they and I need after a challenging couple of years as experimental biochemists.”

Where: Klaus 2447

Uniform Convergence is a one-woman play, written and performed by Corrine Yap, an SoM postdoc.

Through the lives of a 19th century Russian mathematician and a present-day Asian-American math professor, this solo piece explores the struggles of two women trying to find their place in a white male-dominated academic world. Using text, mathematics, movement, and music, the play is an attempt to understand identity and how we communicate who we are.

Admission is free of charge. Refreshments served at 4:45pm. RSVP at https://bit.ly/3PG3N5t

Public lecture, March 7th at 4:30pm in Howey-Physics L3

From Coffee to Mathematics: Making Connections and Finding Unexpected Links

The game of HEX has deep mathematical underpinnings despite its simple rules.  What could this game possibly have to do with coffee?!  And how does that connection, once identified, lead to consideration of ferromagnetism and even to the melting polar ice caps?  Join Hugo Duminil-Copin, Professor of Mathematics at IHES and the University of Geneva, for an exploration of the way in which mathematical thinking can help us make some truly surprising connections.

Colloquium, March 8th at 11am in Skiles 006

Critical phenomena through the lens of the Ising model

The Ising model is one of the most classical lattice models of statistical physics undergoing a phase transition. Initially imagined as a model for ferromagnetism, it revealed itself as a very rich mathematical object and a powerful theoretical tool to understand cooperative phenomena. Over one hundred years of its history, a profound understanding of its critical phase has been obtained. While integrability and mean-field behavior led to extraordinary breakthroughs in the two-dimensional and high-dimensional cases respectively, the model in three and four dimensions remained mysterious for years. In this talk, we will present recent progress in these dimensions based on a probabilistic interpretation of the Ising model relating it to percolation models.

About the Speaker

Professor Duminil-Copin is a French mathematician specializing in probability theory, who studies the border between mathematics and physics and analyzes models of fluids flowing through a porous medium, such as water coursing through coffee grounds. Such models, which involve the formation of connected clusters in random networks, can also represent the spread of a disease, the circulation of a rumor, or the advance of a forest fire.

Prof. Duminil-Copin has diverse interests in a range of activities which also characterizes his work, and has sampled tools from various fields in an ongoing effort to transform mathematicians’ understanding of phase transitions. For that work, Duminil-Copin was awarded the Fields Medal in 2022 for "solving longstanding problems in the probabilistic theory of phase transitions in statistical physics, especially in dimensions three and four". 

About the Stelson Lecture Series

Thomas Stelson was a distinguished Civil Engineer who served as the Dean of Georgia Tech's College of Engineering from 1971 to 1974, as Vice President for Research from 1974 to 1988, and as Executive Vice President from 1988 to 1990.

During the 70's and 80's, he oversaw a vast expansion in Tech's research expenditures during an era when Tech went from being primarily teaching-oriented university to a major research institution.

Thomas Stelson helped the School of Mathematics create the Center for Dynamical Systems and Nonlinear Studies, and he endowed the School's Stelson lectures in 1988 in honor of his father, Hugh Stelson, who was a mathematician. Hugh Stelson was born in 1903 and earned his doctorate from the University of Iowa in 1930. From 1925 to 1930, Hugh taught mathematics at several universities in Iowa, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and then he went on to teach at Kent State University (1930-1947) and Michigan State University (1947-1970). During that time Hugh worked on problems related to interest rates, annuities, and numerical analysis. Hugh Stelson was married to Ada May Woolley on June 4, 1925, and he was the father of Paul, Thomas, Lois, and Glenda Stelson.
 

Contact: Please contact Prof. Christian Houdré (houdre@math.gatech.edu) for questions in connection to the visit.

Previous Stelson Lectures

• Nonlinear Waves, Spectra, and Dynamics in Infinite Dimensions

  Schlag, Wilhelm (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-03-10)

  Waves are ubiquitous in nature. Some wave phenomena are conspicuous, most notably in elastic objects, and in bodies of water. In electro-dynamics, quantum mechanics, and gravity, waves play a fundamental role but are much more difficult to find...

• Reunited: An Art Historical and Digital Adventure

  Daubechies, Ingrid (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-04-09)

  Combining the mathematics of digital image processing with the history, craftsmanship, and science of art conservation, my research team at Duke University, Bass Connections Image Processing Algorithms for ...

• Cryptography: From Ancient Times to a Post-Quantum Age  

  Pipher, Jill C. (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-03-01)

  How is it possible to send encrypted information across an insecure channel (like the internet) so that only the intended recipient can decode it, without sharing the secret key in advance? In 1976, well before this ...

• The Complexity of Random Functions of Many Variables  

  Arous, Gérard Ben (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-08-31)

  A function of many variables, when chosen at random, is typically very complex. It has an exponentially large number of local minima or maxima, or critical points. It defines a very complex landscape, the topology of its ...

• How Quantum Theory and Statistical Mechanics Gave a Polynomial of Knots  

  Jones, Vaughan (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014-09-25)

  We will see how a result in von Neumann algebras (a theory developed by von Neumann to give the mathematical framework for quantum physics) gave rise, rather serendipitously, to an elementary but very useful invariant in ...

• Riemann, Boltzmann and Kantorovich Go to a Party  

  Villani, Cedric (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013-04-19)

  This talk is the story of an encounter of three distinct fields: non-Euclidean geometry, gas dynamics and economics. Some of the most fundamental mathematical tools behind these theories appear to have a close connection, ...

• Role of Mathematics Across Science and Beyond  

  Glimm, James (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-11-22)

  The changing status of knowledge from descriptive to analytic, from empirical to theoretical and from intuitive to mathematical has to be one of the most striking adventures of the human spirit. The changes often occur ...

• Multiscale Modeling and Simulation: The Interplay Beween Mathematics and Engineering Applications  

  Hou, Thomas Y. (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-10-26)

  Many problems of fundamental and practical importance contain multiple scale solutions. Composite and nano materials, flow and transport in heterogeneous porous media, and turbulent flow are examples of this type. Direct ...

Called “hilarious” by WIRED, Truth Values is also an insightful exploration of the joys and challenges women face in the STEM environment. The story follows NYC Writer/Performer and “Recovering Mathematician” Gioia De Cari’s adventures as a math Ph.D. student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Bewitched by the formal mathematical notion of Truth, she struggles with the clash of her personal reality in a world that is not binary.

Winner of a New York International Fringe Festival Overall Excellence Award, the play has been presented at more than 60 theaters and performing arts centers throughout the United States and Canada, including the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York, the La Jolla Playhouse, and USC’s celebrated Visions and Voices Arts and Humanities Series, among many others.

“Energetic, intimate, hilarious.” — WIRED

“Funny and insightful…replete with hilarious characters…The story is riveting...go see this show!” —CurtainUp

"Fantastic...pure humor, sadness, intelligence and struggle."–Gigliola Staffilani, Mathematician, Member, National Academy of Sciences

“If you see only one play...about reflexive nonbinary relations, make it this one.” —Los Angeles Times

This free event is sponsored by Gathering 4 Gardner and the Georgia Tech College of Sciences. It is not necessary to attend the Gathering 4 Gardner to reserve a ticket. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. To be assured a seat, please reserve asap.

Celestial mechanics

Bhanu Kumar, a Ph.D. candidate and NASA Space Technology Research Fellow (NSTRF) in the School of Mathematics, has won a fellowship for work in dynamical systems applied to celestial mechanics and applied astrodynamics for space mission design. His Ph.D. is set to be conferred in August. Kumar received his M.S. from the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech last December, and is also an NSTRF visiting technologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he works with his mentor and research collaborator Rodney Anderson. Kumar’s adviser at Tech is Rafael de la Llave, professor in the School of Mathematics. 

Microbial dynamics and infection

Elijah (Eli) Mehlferber is slated to receive his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley this summer, before beginning research in the lab of Sam Brown, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and co-director of the Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection (CMDI) at Georgia Tech. Mehlferber received his baccalaureate degree from the University of Georgia. Mehlferber’s research seeks to understand how community dynamics in the microbiome can impact susceptibility to pathogen invasion.

“I was aware of CMDI through talking to Sam before deciding to apply for the fellowship in his lab, and it was definitely one of the factors that influenced my decision to join the program,” Mehlferber says. “I liked the idea of having a cross-disciplinary group of like-minded researchers to work and collaborate with — and a program that encourages that kind of work. I think a lot of my best research has taken place through these sorts of collaborations so I’m very excited to continue that with the folks across CMDI.”

Host-microbe symbiosis

Kayla Stoy is set to receive her Ph.D. this summer at Emory University before joining Mehlferber in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech this fall. Stoy will complete her NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship with research in the lab of William Ratcliff, associate professor and co-director of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Quantitative Biosciences program at Tech. Ratcliff’s lab focuses on experimental evolution of multicellular complexity. While at Emory, Stoy researched population biology, ecology, and evolution with a focus on mutualism. 

“Our annual celebration is a welcomed tradition in the College,” shared Susan Lozier, dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair. “As we greet new members of faculty, recognize excellence and service in research and teaching, and affirm our special community of staff and faculty, we thank the generous alumni and friends who help make these awards possible.”

In addition to annual awards honoring faculty development and mentoring, this year’s ceremony featured new accolades for staff members, made possible by funding from the Betsy Middleton and John Sutherland Dean’s Chair endowment — as well as a trio of awards recognizing exceptional contributions from postdoctoral fellows and research scientists, established through the advocacy of the College’s Research Faculty Advisory Council.

Faculty Development Awards

The Cullen-Peck Fellowship Awards, established by Frank Cullen (‘73 Math, MS ‘76 ISyE, PhD ‘84 ISyE) and Elizabeth (Libby) Peck (‘75 Math, MS ‘76 ISyE), to recognize mid-career faculty pursuing highly innovative research:

• Dobromir (Doby) Rahnev, associate professor, Psychology

• Molei Tao, associate professor, Mathematics

• Pamela Peralta-Yahya, associate professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Gretzinger Moving Forward Award, endowed by Ralph Gretzinger (‘70 Math) and named to honor his late wife Jewel, recognizing the leadership of school chairs and senior faculty members who have played a pivotal role in diversifying faculty composition, creating a family friendly work environment, and providing a supportive culture for junior faculty:

• Greg Huey, chair and school professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

The Eric R. Immel Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, endowed by Charles Crawford (‘71 Math) to recognize exemplary teaching in lower-division foundational courses by faculty in the early stages of their career — and to honor a late faculty member in the School of Mathematics, professor Eric R. Immel, who greatly influenced Crawford’s undergraduate experience at Tech:

• Alonzo Whyte, academic professional in Biological Sciences, academic advisor for the Health and Medical Sciences (HMED) Minor, and director of academic advising for the Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience 

• Peter Yunker, assistant professor, Physics

The Leddy Family Dean’s Faculty Excellence Award, established by Jeff Leddy (’78 Physics) and Pam Leddy to support a faculty member at the associate professor level with proven accomplishments in research and teaching:

• William (Will) Ratcliff, associate professor in Biological Sciences and director of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Quantitative Biosciences program

The Faculty Mentor Award, established jointly by the College of Sciences and the Georgia Tech ADVANCE Program and presented to exemplary senior faculty who help new faculty advance in their careers as they learn to balance their roles as researchers, teachers, and advisors to their own graduate students and postdoctoral researchers:

• Sung Ha Kang, professor, Mathematics

• Jean Lynch-Stieglitz, professor and associate chair, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

• Loren Williams, professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Research Faculty Awards

The Outstanding Junior Research Faculty Award and Outstanding Senior Research Faculty Award recognize postdoctoral and non-tenure track research faculty who have made exceptional research contributions with significant impact on their field of study:

Outstanding Junior Research Faculty Award

• Gina R. Lewin, postdoctoral fellow in Marvin Whiteley’s research group, Biological Sciences

Outstanding Senior Research Faculty Award

• Anton S. Petrov, research scientist II and co-investigator of the Center for the Origins of Life in Loren Williams’ research group, Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Research Faculty Community Trailblazer Award recognizes postdoctoral and non-tenure track research faculty who have demonstrated exceptional and sustained leadership that strengthens and improves the research faculty community:

• Micah J. Schaible, research scientist II in Thomas (Thom) Orlando’s research group, Electron and Photon Induced Chemistry on Surfaces (EPICS) Lab, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Staff Leadership and Excellence Awards

The newly established Exceptional Staff Member Award and Staff Excellence Awards recognize staff who exemplify outstanding performance above and beyond the call of duty — positively impacting the strategic goals of their department and the College, consistently providing excellent service within their school or the overall College, and demonstrating exemplary teamwork:

Exceptional Staff Member Award

• Jasmine Martin, assistant to the chair, Biological Sciences

Staff Excellence Awards

• Katrine Pate, grants administrator, Physics

• Lea Marzo, assistant to the chair, Mathematics

• Stacey Bass, grants administrator lead, Psychology and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

• Steven Daniele, IT support engineer senior, Academic & Research Computing Services (ARCS)

The inaugural Leadership in Action Staff Award and Excellence in Leadership Staff Awards recognize staff who have made exceptional contributions to the College through innovative and strategic leadership, change management, business process improvement, special project leadership, and similar accomplishments:

Leadership in Action Staff Award

• Kimberly Stanley, assistant director of business operations, Mathematics

Excellence in Leadership Staff Awards

• Kathy Sims-McDaniels, development assistant in the Dean’s Office and chair of College of Sciences Staff Advisory Council 

• John Wallom, associate director of IT Operations, ARCS

The College also recognized and welcomed a trio of new faculty members who arrived on campus this school year:

• Onur Birol, academic professional, Biological Sciences

• Tansu Celikel, professor and school chair, Psychology

• Shelby Ellis, lecturer, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences 

The 2022 Spring Sciences Celebration program can be found here, and high-resolution photos can be downloaded here.

Faith Colbert, a rising senior at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, was born in Dallas, Texas. When her home state experienced a dangerous, deep cold spell in February of this year, the atmospheric sciences and meteorology major figured the best way she could help her family would be to study that catastrophic weather event. 

A National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) program at Georgia Tech that she had enrolled in for summer 2021 gave her that chance. More students will soon have a similar opportunity; starting in summer 2022, for the first time, all six College of Sciences schools will offer an REU. 

“My motivation was mainly driven by emotional pulls,” Colbert says. “My family being directly affected by the storm pushed me to find research-based answers for both them and me.”

The REU that enabled her to conduct that research was the Aquatic Chemical Ecology at Georgia Tech summer research program, an interdisciplinary REU with the Schools of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS), Biological Sciences, and Chemistry and Biochemistry. EAS also has its own REU: Georgia Tech Broadening Participation in Atmospheric Science, Oceanography, and Geosciences research program. 

Sara Cuevas-Quiñones, a second year student at Purdue University, attended both of those REUs this summer. She’s a physics major but had a chance to explore planetary sciences with her research project on potential volcanic activity near Mars’ Jezero Crater, where NASA’s Perseverance Rover is currently exploring.

“I’ve never had research experiences before,” Cuevas-Quiñones says. “It's been a great environment, great people. It's been wonderful working with all my peers, and just learning about them, seeing where they come from, what they're researching. Many people here are in totally different fields. That's also been interesting, to get exposed to these new things that I had no idea even existed, honestly.”

Georgia Tech’s REUs give Cuevas-Quiñones and other students — particularly those from underrepresented communities and those who are enrolled at universities without research opportunities found at Tech — a chance to get in the lab, or out in the field. The experiences also give students from smaller colleges and universities the opportunity to use state-of-the-art equipment, and to be mentored by top Georgia Tech researchers.

That was the situation for Meredith Clayton, who is set to graduate this December from Stephen F. Austin State University (enrollment: 13,000) in Nacogdoches, Texas. She attended this year’s Mathematics Research Experiences for Undergraduates REU at Georgia Tech. “It was great just to meet other math majors from different universities. Georgia Tech's a great environment and campus — all the faculty are awesome that I've met. It's just been a really good time.”

Last December, Lydia Jefferson, a rising senior at the University of Missouri, did a Google search for REUs that addressed “aquatic chemistry for environmental science, stream ecology, — anything I could find. Georgia Tech popped up near the top,” Jefferson says.

Jefferson was obviously water-focused when it came to REUs. “But it was interesting seeing people interested in the race side of things — of environmental justice problems in flooding issues. Just anything in the environment was free game. And I didn't realize, going in, that it would be that diverse. I assumed all of us would be water-focused.”

“This experience was just eye opening for how other people communicate their science, how other people present,” they add. “I'm learning the ins and outs of presentations.”

Jefferson hopes to get a Ph.D. in aquatic sciences and then apply at a US National Laboratory, or perhaps the United States Geological Survey.

“Wherever the water takes me.”

Georgia Tech College of Sciences: All about our REUs — and their leaders

REUs are sponsored and funded for science and math programs in higher education by the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

This year, 3M also sponsored a student in the EAS REU. Some of the College of Sciences REUs accept Georgia Tech students, while others are limited to out-of-state students. Check the links for acceptance requirements of each REU.

David Collard, senior associate dean in the College, who previously led the REU program in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry for more than a decade, shares that “NSF REU programs in the College of Sciences have a long record of engaging diverse cohorts of participants in cutting edge research.” 

“Since most of the undergraduate participants are recruited from institutions that do not have extensive research infrastructure, the immersive research experience available to them in these programs can be transformational,” he says. “A measure of success of the REU programs in the College of Sciences is that many of the undergraduate participants subsequently go on to complete their Ph.D., some at Georgia Tech, and others elsewhere.”

Collard highlights that “the new additions to the College's set of NSF REU programs — in neuroscience and in atmospheric science, oceanography, and geosciences — represent a strong commitment of the School of Psychology, the School of Biological Sciences, and the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences to broadening participation and fostering inclusivity in research careers.” 

“In each school, there is very much a team effort in running these programs,” he adds, “and the coordination of these efforts between the schools is a particularly important feature in allowing us to provide high quality programs.”

REU: Aquatic Chemical Ecology Summer Research Program (ACE)

Hosted by the Schools of Biological Sciences, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Brian Hammer, associate professor, School of Biological Sciences and ACE co-director:

Our Aquatic Chemical Ecology (ACE) REU program has been running since 2004. Our program hosts about 10 students each summer for a 10-week research experience in the lab of a Georgia Tech scientist. 

NSF's intent is to support research opportunities that recruit students from non-Ph.D. institutions where such opportunities are rare. This summer we hosted 9 ACE students. Joshua Weitz and his Weitz Group also hosted 3 students with support from the Simon's Foundation and they joined our ACE cohort this summer. This summer, two of our ACE REU students (were) on a research cruise in the Gulf of Mexico!

The goal of our ACE REU is to train students in an interdisciplinary setting, where they interact with a variety of other students and faculty to experience how scientific discoveries are made. They learn about career opportunities in scientific disciplines related to aquatic chemical ecology, they develop mentoring relationships that ignite their desire to pursue scientific careers, and they strengthen their ability to do so through enhanced communication skills, professional ethics training, and exposure to career-building information.  

REU: Broadening Participation in Atmospheric Science, Oceanography and Geosciences Research 

Hosted by the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Zachary Handlos, academic professional and REU professional development lead, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences:

The goal of this REU program is to provide undergraduate students, especially underrepresented students  — as well as those with limited to no research opportunities at their college or university — the opportunity to participate in world-class research at a major research university with leading experts in the fields of atmospheric sciences, oceanography and the geosciences. 

Along with learning the skills and tools required to actively participate within a research project, participants attend a variety of professional development and social events that prepare them for research-based career and graduate school opportunities. They also foster collaborations with experts and colleagues within their field of study, and network and develop lifelong friendships with other participants within their program.

Professional development opportunities focus on best practices for conducting research, strategies for writing research papers/conducting research presentations, tips for applying to graduate school, and discussions on topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Social activities, while limited this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, range from field trips to local Atlanta tourist attractions, to companies/organizations relevant to students' career interests.

To my knowledge, the students are having a wonderful time, and the impression I get is that they are so happy to be working in-person at a college campus performing research with other undergraduate students and Georgia Tech faculty. Since last year was supposed to be our first year running this program, but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year was really our true first year.

The tone was set immediately on day one when I emailed the students arriving on campus to ask if everything was going okay. One student simply responded to my email question with a picture of the majority of the EAS REU students at the grocery store, buying supplies for the summer, and all were smiling.  

This is the most exciting research program I have ever been a part of. These students are amazing people who are highly talented at research. They’re creative, strongly motivated, and most importantly, they’re kind, respectful, and constantly striving to make the world a better place through their work. While they may have learned a lot from this program, I learned a lot from them! They are excellent role models, and it's an honor and a privilege to have worked with them.

REU: Broadening Participation Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Physics 

Hosted by the School of Physics

Jennifer Curtis, associate professor and REU director, School of Physics:

The GT Physics REU program offers a wide range of cutting-edge independent research projects to a diverse group of undergraduates from around the country. 

Students have explored a wide range of physical phenomena including Bose-Einstein condensation, quantum properties of magnetic materials, gravitational waves, computational astrophysics, physics of living systems, and soft condensed matter. 

The program stands out for its commitment to broadening participation in physics by a diverse cohort of students. To facilitate its goal to broaden participation in physics, the GT REU program is dedicated to building connections with the Atlanta University Consortium (Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University), with approximately 20 percent of the students originating from those institutions. Since 2018, AUC students have been offered additional funding to continue their research collaboration with GT research groups. 

Shaun Ashley, faculty support coordinator and REU coordinator, School of Physics:

I had the pleasure and opportunity to create a more engaging and holistic experience for students by serving as a mentor and the “go to person” for any concerns the students experienced during the program. 

This has allowed me to foster long lasting relationships that span from 2016 to present. For example, students continue to reach out to me to guide them with graduate applications, other summer research programs and even to be a sounding board about whether they should continue to graduate school or take a wellness break. 

My responses are always positive and encouraging: Education first, or education and work!

REU: Chemistry Function, Application, Structure and Theory (FAST) 

Hosted by the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Michael Evans, senior academic professional and freshman chemistry laboratory coordinator, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry:

REUs have been a long-standing priority for our school for many years, for undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry majors outside and inside Georgia Tech. REU programs are a win-win for students and faculty, as students receive valuable training, and faculty can further their research efforts. These programs also increase the visibility and prestige of Georgia Tech research programs nationally.

I think much of our success with REU programs flows from a commitment to building up research by undergraduates at Georgia Tech. Because of that history and the quality of Georgia Tech students, our faculty are very comfortable working with undergraduates. Our expanding list of programs builds on that solid foundation.

REU: Human Neuroscience Research and Techniques 

First offering: Summer 2022; hosted by Georgia Tech School of Psychology and Georgia State University

Lewis Wheaton, associate professor, School of Biological Sciences, REU co-director (Eric Schumacher, professor in the School of Psychology, is the principal investigator for the Neuroscience REU; Wheaton is co-PI):

There is tremendous interest in neuroscience, and we have seen an incredible expansion of technology in our ability to record from the human nervous system. At the same time, many students do not have access to these technologies at their academic institutions because of expense. 

We feel that it is vital to ensure that students who do not have access to these technologies at their universities get exposure to the tools and approaches to understand the human brain. I am excited to further focus on providing opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities to engage in this research. 

A unique feature of this program allows some students to come back for a two-year experience, which can really provide a great opportunity to enhance their research, and put these students in a stronger position to advance their careers.

REU: Mathematics Research Experiences for Undergraduates 

Hosted by the School of Mathematics

Dan Margalit, professor and REU co-director, School of Mathematics:

On the face of it, the REU is a chance for undergraduate students to pursue a research project in mathematics with a more senior mentor. As mentors, we do our best to airlift the students into the center of a research problem, where there are calculations to be done, examples to be discovered, or specific arguments to be made. Personally, I am always impressed with the students' fearlessness and their abilities to make meaningful contributions. 

Besides the obvious benefit of being able to contribute to cutting edge research in mathematics, the REU has many other goals and benefits. For many students, the REU is a chance to get a taste of what graduate school might be like, and to decide if they want to apply. We run a professional development program on various topics such as applying to graduate school, creating a poster, and designing a presentation. 

This year, we started a graduate research experience boot camp with several other Atlanta schools. On top of this, the students gain valuable experience learning to work together in groups, to think about the big picture of science and mathematics, and to communicate mathematics effectively.

From my perspective, I get to see the students experience the highs and lows of research — from the excitement of thinking they have a solution, to the despair of thinking that everything they did is wrong, and back again. In the end, our students take many more steps forward than backwards, and I am very proud of what they all accomplished this summer.