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	<rss version="2.0">
		<channel><title>Colloquium</title><link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link><description></description><item>
	<title>The fundamental group of an algebraic variety, and hyperbolic complex manifolds</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, September 10, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Burt Totaro (UCLA) - http://www.math.ucla.edu/~totaro/<br />
Abstract:  It is a mystery which groups can occur as fundamental groups of smooth complex projective varieties. It is conceivable<br />
that whenever the fundamental group is infinite, the variety has some &quot;negative curvature&quot; properties. We discuss a result<br />
in this direction, in terms of &quot;symmetric differentials&quot;.  There are interesting open questions even about the special case<br />
of compact quotients of the unit ball in C^n. (Joint work with Yohan Brunebarbe and Bruno Klingler.)<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Annual Department Welcome</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, September 17, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: MTH 3206<br />Speaker: Dr. Scott Wolpert (Chair, Dept. of Mathematics, UMCP) - <br />
<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Existence of a solution to an equation arising from the theory of Mean Field Games</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2014 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, September 24, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Wilfrid Gangbo (Georgia Institute of Technology) - http://people.math.gatech.edu/~gangbo/<br />
Abstract: We construct a small time strong solution of a nonlocal Hamilton–Jacobi equation<br />
introduced by Lions, the so-called master equation, which finds its origins in the theory of Mean Field Games. As a consequence we prove the existence of a Nash equilibrium for a game with a continuum of players, called non-atomic game by R. J. Aumann and L. S. Shapley. (This is a joint work with A. Swiech).<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>The Malliavin Calculus and its Applications</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2014 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, October 1, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: David Nualart (University of Kansas) - http://www.math.ku.edu/~nualart/<br />
Abstract: The purpose of this talk is to present an elementary introduction to the stochastic calculus of variations or Malliavin calculus.<br />
This is a differential calculus on a Gaussian space introduced by Paul Malliavin in the 70s to provide a probabilistic proof of Hormander&#039;s hypoellipticity theorem. We will also discuss  a recent application of Malliavin calculus, combined with Stein&#039;s method, to normal approximations.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>On null singularities for the Einstein vacuum equations  and the strong cosmic censorship conjecture in general relativity</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2014 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, October 8, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Mihalis Dafermos (Princeton University) - https://www.math.princeton.edu/directory/mihalis-dafermos<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>On the work of Fields Medalists Artur Avila and Maryam Mirzakhani</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2014 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Fri, October 10, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Giovanni Forni (University of Maryland) - <br />
Abstract: The cited work of both Avila and Mirzakhani includes<br />
contributions to the study of area-preserving flows on surfaces,<br />
(and related systems, such as Interval Exchange Transformations<br />
and Billiards in Rational Polygons) and/or to the study of the<br />
corresponding &#039;&#039;renormalization dynamics&#039;&#039;, that is, the so-called<br />
Teichmueller geodesic flow on the moduli space of Riemann surfaces.<br />
In this talk we will survey their main results on these topics and discuss<br />
their significance mainly from the point of view of dynamical systems.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>No Colloquium</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, October 22, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker:  () -<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>No Colloquium</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2014 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, October 29, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker:  () -<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>An introduction to the theory of noncommutative motives</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Fri, October 31, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Goncalo Tabuada (MIT) - http://math.mit.edu/~tabuada/<br />
Abstract: The theory of motives was envisioned by Grothendieck in the<br />
sixties. In contrast, noncommutative motives were only recently introduced<br />
by Kontsevich. The central tenet of noncommutative motives is that one<br />
should not work with algebraic varieties but rather with their (bounded)<br />
derived category of coherent sheaves: the later carries much more<br />
symmetries than the former. In this talk I will survey the foundations of<br />
noncommutative motives and describe some applications. I will end the talk<br />
with some speculative remarks regarding where the research on<br />
noncommutative motives might take us.<br />
<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Some geometric mechanisms for Arnold Diffusion.</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2014 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, November 5, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Rafael de la Llave (Georgia Institute of Technology) - http://www.math.gatech.edu/users/rll6<br />
Abstract: We consider the problem whether small perturbations of integrable mechanical systems<br />
can have very large effects.<br />
<br />
It is known that in many cases, the effects of the perturbations average out, but there<br />
are exceptional cases (resonances) where the perturbations do accumulate. It is a complicated<br />
problem whether this can keep on happening because once the instability accumulates, the system<br />
moves out of resonance.<br />
<br />
V. Arnold discovered in 1964 some geometric structures that lead to accumulation<br />
in carefully constructed examples. We will present some other geometric structures<br />
that lead to the same effect in more general systems and that can be verified in<br />
concrete systems. In particular, we will present an application to<br />
the restricted 3 body problem. We show that, given some conditions, for all<br />
sufficiently small (but non-zero) values of the eccentricity, there are orbits<br />
near a Lagrange point that gain a fixed amount of energy. These conditions<br />
(amount to the non-vanishing of an integral) are verified numerically.<br />
<br />
Joint work with M. Capinski, M. Gidea, T. M-Seara<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>The interplay between geometric modeling and simulation of partial differential equations - Aziz Lecture</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, November 12, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Annalisa Buffa (IMATI-CNR Pavia) - http://www.imati.cnr.it/annalisa/<br />
Abstract: Computer-based simulation of partial differential equations involves approximation of the unknown fields and a description of geometrical entities as, for example, the computational domain and the properties of the media.<br />
There are a variety of situations: in some cases this description is very complex, in some other the governing equations are very difficult to discretize. Starting with an historical perspective, I will describe the recent efforts to improve the interplay between the mathematical approaches characterizing these two aspects of the problem.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Some connections between Minimal surfaces and Free Boundary problems</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Fri, November 14, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Luis Caffarelli (University of Texas at Austin) - http://www.ma.utexas.edu/users/caffarel/<br />
Abstract: I will describe connections between the minimal surface theory,<br />
as develop from the point of view of sets with minimal perimeter and<br />
different  approaches to free boundary regularity. Will also describe some<br />
problems in phase transition that combine both.<br />
<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Integrable probability</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2014 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, November 19, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Alexei Borodin (MIT) - http://math.mit.edu/people/profile.php?pid=1222<br />
Abstract: The goal of the talk is to survey the emerging field of integrable probability,<br />
whose goal is to identify and analyze exactly solvable probabilistic models. The models and results are often easy to describe, yet difficult to find, and they carry essential information about broad universality classes of stochastic processes.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Recent developments  on certain dispersive equations as infinite dimensional Hamiltonian systems</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2014 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, December 10, 2014 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Gigliola Staffilani (MIT) - http://math.mit.edu/~gigliola/<br />
Abstract: In this talk I will present some recent developments in the study of dispersive differential equations on compact manifolds that can  also be viewed as infinite dimensional Hamiltonian systems. I will talk about Strichartz estimates, weak turbulence, Gibbs measures, symplectic structures and non-squeezing theorems. A list of open problems will conclude the talk.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title> Cohomology jump loci</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2015 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, January 28, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Nero Budur (KU Leuven) - https://perswww.kuleuven.be/~u0089821/<br />
Abstract:  Deformation theory is a classical subject, going back to the<br />
foundational work of Kodaira-Spencer on complex manifolds. Nowadays, a<br />
simple yet powerful general principle from the mid 1980&#039;s due to<br />
Deligne, Goldman-Millson, and others, states that: in characteristic<br />
zero, every deformation problem is governed by a differential graded<br />
Lie algebra (DGLA). We propose and illustrate an enhanced principle:<br />
every deformation problem with cohomology constraints is governed by a<br />
module over a DGLA. Joint work with Botong Wang.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Dynamics of polynomial automorphisms of C^2</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2015 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, February 11, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Mikhail Lyubich (Stony Brook University) - http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~mlyubich/<br />
<br />
Abstract:  Dynamics of polynomial automorphisms of C^2 is a fairly new area of research that has been intensely explored since mid 1980s. It combines ideas from holomorphic dynamics, ergodic theory, and pluri-potential theory, displaying a number of phenomena that are not observable in dimension one.  We will give a survey of this field including recent developments on classification of periodic Fatou components and a complex version of the Palis Conjecture on the structural stability, homoclinic tangencies, and Newhouse phenomenon.<br />
<br />
<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Machine Learning for Quantum Mechanics</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2015 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, February 18, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Mattias Rupp (University of Basel) - http://www.mrupp.info/<br />
Abstract: Quantum mechanics (QM) provides a theory of matter at the atomic scale, and numerical solutions to Schrödinger&#039;s equation allow calculation of many properties of molecules and materials. A major challenge is the computational cost of accurate solutions, which scales as a polynomial of high degree in system size, severely limiting applicability. Machine learning (ML), in particular non-linear regression, has been successfully used to interpolate between QM reference calculations, leading to computational savings of several orders of magnitude. In this talk, I will introduce the concepts underlying hybrid QM/ML models, with a focus on kernel-based learning, an elegant, systematically non-linear form of ML that has seen increased interest and a variety of creative applications in QM over the last years.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Conformal blocks and the nef cone of the moduli space of curves</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2015 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, February 25, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Angela Gibney (University of Georgia)<br />
- https://sites.google.com/site/angelagibney/<br />
Abstract: The central object of consideration in the study of the birational geometry of a proper variety is an important and very often elusive invariant called its nef cone.     In my talk I will describe the F-Conjecture, which gives a very simple combinatorial description of the nef cone of the moduli space of curves.   I will also talk about elements of the nef cone that come from geometry.  Namely, vector spaces of conformal blocks which are associated to a simple complex Lie algebra, n representations, and a non-negative integer $\ell$, fit together to form vector bundles on $\overline{M}_{g,n}$. These give rise to nef line bundles in genus 0.   After a brief introduction to these bundles,  I will discuss their basic properties, and how a growing understanding of them relates to the F-Conjecture.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>The hypoelliptic Laplacian</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2015 15:15:00 EST</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, March 4, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Jean-Michel Bismut (Universite&#039; Paris Sud) - http://www.math.u-psud.fr/~bismut<br />
Abstract: If X is a Riemannian manifold, the Laplacian is a second order elliptic operator on X. The hypoelliptic Laplacian is a a family of operators acting on the total space X of the tangent bundle of X, that is supposed to interpolate between the elliptic Laplacian and the geodesic ﬂow. Up to lower order terms, the hypoelliptic Laplacian is the weighted sum of the harmonic oscillator along the ﬁbre TX and of the generator of the geodesic ﬂow.<br />
In the talk, I will explain the construction of the hypoelliptic Laplacian in de Rham theory as a natural interpolation between the Hodge Laplacian and a symplectic Laplacian. In the case of locally symmetric spaces, the spectrum of the elliptic Laplacian is essentially preserved by the deformation.<br />
The stochastic process corresponding to the hypoelliptic Laplacian interpo-lates naturally between Brownian motion and the geodesic ﬂow. Many proper-ties of the hypoelliptic Laplacian can be properly understood from this point of view.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Cherednik algebras and torus knots</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, March 11, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Pavel Etingoff (MIT) - http://math.mit.edu/directory/profile.php?pid=66<br />
Abstract: The Cherednik algebra B(c,n), generated by symmetric polynomials and the quantum Calogero-Moser Hamiltonian, appears in many areas of mathematics. It depends on two parameters - the coupling constant c and number of variables n. I will talk about representations of this algebra, and in particular about a mysterious isomorphism between the representations of B(m/n,n) and B(n/m,m) of minimal functional dimension. This symmetry between m and n is made manifest by the fact that the characters of these representations can be expressed in terms of the colored HOMFLY polynomial of the torus knot T(m/d,n/d), where d=GCD(m,n). The talk is based on my joint work with E. Gorsky and I. Losev.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Quadratic interaction potential and Lagrangian representation for conservation laws</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, March 25, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Stefano Bianchini (SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies) - http://people.sissa.it/~bianchin/<br />
Abstract: The proof of a quadratic estimate used in the literature to give the convergence rate of Glimm approximations to conservation laws requires the development of Lagrangian type representation of solutions, similar to linear transport equations.<br />
<br />
In this talk I will show:<br />
- an overview of hyperbolic systems of conservation laws in one space dimension<br />
- why this kind of problems arises naturally and how has been addressed in the literature<br />
- compactness results which can be deduced from this kind of analysis<br />
<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>The Future of Cryptography</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Fri, March 27, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Michael Wertheimer (University of Maryland) - <br />
Abstract: Mathematical challenges in cybersecurity abound. However a number of phase changes are occurring in the subdomain of cryptography that need new mathematical solutions. The demands are both near and long term. Among them is a shift of emphasis away from encryption to authentication, provably secure implementations of algorithms, and post-quantum cryptography. We will examine trends in privacy, security, economics, and computing and describe how they are conspiring to create exciting new mathematical research problems.<br />
<br />
The speaker is the former Director of Research at the National Security Agency and author of “The Mathematics Community and the NSA” published in the February 2015 edition of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society. He will be available to answer questions regarding this article.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Quasimap invariants, Gromov-Witten invariants, and mirror maps</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Fri, April 3, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Ionut Ciocan-Fontanine (University of Minnesota) - http://www.math.umn.edu/~cioca001/<br />
Abstract: Algebraic Gromov-Witten invariants are  (virtual) counts of holomorphic maps from compact Riemann surfaces to complex quasiprojective manifolds. In the early 1990&#039;s, physicists used Mirror Symmetry to make stunning predictions about these counts in all genera for many Calabi-Yau threefolds. Namely, given such a threefold X and its &quot;mirror&quot; Calabi-Yau threefold Y, the generating function of genus g Gromov-Witten invariants of X is obtained from an (often explicit) &quot;B-model partition function of Y&quot; via a change of variables known as the mirror map. Some of these predictions have been since proved, many are still conjectural.<br />
Quasimap theory is a more recent alternative way of map counting, and a natural question to ask is how it is related to Gromov-Witten theory.  The answer turns out to be that for Calabi-Yau threefolds the generating functions of quasimap invariants and of Gromov-Witten invariants are related precisely by the mirror map. Put it differently, the quasimap theory of X is conjecturally _equal_ to the physicists&#039; B-model partition function of the mirror threefold Y. This is joint work with Bumsig Kim.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Differential Galois Groups and Patching</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, April 8, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Julia Hartmann (UPenn) - http://www.math.upenn.edu/~hartmann/<br />
Abstract:  Differential Galois theory studies (linear, homogeneous) differential equations by means of their symmetry groups, the differential Galois groups, which are linear algebraic groups. In analogy to the inverse problem in ordinary Galois theory, one would like to know which linear algebraic groups occur as differential Galois groups over a given differential field, since this provides information about the field and its extensions. Over the complex numbers, this so-called &quot;inverse problem&quot; is related to the classical Riemann-Hilbert problem and is known to have a positive solution.<br />
<br />
The talk gives an introduction to differential Galois theory and then turns toward the inverse problem. We give a complete answer in the case when the constant field is a Laurent series field. While Laurent series fields are never algebraically closed, they share with the complex numbers the property of being complete with respect to a metric topology. Our approach to the inverse problem is based on a recent version of patching methods for algebraic objects over such fields.<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Waves in random media: the story of the phase (Aziz Lecture)</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, April 15, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Prof. Lenya Ryzhik (Department of Mathematics Stanford University) - <br />
Abstract: The macroscopic description of wave propagation in random media typically focuses on the scattering of the wave intensity, while the phase is discarded as a uselessly random object. At the same time, most of the beauty in  wave scattering  come from the phase correlations. I will describe some of the miracles, as well as some limit theorems for the wave phase.  <br />
<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Rayleigh quotients and equivariant family of measures</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Mon, April 20, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Francois Ledrappier (University of Notre Dame) - http://math.nd.edu/people/faculty/francois-ledrappier/<br />
Abstract: The universal cover of a compact negatively curved manifold has strong<br />
convergence properties at infinity. In this talk we present such<br />
properties related to the bottom of the spectrum of the Laplacian.<br />
Most of the talk will be devoted to presenting and discussing the<br />
notion of regular equivariant family of measures at the boundary that<br />
play a major role in our results. This is joint work with Seonhee Lim.<br />
<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Analogies and Sequences: Intertwined Patterns of Integers and Patterns of Thought Processes</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, April 22, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Douglas Hofstadter (Indiana University at Bloomington) - http://www.soic.indiana.edu/all-people/profile.html?profile_id=229<br />
Abstract: In the early 1960s, as a math-loving teen-ager, I was swept up in an intoxicating binge of mathematical exploration, centered on the discovery (or invention?) of integer sequences.  The discovery that launched this binge came out of an empirical exploration of how triangular numbers intermingle with squares.  The strange hidden order in the sequence that reflected their intermingling was extremely unexpected and exciting to me.<br />
This burst of joy gave rise to the desire to repeat the experience, which meant to recreate essentially the same phenomenon again, but in a new “place”, which meant to generalize outwards, and I carried out this generalization by exploring many “nearby” analogues, where the terms “place” and “nearby” suggest a metaphorical space of ideas, and in it, some kind of metaphorical metric.<br />
Over the next few years, analogies and sequences came to me in wondrous flurries, giving rise to all sorts of discoveries, some very rich and inspirational, some less so, but in any case, these coevolving discoveries pushed the envelope of interconnected ideas outwards, revealing unsuspected new caverns in the idea-space I had stumbled upon.  Some explorations gave rise to patterns I could fully understand and prove; others gave rise to mysterious, chaotic behaviors too deep for me to fathom, let alone prove.  After a while, alas, I started hitting up against the limits of my own imagination, and I gradually ran out of steam, but that several-year voyage was and remains a high point of my life.<br />
My talk will thus be all about the very human, intuition-driven, analogy-permeated nature of mathematical discovery, invention, and exploration — not at the highly abstract level of the greatest of mathematicians, to be sure — but hopefully, the essence of the mental processes mediating the modest meanderings of a middling, minor mathematician is more or less the same as that of those that mediate the marvelous and majestic masterstrokes of a major, mature mathematician.<br />
<br />
<br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>Spectral Bisection of Graphs and Connectedness</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2015 15:00:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Fri, April 24, 2015 - 3:00pm<br />Where: MATH 3206<br />Speaker:  John Urschel (Baltimore Ravens) - <br />
Abstract:  We present a refinement of the work of Miroslav Fiedler regarding bisections of irreducible matrices.  We consider graph bisections as defined by the cut set consisting of characteristic edges of the eigenvector corresponding to the smallest non-zero eigenvalue of the graph Laplacian (the so- called Fiedler vector). <br />
We provide a simple and transparent analysis, including the cases when there exist components with value zero. Namely, we extend the class of graphs for which the Fiedler vector is guaranteed to produce connected subgraphs in the bisection. Furthermore, we show that for all connected graphs there exist Fiedler vectors such that connectedness is preserved by the bisection, and estimate the measure of the set of connectedness <br />
preserving Fiedler vectors with respect to the set of all Fiedler vectors. <br />]]></description>
</item>

<item>
	<title>The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Thin Groups</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, April 29, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Alex Kontorovich (Rutgers University) - http://math.rutgers.edu/~alexk/<br />
Abstract: Thin groups are certain arithmetic subgroups of Lie groups whose quotient manifolds have infinite volume. We will describe a number of problems in pseudorandom numbers, numerical integration, and homogeneous dynamics which, it turns out, are all the same problem when viewed through the lens of thin groups.<br />]]></description>
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	<title>Mathematical challenges in kinetic models of dilute polymers: analysis, approximation and computation (Aziz Lecture)</title>
	<link>http://www-math.umd.edu/research/seminars.html</link>
	<pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2015 15:15:00 EDT</pubDate>
	<description><![CDATA[When: Wed, May 6, 2015 - 3:15pm<br />Where: Math 3206<br />Speaker: Endre Suli (Oxford University) - http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/endre.suli/<br />
<br />]]></description>
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