Mathematics Research Communities
 

Mathematics Research Communities - 2016

The American Mathematical Society (AMS) invites mathematicians just beginning their research careers—those who are close to finishing their doctorates or have recently finished— to become part of Mathematics Research Communities, a unique and successful program that builds social and collaborative networks to inspire and sustain each other in their work. Women and underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to participate. The structured program engages and guides all participants as they start their careers.



 
 
 

Some comments expressed by 2014 MRC participants:

"I really enjoyed the problem sessions and the participatory nature of the conference. It was really encouraging to become engaged."

"I have attended a number of conferences in my life. I learned more and did more at this meeting than I have at any of them. The open and collaborative environment was expertly maintained and very beneficial."

"It was focused on developing collaborations between young mathematicians and scientists rather than simply sharing research results."

Program

The program includes:

  • One-week summer conference for each topic
  • Special Sessions at the national meeting
  • Discussion networks by research topic
  • Funding for additional collaborations
  • Longitudinal study of early career mathematicians

Those accepted into this program will receive support (full room and board at Snowbird and up to US$721 in air transportation) for the summer conference, and will be partially supported for their participation in the Joint Mathematics Meetings which follow in January 2017. The summer conferences of the MRC are held in the breathtaking mountain setting of the Snowbird Resort, Utah, where participants can enjoy the natural beauty and a collegial atmosphere.  This program will be supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Week 1: June 5 – 11, 2016-- Lie group representations, discretization, and Gelfand pairs

Organizers:
Bradley Currey, Saint Louis University
Gestur Olafsson, Louisiana State University
Gail Ratcliff, East Carolina University

The theory of Lie groups and their representations has played a fundamental role in a variety of fields within analysis, geometry, number theory and probability theory. The focus of this conference will be the role played by Lie groups in recent developments in functional and harmonic analysis. Guided by the organizers, participants will explore current research questions in the following areas:

1. Admissible representations.
2. Coorbit theory.
3. Gelfand pairs.
4. Square integrable and integrable representations.
5. Voice transform.

The goal of this workshop is to introduce participants to fundamental tools and new techniques in representation theory and harmonic analysis on Lie groups that have contemporary applications, and to foster a lasting community of scholars who will continue collaborations after the workshop.

Week 1: June 5– 11, 2016 - Character Varieties: Experiments and New Frontiers

Organizers:
Sean Lawton, George Mason University
Christopher Manon, George Mason University
Adam Sikora, State University of New York at Buffalo

There has been intense interest and activity in the study of Character Varieties (aka moduli spaces of representations) in recent years. The study of these spaces intersects a wide range of mathematics and physics. In particular, they are central to the study of Moduli Theory and serve as non-trivial yet tractable working examples in Algebraic Geometry, Topology, and Dynamics. This focused workshop will emphasize examples, computations, and visualizations. After briefly introducing participants to the general theory of these spaces, we will focus on important areas that demand more attention, and how they relate: (1) Quantization, (2) Tropicalization, and (3) Arithmetic Structure. Our target audience is advanced graduate students and early career mathematicians (especially under-represented groups and women) interested in exploring and furthering this exciting field by blending the methods and intuitions from different areas.

Week 2:  June 12 – 18, 2016--Algebraic Statistics

Organizers:
Mathias Drton, University of Washington
Elizabeth Gross, San Jose State University
Serkan Hosten, San Francisco State University
David Kahle, Baylor University
Sonja Petrovic, Illinois Institute of Technology

Algebraic Statistics lies at the intersection of algebraic geometry and statistics.  Two decades old, it has expanded tremendously in recent years, since non-traditional new tools, methods and computational approaches are demanded due to the development of new data acquisition technologies. 

Algebraic statistics answers this call.  The field draws from commutative algebra, computational geometry, discrete mathematics and algebraic geometry to address pressing issues in statistics, such as parameter estimation, model fitting challenges, simulation and model selection methods.

The workshop will focus on five topics:

  • Likelihood geometry
  • Parameter identifiability
  • Network models
  • Statistical software
  • Phylogenetics/Tree-based Markov models

The interdisciplinary nature of the field will be reflected in the activities and group members.  The statistics offers many opportunities, but it also presents unique challenges.  The planned professional development activities will address these issues as well as common topics relevant for the growth of young mathematicians. 

Week 3:  June 19 – 25, 2016—Mathematics in Physiology and Medicine

Organizers:

Dan Beard, University of Michigan
Brian Carlson, University of Michigan
Adam Mahdi, University of Oxford
Mette Olufsen, North Carolina State University
Johnny Ottesen, Roskilde University

This workshop focuses on mathematical interactions in systems physiology and systems biology. This fast grow­ing area of research has been shown to have a two-fold benefit. Mathematical methods are instrumental for attacking open problems in the area of physiological and biological modeling, spanning from molecular to whole-organism scales. On the other hand the challenges that arise in the process often lead to interesting theoretical problems, which require the development of new mathematical and computational approaches.

The topics for this workshop include introduction on how to set up multi-scale computations from the cellular to the system levels. The workshop will concentrate on three projects all focusing on how to use modeling for data analysis, and to examine physiological hypotheses. The three projects will use modeling to study blood flow regulation, energy metabolism and inflammation. Mathematically these projects will be studied using dynamical systems type models combined with methodologies for parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification.

Application Procedure

Individuals within one to two years prior to the receipt of their PhDs, or within one to three years after receipt of their PhDs are welcome to apply. The MRC program is open to individuals who are U.S. citizens as well as to those who are affiliated with U.S. institutions. A few international participants may be accepted. An exception to the limit on the mathematical age of an applicant may be made on a case-by-case basis. Women and underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

All participants are expected to be active in the full MRC program.

The deadline has now passed for the 2016 MRC Conferences:

  • Week 1: June 5 - 11, 2016 - Lie group representations, discretization, and Gelfand pairs
  • Week 1: June 5 - 11, 2016 - Character Varieties: Experiments and New Frontiers
  • Week 2: June 12 - 18, 2016 - Algebraic Statistics
  • Week 3: June 19 - 25, 2016 - Mathematics in Physiology and Medicine

Snowbird

snowbird lodge snowbird tram

Situated in a beautiful, breathtaking mountain setting, Snowbird Resort provides an extraordinary environment for the MRC. The atmosphere is comparable to the collegial gatherings at Oberwolfach and other conferences that combine peaceful natural ambience with stimulating meetings. MRC participants have access to a range of activities such as a tram ride to the top of the mountain, guided hikes, swimming, mountain bike tours, rock climbing, plus heated outdoor pools. More than a dozen walking and hiking trails head deep in the surrounding mountains. Participants also enjoy the simpler pleasures of convening on the patios at the resort to read, work, and socialize. In the evenings colleagues enjoy informal gatherings to network and continue discussion of the day's sessions over refreshments. Within a half hour of the University of Utah, Snowbird is easily accessible from the Salt Lake City International Airport. For more information about Snowbird Resort, see www.snowbird.com.

Contact Information

For further information, please contact Associate Executive Director at aed-mps@ams.org.

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