Calendar

Aug
21
Mon
1st day of instruction
Aug 21 all-day
Sep
19
Tue
Logic seminar: David Webb (Chaminade U.)
Sep 19 @ 1:30 pm – Sep 19 @ 2:30 pm

Kuykendall Hall 210

Title: Low($\Pi^0_1$-IM) = $\Delta^0_1$

Abstract: My dissertation investigated $\Pi^0_1$-immune sets, i.e. those
that have no co-enumerable subset. This talk continues that work, first
connecting it to modern notions of computability-theoretic lowness. Then
I settle (in the affirmative) a conjecture that my dissertation left
open: only the computable sets fail to co-enumerate a $\Pi^0_1$-immune
set.

Nov
7
Tue
Lance Ferrer’s dissertation defense
Nov 7 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Watanabe 112

Nov
13
Mon
Rukiyah Walker: MA presentation
Nov 13 @ 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm


Rukiyah Walker, Monday, November 13, 2:30 – 4:30 pm, Keller 403
Title:  A Generalized Epidemiological Compartmental Model

Abstract: Epidemiological compartmental models are standard and important tools used to analyze the spread of infectious diseases. These models divide a population into distinct compartments, such as susceptible, infected, and recovered, based on their disease status. The behavior of the models can then be analyzed using methods from dynamical systems to better understand the spread of a particular disease. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the unpreparedness of societies worldwide in effectively responding to a devastating pandemic. Additionally, existing compartmental models often lack the capabilities to be applied to different diseases. Hence, the need to develop comprehensive models that can accurately predict the behavior of infectious diseases has become evident. In this work we propose a general compartmental model which has the potential to capture the behavior of specific diseases based on key parameters. We study the equilibria and stability of this model, as well as several submodels, by utilizing techniques from dynamical systems. Furthermore, we illustrate examples of varying fundamental parameters, such as transmission rates, latency periods, and more, with simulations for the different submodels that we will encounter.

https://math.hawaii.edu/home/depart/theses/MA_2023_Walker.pdf

Dec
12
Tue
Applied math seminar: Anil Hirani (UIUC) @ Keller 302
Dec 12 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Title: Wedge Product and Naturality in Discrete Exterior Calculus

Abstract: In exterior calculus on smooth manifolds, the exterior derivative and wedge product are natural with respect to smooth maps between manifolds, that is, these operations commute with pullback. In discrete exterior calculus (DEC), simplicial cochains play the role of discrete forms, the coboundary operator serves as the discrete exterior derivative, and the antisymmetrized cup product provides a discrete wedge product. We show that these discrete operations in DEC are natural with respect to abstract simplicial maps. A second contribution is a new averaging interpretation of the discrete wedge product in DEC. We also show that this wedge product is the same as Wilson’s cochain product defined using Whitney and de Rham maps. This may lead to existence of more accurate combinatorial wedge products that are associative in the limit. In any case, the combinatorial product may be useful in creating an A-infinity or C-infinity algebra. Joint work with Mark Schubel and Daniel Berwick-Evans.

Jan
19
Fri
Colloquium: James Hyde
Jan 19 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm


Keller 303
Speaker: James Hyde, Copenhagen
Title: Groups, Orders and Dynamics.
Abstract:  I will describe some of the history of combinatorial group theory, and its connections with algorithmic questions such as the decidability of the word problem.
I will then define ordered groups and describe their connection to group actions on the real line. Then I will state some of my recent results (in part joint with Lodha) resolving two central questions in the area.

Jan
29
Mon
Colloquium: Hailun Zheng
Jan 29 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm


Colloquium in Keller 303

The speaker is Dr. Hailun Zheng, from the University of Houston-Downtown.

Title: Polytope and spheres: the enumeration and reconstruction problems

Abstract: Consider a simplicial d-polytope P or a simplicial (d-1)-sphere P with n vertices. What are the possible numbers of faces in each dimension? What partial information about P is enough to reconstruct P up to certain equivalences?

In this talk, I will introduce the theory of stress spaces developed by Lee. I will report on recent progress on conjectures of Kalai asserting that under certain conditions one can reconstruct P from the space of affine stresses of P —- a higher-dimensional analog of the set of affine dependencies of vertices of P. This in turn leads to new results in the face enumeration of polytopes and spheres; in particular, a strengthening of (the numerical part of) the g-theorem.

Joint work with Satoshi Murai and Isabella Novik.

Jan
31
Wed
Applied math seminar: Francesca Bernardi (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) @ Bilger 335
Jan 31 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Title: Small-Scale Fluid Dynamics: From Microfluidics to Microfiltration

Abstract: Understanding microscale fluid and particle transport is critical to perfecting the manufacturing and use of microfluidic technologies in medical, industrial, and environmental engineering applications. In this talk, I will discuss two projects concerned with solute transport and diffusion at the microscale tackled via analytical and experimental approaches. 

Many wastewater management facilities aimed at water purification in the United States utilize hollow-fiber micro- or ultra-filtration. In these systems, pipes are split into thousands of micro or nanometer-scale capped tubes with permeable walls. As wastewater flows through the filter, foulants are captured by the membraned walls, allowing clean water to exit. I will discuss a first step towards understanding the fluid dynamics of these systems through the development of a 2D model for the flow of wastewater through a single hollow-fiber. Resolving the fluid dynamics details of filtration would allow for better control of the fouling process and could improve its efficiency.

In the latter part of the talk, I will focus on passive diffusion into microchannels with dead-end pores, which are ubiquitous in natural and industrial settings. I will describe a repeatable and accessible experimental protocol developed to study the passive diffusion process of a dissolved solute into dead-end pores of rectangular and trapezoidal geometries. The experimental data is compared directly to analytical solutions of an effective 1D diffusion model: the Fick-Jacobs equation. The role of the pore geometry on the passive diffusion process will be highlighted. Ongoing and future directions will be discussed.