This workshop is intended to give undergraduates who are planning to enter graduate programs in a quantitative science (e.g. math, applied math, statistics, biostatistics, data science, financial mathematics, etc.) an understanding of a variety of application areas and career paths in the mathematical sciences. Students must be nominated to attend by faculty mentors who have agreed to guide them through the process of applying to graduate programs; both students and mentors will be invited to attend. The workshop will include plenary lectures, panel discussions, active learning modules, networking opportunities, and social events.
Students are eligible to be nominated to attend if
they are expected to graduate with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a mathematical or statistical science from a U.S. institution by the summer of 2025,
they plan to enter a graduate program in a quantitative science in the U.S. in the fall of 2025, and
they have a faculty mentor who has agreed to guide them through the process of applying to graduate programs.
This workshop is intended for students whose background and experience have only given them limited exposure to the opportunities which will be covered. Applications for this event have closed.
David Goldberg (Math Alliance and Purdue University)
Bo Hammer (Executive Director, IMSI)
9:00-9:45 CDT
Plenary talk: The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics for some of our most complex problems
Speaker: Luis Bettencourt (University of Chicago)
We live in a world with many pressing problems from climate change to sustainable development to social justice, to name just a few. However, in my experience, most people dealing with such momentous issues know very little mathematics. It is much harder to achieve clarity, to learn and to improve without mathematical thinking. For this reason, almost all of what we know in science from physics to ecology and evolution, to economics, uses mathematics as its language. In this talk, I want to demonstrate these statements through two mathematical concepts and their many uses in complex problems. First, I will discuss the concept of topology and its connection to graphs (networks) as the language of relationships. I will show how topology was invented to solve a very human problem of walking a path, and how we are using it today to support development in cities throughout the world. Second, I will discuss Bayes theorem, how it was introduced to discuss the existence of God, and how it is the basis today for models of epidemiology, and theories of the brain and artificial intelligence. I will close with some reflections on the essential role of mathematics for gaining traction in complex and unresolved challenges and for the synthesis, manipulation and generalization of ideas that can pave the path to transformative solutions.
9:45-10:00 CDT
Coffee Break
10:00-10:45 CDT
Panel Discussion: Complex Systems and Society
Moderator: Luis Bettencourt (University of Chicago)
Panelists: Sara Del Valle (Los Alamos National Laboratory), Jordan Kemp (University of Chicago), Taylor Martin (Sam Houston State University)
10:45-11:00 CDT
Coffee Break
11:00-12:00 CDT
(Split) Student Activity: Improv
11:00-12:00 CDT
(Split) Mentor Activity: Mentoring at the transition from undergraduate to graduate school (discussion)
Moderator: Roberto Soto (California State University, Fullerton and Math Alliance)
12:00-13:00 CDT
Lunch Break
13:00-13:45 CDT
Plenary talk: Inverse Problems: Theory and Practice
Speaker: Issac Harris (Purdue University)
In this talk, we will discuss the concept of an inverse problem as well as its applications. In particular, we will focus on inverse problems arising from partial differential equations. These problems are to determine information about the mathematical model provided that one has measured values of the solution. The applications span the areas of medical imaging, non-destructive testing, cosmology, and geophysics. We will discuss how one can solve some inverse shape problems using qualitative (i.e. non-iterative) methods. These methods require little a priori information and are computationally simple to implement when one collects enough data.
13:45-14:15 CDT
Coffee Break
14:15-15:30 CDT
(Split) Mentor Activity: Finding and keeping minority students (discussion)
Moderator: Phil Kutzko (University of Iowa and Math Alliance)
14:15-15:30 CDT
(Split) Student Activity: Improv
15:30-16:00 CDT
Coffee Break
16:00-16:45 CDT
Panel: Inverse Problems
Moderator: Isaac Harris (Purdue University)
Panelists: Kelsey DiPietro (GE Healthcare), Jacob Rezac (NIST), Fatima Terzioglu (North Carolina State University)
18:00-20:00 CDT
Banquet and Keynote Talk: A Mathematician that Counts
Keynote Speaker: Michael Young (Carnegie Mellon University)
Friday, June 7, 2024
8:30-9:15 CDT
Breakfast
9:15-10:00 CDT
Plenary talk: Career Opportunities in Data Science and Related Fields at NSA
Speaker: Carla Cotwright-Williams (Department of Defense)
What can you do with a math or data science degree? The options are limitless! The government is the largest single employer of mathematicians in the United States. Many of those mathematicians work at the National Security Agency (NSA), where they find careers in research, cybersecurity, and cryptanalysis. We will briefly discuss the mission of the NSA and its role in the Intelligence Community (IC). We’ll explore the variety of career fields and areas where mathematicians can apply their skills to solving the nation’s hardest problems, and will discuss the application process for math/DS-focused internship and full-time positions.
10:00-10:10 CDT
Group Photo
10:10-10:45 CDT
Coffee Break
10:45-11:30 CDT
Panel: Mathematics and Government Service
Moderator: Carla Cotwright-Williams (Department of Defense)
Panelists: Erica Dawson (CDC), Javier Flores (Pacific Northern National Laboratory (PNNL)), Bashir Mohammad (Intel), Jennifer Pearl (NSF)
11:30-13:00 CDT
Lunch Break
13:00-13:45 CDT
A Quarter-Life Crisis: From Commutative Ring Theory to Computational Redistricting
Speaker: Ranthony A. Clark (Duke University)
Quantitative Justice is an emerging interdisciplinary field that applies advanced mathematical, computational, and statistical analysis to address real-world social inequities. While quantitative methods in the social sciences are not new, the application of sophisticated mathematical tools to complex societal issues has gained significant traction in the past decade.
In this talk, I will discuss my journey pursuing a mathematical research career in quantitative justice, a path shaped significantly by a “quarter-life crisis.” Specifically, I will share how this period of intense self-reflection during the pandemic led me from theory—starting with abstract algebra and commutative ring theory—to practice, a recent shift to applied algebraic topology, metric geometry, data science, and computational redistricting.
13:45-14:15 CDT
Coffee Break
14:15-15:00 CDT
(Split) Mentor Activity: Mentor Discussion: “Facilitating undergraduate research during the academic year”
Moderator: Michael Young (Carnegie Mellon University)
14:15-15:00 CDT
(Split) Student Activity: Graduate student panel
Panelists: Rafael Ceja Ayala (Purdue University), Lauren Quesada (Colorado State University), Kaelyn Willingham (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)
You can nominate a student to attend this workshop under the following conditions:
they are expected to graduate with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a mathematical or statistical science by the summer of 2025,
they plan to enter a graduate program in a quantitative science in the fall of 2025, and
you have agreed to mentor the student through the process of applying to graduate programs.
Once your nomination is submitted, the student will receive an email inviting them to apply to attend. You may also indicate your interest in attending this workshop on the nomination form. We encourage mentors to attend with the students they are mentoring.In order to nominate a student to attend this workshop, you must have an IMSI account and be logged in. Please use one of the buttons below to login or create an account.