Week of April 6, 2009 xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Darmon visits ISU
On April 2, Henri Darmon, professor at McGill University, spoke at ISU mathematics colloquium on Diophantine equations and periods. He started with Fermat’s method of solving Pell’s equation, explained how to use Heegner points to solve elliptic curves which are cubic equations in two variables, and shared his vision and passion for finding higher analogue of Heegner points.
Darmon is an eminent mathematician working on elliptic curves, modular forms and related areas. He is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, recipient of many distinguished awards including the Killam Fellowship of the Canada Council of the Arts and the Alfred P. Sloan research award. He serves on the editorial boards of several journals including Canadian Journal of Mathematics (editor-in-chief 2001-2005) and International Journal of Number Theory.
Darmon also mentors our own assistant professor, Ling Long, through the ISU ADVANCE program. The goal of the ISU ADVANCE Program is to investigate the effectiveness of a multilevel collaborative effort to 
produce institutional transformation that results in the full participation of women faculty in science, technology, engineering and math fields in the university.
Later this month, Long will visit Darmon at McGill. She has been invited to speak at the Québec-Vermont Number Theory Seminar on her research projects.
Pictured at right:, Ling Long, Nicol E. Jones and Florence A. Hamrick from the ISU ADVANCE program , and Henri Darmon.
Hogben wins ISU diversity grant
Leslie Hogben's proposal, "Partnership between the Mathematics Departments of Iowa State University and the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras" has been funded. The project seeks to realize a partnership agreement involving faculty research collaborations that will be the foundation for student exchanges and joint advising of students to enhance the diversity of the ISU Mathematics and Applied Mathematics MS and PhD programs and strengthen the graduate programs at both universities.
IMA attendees
Leslie Hogben traveled with seven graduate students to attend the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) Career Options for women in Mathematical Sciences on April 2, 2009.
Left to right: Yeon-Jung Seo, Tracy McKay, Laura DeLoss, Leslie Hogben, Cheri Shakiban (IMA), Michelle Lastrina, Yi-Lin Cheng, Sijia Liu andOlga Pryporova.
Final defenses
Lin Tong, MS, Applied Mathematics
Monday, April 6 at 10:00 a.m. in Carver 390. Major Professor:
Steve Hou
Aaron Allen, PhD
Wednesday, April 8 at 9:00 a.m. in Carver 202. Major Stability results for damped multi-layer composite beams and plates. Professor:
Scott Hansen
Olga Pryporova,PhD, Mathematics
Thursday, April 9 at 9:00 a.m. in Carver 390. Types of convergence of matrices. Major Professor:
Leslie Hogben
Kristine Harwood, MSM, School Mathematics
Thursday, April 9 at 9:30 a.m. in Carver 260. Bezier Curves. Major Professors: Heather Bolles & Irvin Hentzel,
Rob Dengler, MSM School Mathematics
Thursday, April 9 at 1:00 p.m. in Carver 390. Research-based Decision Making in a Community College Setting. Major Professor:
Amy Froelich
Documentary about Miya Rodolfo-Sioson
Miya was the daughter
of our former faculty member
Federico Rodolfo-Sioson
(for whom our Sioson Collection is named).
Join in celebrating the life of Miya Rodolfo-Sioson at the screening of Miya of the Quiet Strength, a documentary about Miya Rodolfo-Sioson
Monday, April 13, 2009
7:00 p.m.
Ames High School Auditorium
Admission is free, with a recommended donation of $6 per person.
All proceeds will be donated to Miya’s favorite non-profit charity,
Whirlwind Wheelchair International and to the non-profit SWIFT Productions.
The one-hour documentary will be followed by a Question and Answer session with Miya’s brother Renato Rodolfo-Sioson and the film director, Daniel Julien.
Miya of the Quiet Strength is about the life of Miya Rodolfo-Sioson, the lone survivor of the November 1, 1991 University of Iowa shooting.
Miya grew up in Ames, graduating from Ames High School in 1986.
When Miya was shot, she was about to graduate with high honors from the Global Studies program of the University of Iowa.
Following her injury, Miya was paralyzed from the neck down, but her disability did not prevent her from helping others.
The film portrays Miya’s life as an activist, following her as she overcomes challenges and fights for the rights of others she sees as less fortunate than herself.
Miya died of Inflammatory Breast Cancer in 2008 in Oakland, CA. She was 40 years old.
The screening is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames. Questions may be directed to Erica Fuchs, 515-292-2687.
MORE 2009
The MORE team is headed for Ottumwa on April 13 for the next Mathematics On the Road Experience.
Deadlines this week
Remember to check the departmental calendar for deadlines. de
Seminars and Colloquia this week
Combinatorics, Algebra and Number Theory Seminar
Monday, April 6at 4:10 p.m. in 232 Carver. Elijah Stines: Valuation domains, pseudovaluation domains, and the group of divisibility.
Discrete Mathematics Seminar
Tuesday, April 7 at 2:10 p.m. in 174 Carver. Laura DeLoss: Determining minimum skew rank of matrices described by a graph: results using cut-vertex reduction on coronas
Mathematics
Colloquia
Tuesday, April 7 at 4:10 p.m. in 232. Harm Derksen (University of Michigan) Invariant theory and Hilbert's fourteenth problem. Host: James Murdock.
Probability Seminar
Wednesday, April 8 at 1:10 p.m. in Carver 202.
Elliptic Curves and Related Topics
Wednesday, April 8 at 3:10 p.m. in 290 Carver. Ling Long: Elliptic curves over local fields
Graduate Student Seminar
Wednesday, April 8 at 4:10 p.m. in 305 Carver. Anastasios Matzavinos: Applications of spectral graph theory to (biological) data clustering
Groups and Physics Seminar
Thursday, April 9 at 1:10 p.m. in 0018 Carver. Ken Driessel: Molecular displacements and vector bundles
Analysis Seminar
Thursday, April 9 at 4:10 p.m. in Carver 160. Eric Weber: Fourier series over singular measures V
Transitions
Graduate student birthdays this week:
None.
Transitions features announcements regarding life transitions, i.e., family, job, etc. of those associated with the Department may be published at the request of the individual. Send submissions to tuttle@iastate.edu
