Public Lectures at Canisius College
- Dr. Jorg Peters -- “The Mathematics of Computer Graphics”; March 24, 2006
- Dr. Meera Sitharam -- “Geometric Complexity in Nanoscience & Quantum Computation”; February, 27 2006
- Jeffrey Liebner -- “Analyzing Neuronal Data: Methodology & Applications”; October 21, 2005
- Dr. Robert E. Kass -- “Neuronal Codes: Capturing Neuronal Firing Patterns”; October 17, 2005
- Public Lecture (.pdf)
- Dr. Per Enflo -- Lunch Time Piano Recital: Two Beethoven Sonatas;
Thursday, September 29, 2005 at 12:30 PM - Dr. Eduardo Mercado III -- “Why Whales Sing”; September 12, 2005
- Public Lecture(MS PowerPoint, 3.3 Mb)
- Dr. Fred Watson -- "When Telescopes Go Bad"; April 14, 2005
- Dr Petrus Potgieter -- “Computability in Economics”; March 17, 2005
- Professor S. G. Rajeev -- “Neither Newton nor Leibniz: The Discovery of Calculus in Medieval India”; March 9, 2005
- Dr. Ian Doust -- “Weird New Trigonometric & Combinatorial Identities”; November 22, 2004
- Dr. Toshikazu Natsume -- “Non-commutative Geometry and an Index Theorem”; October 29, 2004
- Dr. David P. Blecher -- “Non-commutative linear analysis, with some examples”; September 15, 2004
- Dr. Alan D. Taylor -- "Fair Division and Voting: Is Honesty the Best Policy?"; April 14, 2004
- Dr. Sangeeta Singh -- “Cultural Differences In, And Influences On, Consumers' Propensity To Innovate”; February 25, 2004
- John A. Burns -- "From Nano-Technology to Large Space Structures"; February 4, 2004
- Dr. Elizabeth Grosz -- “Gilles Deleuze and space"; November 7, 2003
- Jeffrey R. Weeks -- The Shape of Space; October 30, 2003
- Dr. Tim Dean -- “What is Psychoanalysis Like?”; October 20, 2003
- Manuel De Landa -- “deleuze and the genetic algorithm”; September 29. 2003
“The Mathematics of Computer Graphics”
March, 24 2006 at 3 PM
Old Main 403
Abstract. To create digital worlds, Computer Graphics borrows tools ranging from algebraic geometry to differential topology. In applying these tools, Computer graphics makes mathematics visible and gives (yet another) motivation for studying a broad range of mathematical ideas and techniques.
While it is tempting to categorize graphics by the mathematical technique employed, this talk follows the more modest route of strolling through material, from many webpages and the speaker’s own treasure trove of images and movies and 3D interactive programs, and pointing out underlying techniques and challenges.
Parallel Course and Biography: /topos/peters.asp
http://www.cise.ufl.edu/~jorg/06canisius
Dr. Meera Sitharam
“Geometric Complexity in Nanoscience & Quantum Computation”
February, 27 2006 at 5 PM
Old Main 403
Abstract. What is common to all of the following: mechanical computer aided design, virtual reality, teaching geometry by computer, computer graphics, molecular modeling, elucidation of nano-scale macromolecular self-assembly processes and quantum information processing?
Answer: geometric constraint satisfaction problems. Furthermore, these problems underlie many classical and modern directions in diverse areas of mathematics and theoretical computer science.
This talk will give instances of geometric constraint satisfaction problems in two and three dimensions as well as in higher dimensions, and will motivate these through some of the practical and theoretical applications mentioned above.
Course and Biography: /topos/sitharam.asp
Jeffrey Liebner
“Analyzing Neuronal Data: Methodology & Applications” October 21, 2005 at 2:00 PM
Old Main 214
Abstract. The field of neuroscience provides a wealth of mathematical and statistical problems to be considered. Neurons communicate through series of action potentials, or spike trains. Analysis of these spikes can lead to an understanding of how information is conveyed. This talk will focus on two problems that have been considered in the field. The first concerns variation across repeated experimentation with the olfactory system in the locust. Systematic changes in the neural response to an odor as the organism becomes accustomed to the stimulus are analyzed. The second problem involves estimating the firing rate of a neuron. A solution to this problem has been found in Bayesian Adaptive Regression Splines (BARS), a smoothing technique whose applications are not merely confined to neuroscience.
Biography. Jeffrey Liebner (Canisius College 2002) was an outstanding mathematics and statistics major at Canisius College. He is currently completing a PhD at Carnegie Mellon University under the direction of Dr Robert E. Kass. Rob Kass, Valerie Ventura, and Jeff Liebner are visiting Canisius College to deliver a one-week course on neuroscience, click here.
Dr Robert E. Kass
“Neuronal Codes: Capturing Neuronal Firing Patterns” October 17, 2005 at 5:00 PM
Old Main 403
Abstract. The brain is a huge network of neurons, each of which communicates by firing sequences of electrical discharges known as action potentials. A fundamental question in neuroscience is precisely how information is represented by these sequences, that is, what physiological significance should be attached to a particular neuron firing pattern. For many years neuro-physiological investigators relied mainly on very simple descriptive methods, but with modern computational and analytic methods it is now possible to examine in greater detail the subtle ways in which neuronal networks respond to stimuli or produce actions. In this lecture I will review several ideas in “neural coding.” I will describe “neural prostheses,” which will allow signals in the brain to drive a robotic arm for patients suffering from severe damage to their nervous system or loss of limb, and I will indicate how Bayes’ Theorem is crucial to the success of this endeavor.
Biography. Dr Robert E. (Rob) Kass received his Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Chicago in 1980 and has been on the faculty of the Department of Statistics at Carnegie Mellon University since 1981. He served as Department Head from 1995 to 2004. Kass’s early (pioneering) work was on differential geometry in statistics. Most of Kass’s other statistical research has been in Bayesian inference. His major applied interests are neuroscience. Dr Kass has been recognized by the Institute for Scientific Information as one of the 10 most highly cited researchers, 1993-2003, in the category of mathematics.
Dr. Per Enflo
Lunch Time Piano Recital: Two Beethoven Sonatas
Thursday, September 29, 2005 at 12:30 PM
Christ the King Chapel
Programme:
(1) Opus 26 in A flat major
(2) Opus 53 in C major (Waldstein)
Per Enflo gave his first piano recital in a professional concert series at age eleven. As a teenager, Per Enflo was twice the winner of Swedish national competitions for young pianists. During this time he also studied composition and conducting. Per Enflo made his official debut in Stockholm in 1963. Since then, he has performed as a soloist and accompanist, mainly in Sweden and the USA. Recent performances include being a soloist in 13 different Mozart concertos with the Triune Festival Orchestra, Columbus, Ohio. Many of these have been played on the WOSU Classics Network in Ohio. Other recent performances include giving duo recitals with the violinist Hristo Popov at the International Chamber Music festivals in Plovdiv and Sofia, Bulgaria. These were in 2004 and 2005, and the recitals were given both on Bulgarian radio and television.
This recital, which is free and open to the general public, is kindly supported by the Campus Ministry, the John R. Oishei Foundation, and Canisius College.
Dr Eduardo Mercado III
“Why Whales Sing”
September 12, 2005 at 3 PM
Old Main 314
Biologists think they know why whales sing: to get more mates. There is little doubt that singing males are interested in mating, but no one really knows how songs help whales to achieve this goal. We have proposed that “singing” whales are actually echo-locating whales, and that whale songs are not songs at all, but are instead a form of long-range sonar that whales use to locate and track other whales. This presentation will summarize the evidence for and against this proposal, with special emphasis on findings from mathematical models of underwater acoustics and animal bioacoustics.
Dr Mercado is a psychology professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He holds an MS in electrical engineering and a PhD in psychology, both from the University of Hawaii. He joined the Department of Psychology at SUNY Buffalo in 2002 after completing a Society for Neuroscience Postdoctoral Fellowship, a SACNAS Neuroscience Scholars Fellowship and a Society for Neuroscience Conference Fellowship. Mercado’s research interests include the neurobiology of learning and memory, cortical plasticity and representation of events, sound perception and production, and connectionist models and computational neuroscience.
Dr Mercado’s public lecture runs in conjunction with his one week course on “Mathematical Models of Singing Whales” (MAT 317), to which we refer.
Dr Fred Watson, (Anglo-Australian Observatory)
“when telescopes go BAD”
April 14, 2005 at 3 PM
Horan-O’Donnell 109
On the eve of the telescope’s 400th birthday, astronomers are planning a new generation of giant optical (visible-light) telescopes that promise to transform our view of the universe. But the history of humankind’s most far-sighted invention is littered with projects that, for one reason or another, have failed to live up to expectations. How can we be sure that the new facilities will succeed in delivering the goods?
In this entertaining and fully-illustrated talk, Fred Watson looks back at some of the world’s worst and best telescopes, and asks what makes a productive astronomical instrument? What is it that ensures satisfaction from the community such a facility is designed to serve? And how do some telescopes go from mere competence to iconic status? Sometimes, the answers are quite surprising.
Fred Watson says he has spent so many years working in large telescope domes that he has started to look like one. Educated at the universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh, he worked at both of Britain’s former Royal Observatories before moving to Australia in 1982. Here, he helped pioneer the use of fiber optics in astronomy, a technique that has today revolutionized the way information is gathered on very large numbers of objects. Since 1995, Fred has been Astronomer-In-Charge of the Anglo-Australian Observatory in New South Wales (Australia), where he is involved with large-scale surveys of stars and galaxies.
Dr Petrus Potgieter
“Computability in Economics”
March, 17 2005 at 3 PM
OLD MAIN 403
Abstract: The mathematization of economics has been one of the more glamorous and utopian scientific endeavors of the twentieth century. The talk considers its extent as an applicable science by reviewing some results of the past decade or so related to recursive (or, computable) real analysis. It will consider inter alia:
- the use of computability as a limit on the actions of the economic agents, for example as a (bounded) rationality condition for consumer choice; and
- the problem of computability of model outcomes—general equilibrium, for example—given computable boundary conditions.
Speaker Biography: Dr Potgieter has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. His academic interests are chiefly in the foundations of computation and computational complexity and in mathematical finance. He is a regular consultant to the South African financial industry and was recently elected to the Executive of the Operations Research Society of South Africa.
These events are kindly sponsored by the John R. Oishei Foundation and Canisius College.
Professor S. G. Rajeev
“Neither Newton nor Leibniz: The Discovery of Calculus in Medieval India”
March, 9 2005 at 3 PM
OLD MAIN 310
OLD MAIN 310
Abstract: There was a bitter controversy in the 17th century between Newton and Leibniz over the discovery of calculus. It has recently come to light that many ideas of calculus were known to a school of astronomers that flourished between the 14th and 16th centuries in Kerala, a coastal province of India. Thus while Newton remains the intellectual giant responsible for our modern view of calculus and the founder of all the physical sciences, we have to revise some of the commonly held views on the history of calculus. We will explain some of the older methods and mathematical results of the Kerala astronomers. We will also look briefly into the community of high priests to which these astronomers belonged in order to help understand their motivations.
Speaker Biography: Dr Rajeev is a Professor of Physics at the University of Rochester. He works on various problems in “High Energy Physics” as well as on problems from string theory, nonlinear optics, hydrodynamics and quantum information theory.
These events are kindly sponsored by the John R. Oishei Foundation and Canisius College.
Dr Ian Doust
KEYNOTE LECTURE
“Weird New Trigonometric & Combinatorial Identities”
Dr Ian Doust
KEYNOTE LECTURE
“Weird New Trigonometric & Combinatorial Identities”
November 22, 2004 at 1:50 pm
Old Main 201
Abstract: While doing some research in Banach space geometry, one of my students started doing some of the computations using a computer algebra package. The patterns that emerged from these experiments took us along a quite unexpected path, leading eventually to some amazing looking identities involving trigonometric functions and Stirling numbers. In this talk I’ll retrace that journey and reflect on how the computer influenced the direction of our research. The only background required of the audience is a passing knowledge of linear algebra.
Speaker Biography: Ian Doust completed his mathematical education at the Universities of Western Australia, Toronto and Edinburgh. Although his main research interests are in functional analysis, he is also very interested in applications of computing to mathematical research and teaching. His recent activities include being Director of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute Summer School for senior mathematics students. Ian is a senior lecturer in the School of Mathematics at the University of New South Wales (Australia).
These events are kindly sponsored by the John R. Oishei Foundation and Canisius College.
Dr Toshikazu Natsume
A SPECIAL PUBLIC LECTURE
“Non-commutative Geometry and an Index Theorem”
Old Main 201
Abstract: While doing some research in Banach space geometry, one of my students started doing some of the computations using a computer algebra package. The patterns that emerged from these experiments took us along a quite unexpected path, leading eventually to some amazing looking identities involving trigonometric functions and Stirling numbers. In this talk I’ll retrace that journey and reflect on how the computer influenced the direction of our research. The only background required of the audience is a passing knowledge of linear algebra.
Speaker Biography: Ian Doust completed his mathematical education at the Universities of Western Australia, Toronto and Edinburgh. Although his main research interests are in functional analysis, he is also very interested in applications of computing to mathematical research and teaching. His recent activities include being Director of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute Summer School for senior mathematics students. Ian is a senior lecturer in the School of Mathematics at the University of New South Wales (Australia).
These events are kindly sponsored by the John R. Oishei Foundation and Canisius College.
Dr Toshikazu Natsume
A SPECIAL PUBLIC LECTURE
“Non-commutative Geometry and an Index Theorem”
October 29, 2004 at 3 pm
Old Main 403
Old Main 403
Abstract: Non-commutative geometry is an exciting, quite new, area of mathematics that has close ties to, and important ramifications in, physics. In this talk I will begin by discussing the history of non-commutative geometry and what non-commutative geometry is. As an application of the ideas in non-commutative geometry I will discuss an index theorem for families of elliptic operators. This will connote a generalization of the material covered in my parallel course at Canisius College, see: www.canisius.edu/topos/natsume.asp
Speaker Biography: Dr Toshikazu Natsume is a professor of Mathematics at the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan who previously worked at SUNY Buffalo in the 1990s. Natsume is a world-leading figure in non-commutative geometry and has lectured extensively on the topic here and abroad. A prolific researcher, Natsume has published in a number of elite mathematics journals.
These events are kindly sponsored by the John R. Oishei Foundation and Canisius College.
Dr Clio Cresswell
“Mathematics and Sex?”
September 27, 2004 at 3 pm
OLD MAIN 223
Abstract: Mathematics and sex! That’s right, the two are very much intertwined. Don’t believe me? Come and see for yourself. I’ll be discussing the equations explaining the roller coaster ride of love, how to improve your chances of marital bliss, the number of test partners you should have before settling down, and much, much more. Be prepared for some of the latest mathematical research because the mathematics of sex is not merely about numbers and probabilities. Mathematics is the study of patterns: their discovery, their interconnections and their implications. And in the context of human behavior, patterns abound, and mathematics provides many unique and exciting insights. In fact, mathematics has uncovered an unexpected treasure-trove of relationship advice. You’ll leave this presentation with some great tips, but dare I say more importantly with a rekindled sense of how creative, evolving, and downright sexy mathematics is.
Reception & Signing: Following the lecture, immediately outside Old Main 223, there will be a reception and Talking Leaves book event, with Clio on hand to chat and sign copies of her new book “Mathematics and Sex”.
Speaker Biography: Dr Cresswell is a Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales (Australia), a media personality, and an author. This event marks the release of her new book “Mathematics and Sex” in the USA.
Dr. David P. Blecher
“Non-commutative linear analysis, with some examples”
September 15, 2004 at 3pm
OLD MAIN 223
Abstract. In this talk, we present the `first things’ about the new theory of operator spaces, including some results of the speaker on the duality of operator spaces. We illustrate with some examples why this `long hidden’ approach is necessary.
Speaker Biography. Dr Blecher studied in Cambridge, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland, where he received his PhD in 1988. With mathematical interests that include Operator Algebras and Functional Analysis, Dr Blecher is a leading researcher - and one of the pioneers - in the exciting new field of Operator Spaces. Apart from writing numerous field-influencing papers, Dr Blecher is the coauthor of two AMS Memoirs, and a book entitled “Operator algebras and their modules” (Oxford University Press, 2004).
Parallel to his Public Lecture, Dr Blecher will be teaching a very special one-week course - MAT 307 - on “Non-commutative Functional Analysis” that runs September 13–17, 2004.
Dr. Alan D. Taylor
"Fair Division and Voting: Is Honesty the Best Policy?"
April 14, 2004 at 3pm
Old Main 403
Abstract. In an auction, should you bid what you think the lamp is really worth? Are there auction rules for which such honesty is the best policy? In a divorce, should you reveal the extent to which you want (or don't want) the dog? Are there fair-division procedures for which such honesty is the best policy? In an election, should you vote for your favorite candidate? Are there voting rules where such honesty is the best policy? We'll see what mathematics has to say about each of these questions.
Speaker Biography. Dr Alan Taylor is the Marie Louise Bailey Professor of Mathematics at Union College, an endowed chair. A leading researcher on Mathematics and Politics, Dr Taylor has written several texts and numerous papers on this interdisciplinary topic. In particular, Dr Taylor's joint work with Dr Steven Brams (Department of Political Science, NYU) on "fair division" made the front page of the London Times and was featured in a variety of popular magazines such as the New Yorker.
Parallel to this Public Lecture, Professor Taylor will give a one-week course - MAT 306 - on "Mathematics and Politics" (13 April - 16 April 2004). See: www.canisius.edu/topos/taylor.aspfor additional information.
These events are kindly sponsored by the Oishei Foundation and Canisius College.
Dr. Sangeeta Singh
“Cultural Differences In, And Influences On, Consumers' Propensity To Innovate”
February 25, 2004 at 3pm
Old Main 403
Although every culture is different, four stable dimensions have been identified that account for much of the variability across cultures. The dimension of individualism and collectivism pertains to the relation between an individual and his or her fellow individuals and is the degree to which human beings in a society prefer to act as individuals rather than as members of a social group. Power distance in a given society is an indication of how it deals with the fact that people are unequal in their physical and intellectual capacities. Cultures with large power distance tend to be hierarchical while those with small power distance tend to value equality where knowledge and respect are perceived as sources of power. Uncertainty Avoidance is how a society deals with the fact that time runs only one way and that we have to live with uncertainty because the future is unknown and always will be. The fourth cultural dimension of masculinity refers to the importance a culture places on the perceived masculine traits like high earnings, recognition, achievement, assertiveness, advancement, challenge, etc.
This study investigates the relationship between the four dimensions of national culture and adoption of new products, ideas, or behaviours to suggest a framework for distinguishing between innovative and imitative behaviour of consumers. Not only are these behaviours examined but also the types of persuasions that might instigate consumers into such behaviours. Results based on an analysis of variance of data collected in France and Germany provide indication that indeed, consumers’ acceptance of things new and how they are going to be influenced into adopting them are dependent on their national culture.
Specifically, it was found that cultures characterised by small power distances, weak uncertainty avoidance and masculinity will demonstrate innovativeness. The findings also indicate that consumers coming from different national cultures are going to vary in their susceptibility to normative influences and interpersonal communications. Consumers coming from a large power distance, strong uncertainty avoidance and/or feminine cultures are going to be convinced into adopting new products through normative influences while those from more collectivistic cultures are more likely to be swayed by interpersonal communications. These results offer possibilities of influencing consumers into adopting new products by using different methods that are dependent on the national culture.
John A. Burns
From Nano-Technology to Large Space Structures
How Mathematical Research has Become the Enabling Science
From the Ultra Small to the Ultra Large
February 4, 2004 at 3pm
Old Main 303
ABSTRACT
The goal of this presentation is to illustrate how new mathematical theories have become the enabling science in some of today's most challenging science and engineering problems. The talk is intended for a general non-technical audience and will begin with a high level description of four research projects at the Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Mathematics at Virginia Tech. These projects include (i) manufacturing of nano-materials and ink-jet printers, (ii) modeling and control of epidemics and bio-terrorism, (iii) the design of wind tunnels and scram jet engines and (iv) control and optimization of ultra large gossamer space structures. The engine design problem will be used to illustrate how mathematical research provided a key breakthrough in this technological area. Finally, opportunities for future research and challenge problems will be presented.
Professor Burns is the Hatcher Professor of Mathematics at Virginia Tech and the Director of the Center for Optimal Design and Control. He has published over 100 research papers on computational methods for identification, optimization and control of systems governed by partial differential equations. He has given more than 100 invited lectures and serves on 5 editorial boards. He has served as Vice President of SIAM, is the past Chair of the SIAM Activity Group on Systems and Control and is a Fellow of the IEEE. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the SIAM book series on Advances in Design and Control.
Dr. Elizabeth Grosz
“Gilles Deleuze and space”
November 7, 2003 at 3 pm
Old Main 203
Abstract. Gilles Deleuze has become increasingly influential in thinking about space, place and inhabitation. Although his works are highly abstract and philosophical, artists, architects and practitioners, as well as theorists have found them challenging, perplexing and appealing. This lecture provides an introduction to two of his most central and simple concepts: to the concept of theory itself, and to an understanding of space as always two-fold (space is commonly understood as smooth or striated, as organized or disorganized, nomadic or sedentary, as extensive or intensive and so on). These two concepts may direct us to think about new types of social practice, and new modes of inhabitation.
Parallel to this Public Lecture, Professor Grosz will give a one-week course OSH 203 on Darwin, Bergson & Deleuze (running 03 Nov 03 – 07 Nov 03). Click herefor additional information.
Reception and “Talking Leaves” Book Event. There will be a reception after the Public Lecture. Drinks and light refreshments will be served. Talking Leaves Bookstore will be on hand with a display and sale of several of Professor Grosz’s seminal texts.
Sponsored by a generous Oishei Foundation grant with assistance from the Buffalo International Studies Colloquium and the Department of Sociology at Buffalo State College.
Jeffrey R. Weeks
The Shape of Space
Thursday, October 30, 2003 at 7 pm
Horan-O’Donnell 107
When we look out on a clear night, the universe seems infinite. Yet this infinity might be an illusion. During the first half of the presentation, computer games will introduce the concept of a "multi-connected universe". Interactive 3D graphics will then take the viewer on a tour of several possible shapes for space. Finally, we'll see how satellite data released in February 2003 are beginning to reveal the true shape of our universe.
The only prerequisites for this talk are curiosity and imagination. For middle school and high school students, people interested in astronomy, and all members of the community.
Jeff Weeks is a freelance mathematician living in Canton, NY. He has an A.B. from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. from Princeton University, both in mathematics. His main interests are geometry, topology, cosmology and education. Currently a MacArthur Fellow, he splits his time between research and education. His present research centers on a collaboration with cosmologists to test the shape of the universe using satellite data. His educational activities have lead to a multimedia unit for middle schools on geometry and space. The unit uses classroom activities, computer games, and video to let students explore universes that are finite but have no boundaries. Jeff is the author of the book The Shape of Space (Marcel Dekker, 1985; second edition 2002), the unit Exploring the Shape of Space (Key Curriculum Press, 2001), and numerous research and expository articles.
The Horan O’Donnell Science Building is located on Hughes Avenue, near the intersection of Main and Jefferson Streets in Buffalo, NY. For more information, contact Dr Anthony Weston, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Canisius College, 716-888-2471.
Dr Tim Dean
“What is Psychoanalysis Like?”
OCT, 20 2003 OLD MAIN 403, 5pm
Abstract. This Public Lecture introduces some of the themes and concepts that will be developed during the week-long course OSH 202 to which it is both a prelude and a first installment. The epistemological status of Freudian psychoanalysis will be elucidated by way of analogy: Is psychoanalysis as a practice like confession or is it more like prostitution? Should psychoanalysis be considered a branch of medicine, akin to psychiatry, or is it a science like psychology? Why did opponents such as Lacan and Foucault both agree psychoanalysis is not a psychology? What is the experience of psychoanalysis like? What is it an experience of? What models and analogies did Freud use to explain what he was doing when he invented the `talking cure’? For suggested reading and more information on the course OSH 202: “Introduction to Psychoanalytic Structures”, please see the N
MT website.
Reception. The lecture will be preceded by a reception at 4pm immediately outside the venue, Old Main 403. Drinks and light refreshments will be served. The lecture will commence at 5pm.
Sponsored by a generous Oishei Foundation grant with assistance from the Buffalo International Studies Colloquium and the Department of Sociology at Buffalo State College.
Manuel De Landa
“deleuze and the genetic algorithm”
SEPT, 29 2003 OLD MAIN 403, 5pm
This Public Lecture also marks the beginning of an intensive one-week one-credit course (OSH 201) taught by Manuel De Landa (Columbia University) on “Gilles Deleuze and Science”. This, and similar one-week courses later in the Fall, may be taken as Mathematics Electives. Please contact the Registrar if you wish to enroll. Registration for OSH 201 is open until 30 September 2003. Further particulars about Manuel’s Public Lecture and course may be found on the NMT project website.
RECEPTION and “talking leaves” display: Light refreshments will be served prior to Manuel’s lecture in the foyer immediately outside the venue. This reception starts at 4pm and will coincide with a display and book signing kindly arranged by Talking Leaves Bookstore.
Sponsored by a generous Oishei Foundation grant with assistance from the Buffalo International Studies Colloquium and the Department of Sociology at Buffalo State College.
Dr Clio Cresswell
“Mathematics and Sex?”
September 27, 2004 at 3 pm
OLD MAIN 223
Abstract: Mathematics and sex! That’s right, the two are very much intertwined. Don’t believe me? Come and see for yourself. I’ll be discussing the equations explaining the roller coaster ride of love, how to improve your chances of marital bliss, the number of test partners you should have before settling down, and much, much more. Be prepared for some of the latest mathematical research because the mathematics of sex is not merely about numbers and probabilities. Mathematics is the study of patterns: their discovery, their interconnections and their implications. And in the context of human behavior, patterns abound, and mathematics provides many unique and exciting insights. In fact, mathematics has uncovered an unexpected treasure-trove of relationship advice. You’ll leave this presentation with some great tips, but dare I say more importantly with a rekindled sense of how creative, evolving, and downright sexy mathematics is.
Reception & Signing: Following the lecture, immediately outside Old Main 223, there will be a reception and Talking Leaves book event, with Clio on hand to chat and sign copies of her new book “Mathematics and Sex”.
Speaker Biography: Dr Cresswell is a Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales (Australia), a media personality, and an author. This event marks the release of her new book “Mathematics and Sex” in the USA.
Dr. David P. Blecher
“Non-commutative linear analysis, with some examples”
September 15, 2004 at 3pm
OLD MAIN 223
Abstract. In this talk, we present the `first things’ about the new theory of operator spaces, including some results of the speaker on the duality of operator spaces. We illustrate with some examples why this `long hidden’ approach is necessary.
Speaker Biography. Dr Blecher studied in Cambridge, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland, where he received his PhD in 1988. With mathematical interests that include Operator Algebras and Functional Analysis, Dr Blecher is a leading researcher - and one of the pioneers - in the exciting new field of Operator Spaces. Apart from writing numerous field-influencing papers, Dr Blecher is the coauthor of two AMS Memoirs, and a book entitled “Operator algebras and their modules” (Oxford University Press, 2004).
Parallel to his Public Lecture, Dr Blecher will be teaching a very special one-week course - MAT 307 - on “Non-commutative Functional Analysis” that runs September 13–17, 2004.
Dr. Alan D. Taylor
"Fair Division and Voting: Is Honesty the Best Policy?"
April 14, 2004 at 3pm
Old Main 403
Abstract. In an auction, should you bid what you think the lamp is really worth? Are there auction rules for which such honesty is the best policy? In a divorce, should you reveal the extent to which you want (or don't want) the dog? Are there fair-division procedures for which such honesty is the best policy? In an election, should you vote for your favorite candidate? Are there voting rules where such honesty is the best policy? We'll see what mathematics has to say about each of these questions.
Speaker Biography. Dr Alan Taylor is the Marie Louise Bailey Professor of Mathematics at Union College, an endowed chair. A leading researcher on Mathematics and Politics, Dr Taylor has written several texts and numerous papers on this interdisciplinary topic. In particular, Dr Taylor's joint work with Dr Steven Brams (Department of Political Science, NYU) on "fair division" made the front page of the London Times and was featured in a variety of popular magazines such as the New Yorker.
Parallel to this Public Lecture, Professor Taylor will give a one-week course - MAT 306 - on "Mathematics and Politics" (13 April - 16 April 2004). See: www.canisius.edu/topos/taylor.aspfor additional information.
These events are kindly sponsored by the Oishei Foundation and Canisius College.
Dr. Sangeeta Singh
“Cultural Differences In, And Influences On, Consumers' Propensity To Innovate”
February 25, 2004 at 3pm
Old Main 403
Although every culture is different, four stable dimensions have been identified that account for much of the variability across cultures. The dimension of individualism and collectivism pertains to the relation between an individual and his or her fellow individuals and is the degree to which human beings in a society prefer to act as individuals rather than as members of a social group. Power distance in a given society is an indication of how it deals with the fact that people are unequal in their physical and intellectual capacities. Cultures with large power distance tend to be hierarchical while those with small power distance tend to value equality where knowledge and respect are perceived as sources of power. Uncertainty Avoidance is how a society deals with the fact that time runs only one way and that we have to live with uncertainty because the future is unknown and always will be. The fourth cultural dimension of masculinity refers to the importance a culture places on the perceived masculine traits like high earnings, recognition, achievement, assertiveness, advancement, challenge, etc.
This study investigates the relationship between the four dimensions of national culture and adoption of new products, ideas, or behaviours to suggest a framework for distinguishing between innovative and imitative behaviour of consumers. Not only are these behaviours examined but also the types of persuasions that might instigate consumers into such behaviours. Results based on an analysis of variance of data collected in France and Germany provide indication that indeed, consumers’ acceptance of things new and how they are going to be influenced into adopting them are dependent on their national culture.
Specifically, it was found that cultures characterised by small power distances, weak uncertainty avoidance and masculinity will demonstrate innovativeness. The findings also indicate that consumers coming from different national cultures are going to vary in their susceptibility to normative influences and interpersonal communications. Consumers coming from a large power distance, strong uncertainty avoidance and/or feminine cultures are going to be convinced into adopting new products through normative influences while those from more collectivistic cultures are more likely to be swayed by interpersonal communications. These results offer possibilities of influencing consumers into adopting new products by using different methods that are dependent on the national culture.
John A. Burns
From Nano-Technology to Large Space Structures
How Mathematical Research has Become the Enabling Science
From the Ultra Small to the Ultra Large
February 4, 2004 at 3pm
Old Main 303
ABSTRACT
The goal of this presentation is to illustrate how new mathematical theories have become the enabling science in some of today's most challenging science and engineering problems. The talk is intended for a general non-technical audience and will begin with a high level description of four research projects at the Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Mathematics at Virginia Tech. These projects include (i) manufacturing of nano-materials and ink-jet printers, (ii) modeling and control of epidemics and bio-terrorism, (iii) the design of wind tunnels and scram jet engines and (iv) control and optimization of ultra large gossamer space structures. The engine design problem will be used to illustrate how mathematical research provided a key breakthrough in this technological area. Finally, opportunities for future research and challenge problems will be presented.
Professor Burns is the Hatcher Professor of Mathematics at Virginia Tech and the Director of the Center for Optimal Design and Control. He has published over 100 research papers on computational methods for identification, optimization and control of systems governed by partial differential equations. He has given more than 100 invited lectures and serves on 5 editorial boards. He has served as Vice President of SIAM, is the past Chair of the SIAM Activity Group on Systems and Control and is a Fellow of the IEEE. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the SIAM book series on Advances in Design and Control.
Dr. Elizabeth Grosz
“Gilles Deleuze and space”
November 7, 2003 at 3 pm
Old Main 203
Abstract. Gilles Deleuze has become increasingly influential in thinking about space, place and inhabitation. Although his works are highly abstract and philosophical, artists, architects and practitioners, as well as theorists have found them challenging, perplexing and appealing. This lecture provides an introduction to two of his most central and simple concepts: to the concept of theory itself, and to an understanding of space as always two-fold (space is commonly understood as smooth or striated, as organized or disorganized, nomadic or sedentary, as extensive or intensive and so on). These two concepts may direct us to think about new types of social practice, and new modes of inhabitation.
Parallel to this Public Lecture, Professor Grosz will give a one-week course OSH 203 on Darwin, Bergson & Deleuze (running 03 Nov 03 – 07 Nov 03). Click herefor additional information.
Reception and “Talking Leaves” Book Event. There will be a reception after the Public Lecture. Drinks and light refreshments will be served. Talking Leaves Bookstore will be on hand with a display and sale of several of Professor Grosz’s seminal texts.
Sponsored by a generous Oishei Foundation grant with assistance from the Buffalo International Studies Colloquium and the Department of Sociology at Buffalo State College.
Jeffrey R. Weeks
The Shape of Space
Thursday, October 30, 2003 at 7 pm
Horan-O’Donnell 107
When we look out on a clear night, the universe seems infinite. Yet this infinity might be an illusion. During the first half of the presentation, computer games will introduce the concept of a "multi-connected universe". Interactive 3D graphics will then take the viewer on a tour of several possible shapes for space. Finally, we'll see how satellite data released in February 2003 are beginning to reveal the true shape of our universe.
The only prerequisites for this talk are curiosity and imagination. For middle school and high school students, people interested in astronomy, and all members of the community.
Jeff Weeks is a freelance mathematician living in Canton, NY. He has an A.B. from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. from Princeton University, both in mathematics. His main interests are geometry, topology, cosmology and education. Currently a MacArthur Fellow, he splits his time between research and education. His present research centers on a collaboration with cosmologists to test the shape of the universe using satellite data. His educational activities have lead to a multimedia unit for middle schools on geometry and space. The unit uses classroom activities, computer games, and video to let students explore universes that are finite but have no boundaries. Jeff is the author of the book The Shape of Space (Marcel Dekker, 1985; second edition 2002), the unit Exploring the Shape of Space (Key Curriculum Press, 2001), and numerous research and expository articles.
The Horan O’Donnell Science Building is located on Hughes Avenue, near the intersection of Main and Jefferson Streets in Buffalo, NY. For more information, contact Dr Anthony Weston, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Canisius College, 716-888-2471.
Dr Tim Dean
“What is Psychoanalysis Like?”
OCT, 20 2003 OLD MAIN 403, 5pm
Abstract. This Public Lecture introduces some of the themes and concepts that will be developed during the week-long course OSH 202 to which it is both a prelude and a first installment. The epistemological status of Freudian psychoanalysis will be elucidated by way of analogy: Is psychoanalysis as a practice like confession or is it more like prostitution? Should psychoanalysis be considered a branch of medicine, akin to psychiatry, or is it a science like psychology? Why did opponents such as Lacan and Foucault both agree psychoanalysis is not a psychology? What is the experience of psychoanalysis like? What is it an experience of? What models and analogies did Freud use to explain what he was doing when he invented the `talking cure’? For suggested reading and more information on the course OSH 202: “Introduction to Psychoanalytic Structures”, please see the N
MT website.Reception. The lecture will be preceded by a reception at 4pm immediately outside the venue, Old Main 403. Drinks and light refreshments will be served. The lecture will commence at 5pm.
Sponsored by a generous Oishei Foundation grant with assistance from the Buffalo International Studies Colloquium and the Department of Sociology at Buffalo State College.
Manuel De Landa
“deleuze and the genetic algorithm”
SEPT, 29 2003 OLD MAIN 403, 5pm
This Public Lecture also marks the beginning of an intensive one-week one-credit course (OSH 201) taught by Manuel De Landa (Columbia University) on “Gilles Deleuze and Science”. This, and similar one-week courses later in the Fall, may be taken as Mathematics Electives. Please contact the Registrar if you wish to enroll. Registration for OSH 201 is open until 30 September 2003. Further particulars about Manuel’s Public Lecture and course may be found on the N
MT project website.RECEPTION and “talking leaves” display: Light refreshments will be served prior to Manuel’s lecture in the foyer immediately outside the venue. This reception starts at 4pm and will coincide with a display and book signing kindly arranged by Talking Leaves Bookstore.
Sponsored by a generous Oishei Foundation grant with assistance from the Buffalo International Studies Colloquium and the Department of Sociology at Buffalo State College.