UW Mathematics Faculty Will Present Five Workshops at National Conference

The University of Wyoming Department of Mathematics and Statistics will be well represented at the Joint Mathematics Meetings this winter.

Five UW mathematics faculty members -- the largest UW contingent ever -- will make presentations at what is considered the largest mathematics meeting in the world. The American Mathematical Society (AMS) and the Mathematical Association of America organize the annual conference, which is scheduled Jan. 15-19 in Denver, Colo. More than 6,000 mathematicians are expected to attend.

“This year, our university has a strong representation in this conference,” says Zhuang Niu, a UW associate professor of mathematics. “Besides the graduate fair and other executive things, our department is organizing five scientific sessions at the meeting.”

This meeting is a must-attend for anyone interested in learning about innovative mathematical research; advancing mathematical achievement; providing the communication and tools to progress in the field; encouraging mathematical research; and connecting with the mathematical community, Niu says.

Bryan Shader, a UW professor of mathematics, is co-organizing his session, titled “Matrices and Graphs,” with Leslie Hogben, associate dean of mathematics at Iowa State University. The session consists of 13 talks with researchers from around the world and focuses on the interaction between linear algebra and graphics theory.

“This interaction has been mutually beneficial and has produced results with substantial applications,” Shader says. “One example of a recent application is zero forcing on graphs, which is used to control quantum systems in mathematical physics, graph searching in computer science, and as part of power domination on graphs used to find optimal placement of monitoring units for electrical networks.”

He says another is the study of sign pattern matrices that grew out of economics and has applications to mathematical biology, especially ecological food webs, statistical mechanics and communication complexity.

Other UW mathematics faculty and the sessions they will participate in are:

-- Rongsong Liu, associate professor, “Recent Advances of Mathematical Modeling on Ecology and Epidemiology.”

-- Tyrrell McAllister, associate professor, “Research from the Rocky Mountain-Great Plains Graduate Research Workshop in Combinatorics.”

-- Niu and Ping Zhong, assistant professor, “C-Algebras, Dynamical Systems and Applications.”

-- Jason Williford, associate professor, “Aspects and Applications of Algebraic Combinations.”

UW mathematics graduate students attending are:

-- Bryan Curtis, a fifth-year graduate student from Centennial, Colo.

-- Adeyemi Fagbade, a first-year graduate student from Moro, Nigeria.

-- Jorge Flores, a fifth-year graduate student from Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

-- Ziqiang Li, a third-year graduate student from Yanji City, China.

-- Dane Patey, a recent UW graduate from Casper who received his master’s degree in mathematics and is conducting research at UW.

The meeting will include a comprehensive and rich scientific program for mathematicians at all levels; prize and award ceremonies honoring the achievements of outstanding mathematicians; continued education courses; the Graduate School Fair and the Undergraduate Poster Session; the AMS Employment Center for job opportunities; the annual Mathematical Art Exhibition; and the “Who Wants to Be a Mathematician Championship” and Math Wrangle competitions, which showcase the knowledge of some of the nation’s best high school students.

“The meeting provides opportunities to hear about cutting-edge research, establish and nurture collaborations, recruit graduate students and become aware of funding opportunities,” Shader says.