News and Events

Mathematics and Statistics Department Colloquium: 
Seven Introductions to Alan Turing

Presented by Dr. Suraj Uttamchandani, Assistant Professor of the Learning Sciences, Adephi University

Friday, October 4, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Palamountain 202
Refreshments beforehand at 3:00 pm

For our first invited colloquium talk of the year, we are excited to welcome Dr. Suraj Uttamchandani from Adelphi University, who will join us on Friday, October 4 to present his talk, Seven Introductions to Alan Turing. We hope to see you there!

Abstract: Alan Turing was a British (choose: Mathematician / Computer Scientist / Codebreaker / Philosopher / Gay Person). You might know him as the person Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed in the movie The Imitation Game. At age 24, Turing solved a major problem in math logic and proof (the “entscheidungsproblem,” isn’t that a great name). At age 27, he was crucial in breaking Nazi codes and ciphers, contributing to the end of WWII. And at age 38, he created the “Turing Test,” which we still use to examine how good artificial intelligence is (and some argue, ChatGPT has finally passed this test). Despite these accomplishments, Turing was still arrested and prosecuted for being gay, leading to his death by suicide at age 41. In this interdisciplinary talk, I will lead us on a guided tour of Turing’s life and his work. In the process, I will discuss my own experiences with mathematics, the learning sciences, and LGBTQ+ education, and so highlight how math, history, and social sciences are intertwined. This talk is introductory and will be accessible to all; no prior knowledge in math or computer science is necessary. 

Speaker Bio: Dr. Suraj Uttamchandani (he/him/his) is an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences at Adelphi University. His work centers on political and relational dimensions of equitable learning, in learning environments as diverse as undergraduate STEM education, LGBTQ+ education, and technology-mediated instruction. He previously was a Visiting Research Scientist at the Center for Research on Learning and Technology at Indiana University, where he also completed his Ph.D. in the learning sciences. Prior to that, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from SUNY Geneseo. His work has been funded by SUNY and the Mozilla Foundation, and his research has appeared in venues such as  Journal of the Learning Sciences, International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, and Discourse, Context, & Media. 

Welcome to our newest faculty member, 
Professor Christopher Seaton!

We are pleased to welcome Professor Christopher Seaton to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Skidmore College.  Prof. Seaton earned his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2004.  He joins us this fall after 20 years on the faculty in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.

Prof. Seaton’s research focuses on the geometry and topology of singular spaces, particularly orbifolds, singular symplectic quotients, and orbit spaces of Lie and topological groupoids.  He enjoys mentoring undergraduate research and related projects in symplectic geometry, differential topology, computational invariant theory, and related areas.  He has published nearly 40 mathematics papers in peer-reviewed journals, including eleven that he has coauthored with his undergraduate students.  

Prof. Seaton has extensive experience teaching courses on a variety of topics at all levels of the undergraduate mathematics curriculum. This fall he will be teaching Linear Algebra (MA 200) and Abstract Algebra I (MA 319).  Please extend a warm welcome to him when you see him in the Department!

Mathematics and Statistics Departmental Seminar presents Careers in Industry Seminar & Panel Discussion

Friday, April 21
Emerson Auditorium

Seminar Talk: 2:30 – 3:00 p.m., “From Liberal Arts to Data Science," Dr. Kimberly Fessel
Refreshments: 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion: 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.,
Panelists: Dr. Kimberly Fessel, Dr. Kai Sikorski, Edvin Leon ’19, Xinyi Gu ‘20

While exciting, the ever-evolving field of data science can feel exclusive, amorphous, and down-right scary. Data literacy seems important given that so many of tomorrow’s jobs will involve artificial intelligence in one form or the other, but what exactly is data science and how can you get started learning about it?

In this presentation, I will share some of the most important things I have learned from my experiences as a liberal arts college student, a postdoctoral researcher, an advertising analyst, a data science bootcamp director, and now a freelance data consultant. Find out what the biggest differences between academia and industry are, what it’s like to work as a data scientist, how to make a killer instructional video for YouTube, and what classes you can take right now to prepare yourself for a potential career leveraging data.

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the CLTL present:

Two Events with Dr. Pamela E. Harris, Associate Professor of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

With additional support provided by the Presidential Discretionary Fund and the Charles Lubin Family Chair for Women in Science

Speaker Bio: Dr. Pamela E. Harris is a Mexican-American mathematician. She serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She co-founded and serves as President of Lathisms: Latinxs and Hispanics in the Mathematical Sciences. She cohosts the podcast Mathematically Uncensored and coauthored the books Asked And Answered: Dialogues On Advocating For Students of Color in Mathematics, Practices and Policies: Advocating for Students of Color in Mathematics, and Read and Rectify: Stories of Advocacy from Students of Color in Mathematics. Full bio available here.

Event 1: “On Becoming Better Mentors and Advocates in STEM,” a faculty workshop

Monday, February 27, 10 a.m.

The Wyckoff Center

Description: In this talk, I discuss some of my past mentoring experiences and their effects on my self-confidence and my career progression. Based on these experiences I share concrete ideas on how to build better mentoring relationships. I also detail how becoming advocates for systemic and cultural changes in STEM fields provides another way to help create environments in which members of groups who have been historically underrepresented and underserved can thrive authentically in the STEM community.

---

Event 2: “Parking Functions: Choose Your Own Adventure,” a research talk

Monday, February 27, 2 p.m.

Emerson Auditorium

Abstract: Consider a parking lot consisting of n consecutive parking spots along a one-way street labeled 1 to n. Suppose n cars want to park one at a time in the parking lot and each car has a preferred parking spot. Each car coming into the lot initially tries to park in its preferred spot. However, if a car's preferred spot is already occupied, then it will proceed forward in the street parking in the next available spot. Since the parking lot is along a one-way street, it is not guaranteed that every car will be able to park before driving past the parking lot. If we let ai denote the preference of car i and all of the cars are able to park under these conditions, then the preference list (a1, a2, …, an) is called a parking function (of length n).  For example, (1,2,4,2,2) is a parking function, but (1,2,2,5,5) is not (you should convince yourself of this!). In this talk we provide an answer to the question of how many parking functions of length n there are and we consider many new avenues for research stemming from this enumerative question.

Mathematics and Statistics Departmental Seminar: To Infinity and Beyond

Dr. Biji Wong, NSF MPS-Ascend Postdoctoral Fellow and a Griffiths Assistant Research Professor of Math at Duke University

Friday, Nov. 18, 2022 at 3 p.m. with refreshments starting at 2:30 p.m.

Emerson Auditorium, Palamountain Hall

For our final seminar talk of the fall semester, Skidmore's Mathematics and Statistics Department is excited to welcome speaker Dr. Biji Wong from Duke University. Please join us at 2:30 pm in Emerson Auditorium for refreshments and conversation. Dr. Wong’s talk will begin at 3 pm.

Abstract:  In this talk, I will give a gentle introduction to surfaces, objects that resemble the outer layer of a soccer ball or the glaze on a donut. Along the way, we will talk about what it means to live on a surface and how to use our understanding of surfaces to study our universe.

Mathematics and Statistics Departmental Seminar: “Rainbow Problems in Groups”

Dr. Michael Young, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Carnegie Mellon University

Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, 3 p.m. with refreshments starting at 2:30 pm

Palamountain 202 

For our October seminar talk, Skidmore's Mathematics and Statistics Department is excited to welcome speaker Dr. Michael Young from Carnegie Mellon University. Please join us at 2:30 p.m. in Palamountain 202 for refreshments and conversation. Dr. Young’s talk will begin at 3 p.m.

Abstract: A set is considered rainbow if each element of the set is assigned a distinct color. In this talk, we will discuss problems and techniques about determining the minimum number of colors needed in order to guarantee that every coloring of the integers contains a set of integers that is rainbow and a solution to a given equation.

Mathematics and Statistics Departmental Seminar presents Graduate School Panel Discussion

Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, 7 p.m.

Glotzbach Atrium of the Center for Integrated Sciences

The Math/Stat Departmental Seminar is excited to announce that we'll be hosting a Graduate School Panel Discussion. This event is open to students of all years who want to learn more about mathematics and statistics graduate programs. You do not need to be a declared math major/minor or stat minor to attend. Come enjoy a slice of pizza while asking all the questions you have about grad school -- things like "What can I do with a graduate degree?", "What is grad school like?", "How do I prepare?", and "Where should I apply?" Our panel consists of four experts, two of whom are Skidmore alums. The panelists are:

Dr. Michael Young (Carnegie Mellon University) - Michael Young is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and the Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Carnegie Mellon University. He is an accomplished discrete mathematics researcher and the former Director of Iowa State University's Postbaccalaureate Certificate program. 

Dr. Kelly Isham '16 (Colgate University) - Kelly Isham graduated from Skidmore in 2016 and got her PhD in mathematics at the University of California, Irvine in 2021. She has been at Colgate University since 2021, first as a Visiting Assistant Professor, and now as an Assistant Professor.

Dr. Vojtech Kejzlar (Skidmore College) - Vojtech Kejzlar completed his PhD in Statistics at Michigan State University in 2020. He is an Assistant Professor of Statistics in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at Skidmore.

Suzanne O'Hara '21 - Suzanne O'Hara is currently a graduate student at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. They are in their second year of studies toward a PhD in mathematics with a concentration in algebra.

 

RSVPs are appreciated, but not required. You can email Dr. Kirsten Hogenson to RSVP or for more information about the event.

Mathematics and Statistics Departmental Seminar: “Dating the Demise of the Dinosaurs”

Dr. Steve C. Wang, Professor of Statistics, Swarthmore College

Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, Refreshments at 2:30 pm, Remote Talk at 3:00 pm

We are excited to kick off the 2022-2023 seminar series with speaker Dr. Steve C. Wang from Swarthmore College. Please join us for refreshments starting at 2:30 pm, followed by talk starting at 3:00 pm. This will be a virtual talk and attendees are welcome to attend the Zoom presentation in CIS 348 or join via Zoom from another location.

Why did the dinosaurs go extinct, and when? And how do we know? Much of our knowledge of the history of life comes from the fossil record. But the fossil record is incomplete, and as a result, potentially misleading. How, then, can we learn anything about life on earth millions of years ago? In this talk I will discuss my research on how we can recognize mass extinctions --such as the one that killed the dinosaurs --from imperfect clues in the fossil record. Along the way we will explore some seemingly unrelated topics, including how the Allies estimated the strength of enemy forces during World War II.

Please email Dr. Csilla Szabo at cszabo@dos5.net for the Zoom link.

Mathematics and Statistics Departmental Seminar: “Math and Civic Tech”

Dr. Nelson Colón, Digital Service Expert (AI/ML & Cyber) at Defense Digital Service

Friday, April 15, 2022, 3-4 p.m. via Zoom

We are pleased to welcome speaker Dr. Nelson Colón who will lead an informal conversation about mathematics and its applications in the private sector and civic tech, and other possible career paths outside of academia for students with a STEM background. 

Dr. Colón is a Mathematician and Data Scientist with a passion for Education, Equity and Civic Tech.  Nel received a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Iowa for his work in Topological Quantum Field Theory.  He also worked at Microsoft for the Intellectual Property Products & Solutions team where he led the development of Machine Learning products to detect Fraud, Waste & Abuse.  Nel left the private sector to serve as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow for three terms, leading the development of AI products to accelerate Benefit processing for our Nation's Veterans.  He is currently on a two-year tour of service at the Department of Defense, where he serves as a Subject Matter Expert on AI and Cybersecurity to the Department.

Please email Dr. Kirsten Hogenson at khogenso@dos5.net for the Zoom link.

Mathematics and Statistics Departmental Seminar

“Crocheting Mathematics”
Dr. Hanne Kekkonen, Assistant Professor at TU Delft, Netherlands
Friday, March 25, 2022, 12-1 p.m., hyflex in Tang Museum Malloy Gallery and on Zoom

We are pleased to welcome speaker and Radical Fiber artist Dr. Hanne Kekkonen who will give the general-level talk “Crocheting Mathematics.”  This talk will be broadcast in the Tang Museum so afterward attendees can view Dr. Kekkonen’s work, as well as the full Radical Fiber exhibit. 

Visit us for the abstract, Zoom link, and an RSVP form.  Please email Dr. Kirsten Hogenson if you have any questions.

Professors Mark Huibregtse, Rachel Roe-Dale, and Becky Trousil serve as faculty advisors for Tang exhibit

For most of the past two years, three members of the MAMS Department (Mark Huibregtse, Rachel Roe-Dale, and Becky Trousil) were members of the faculty advisory committee that assisted Rebecca McNamara (Tang Associate Curator) in planning the exhibit titled Radical Fiber: Threads Connecting Art and Science.  The exhibit features a wide variety of pieces in the fiber arts that exemplify deep connections and paths of influence between the arts and the sciences (including mathematics), with the paths of influence and inspiration flowing both ways.  The advisory committee helped with the selection of pieces that would be most relevant to Skidmore courses and wrote short “wall label” essays describing certain of the pieces and the related scientific ideas.  We also participated in the opening reception for the exhibition, including by serving as guides during the live-streamed curator’s tour. Now that the exhibit is up and running (through June 12,2022), the advisory committee members will be working on their “book essays,” contributions to the exhibition catalogue that expand on the wall labels.  We all enjoyed the experience of working on the advisory committee, and we urge everyone to be sure to see the exhibit.

Mathematics and Statistics “ExploreMore” Information Session & Pi Day

Friday, March 4, 2022, 2–3 p.m.

CIS room 348

Join us to learn about the Mathematics major and Mathematics & Statistics minor programs, about various opportunities for independent study, about extra-curricular educational and social departmental events, pi(e), and more.

Mathematics and Statistics Departmental Seminar

"Fixed Points, Stability, and Oscillations: How can we manipulate systems?"

Dr. Kim Ayers, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at California State University San Marcos

Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, 2-3 p.m.via Zoom

We are pleased to welcome speaker Dr. Kim Ayers, who will give the talk "Fixed Points, Stability, and Oscillations: How can we manipulate systems?"  Please see the attached poster for abstract.

For a Zoom link to attend this talk, please email:  Dr. Kirsten Hogenson: khogenso@dos5.net