# Student Seminar

The student seminar provides an excellent opportunity for Wellesley College students to present mathematical research and different topics to both their peers and faculty.

Presentations are usually substantial, typically lasting about fifty minutes from 12:30 to 1:20. Speakers therefore develop both public speaking and researching skills through their participation.

Students who are interested in speaking should be on the lookout for an email from the student seminar coordinator.  Typically a call for presenters is sent out to the departmental email list at the beginnings of the spring and fall semesters.  If you aren't on the departmental email list, you can contact Melanie Chamberlin to find out who is coordinating the student seminar (or you can sign up for the Math Department Google group so you can stay up-to-date on departmental events).

### Schedule for Fall 2013

Students who are giving talks in the student seminar are asked to complete this sheet to help them prepare for their talk.

 Date Speaker Title of Talk September 16 Anjali Kayal Visualizing Math: Graphical Representations of Algebraic Objects September 23 Yulan Qing (Brown University) Pi and Bouncing Pigs September 30 Laura Bruno School's in Session: The Locker Problem October 21 Alexi Block Gorman The P-adic Numbers: an introduction (NOT your usual absolute value...) November 4 Diana Schron Fashionable Geometry: Thurston's Geometrization Conjecture November 11 Kaity Schwartz Mathematical Art: Symmetry Groups November 25 Wendy Wu The math behind Google PageRank December 9 Various students Summer Math Opportunities Panel

### Interested in Speaking in the Student Seminar?

Any student interested in lecturing may seek faculty advice on finding a topic appropriate for her; a list of possible student talks is also available here. A PLTC public speaking tutor will be able to help in preparation. To see the seminars presented in the past, please click here. This website offers tips on giving a good presentation, as well as this document. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions are also available.

#### Need help finding a good presentation topic?

The key to a good presentation topic is finding a piece of mathematics that you find intriguing but would like to know more about. Then, you will have fun doing the background research for the talk and your enthusiasm for the topic will help you give a good talk. Here are some suggestions for finding a good topic:

2. Check out http://www.math.hmc.edu/funfacts/ to peruse some fun math facts, and see if any catch your fancy.
3. Another great place to look are the magazines Math Horizons and The College Mathematics Journal. These magazines have math articles that are meant for audiences with a background in college mathematics. Math Horizons is specially meant for college students; we have (online) access through the Wellesley Library. Peruse a recent article for ideas. The College Math Journal and Mathematics Magazine (another more expository journal that can be more advanced) can be searched (but not viewed) at: http://www.math.hmc.edu/journals/journalsearch2/

#### Already have a topic presentation in mind?

Here is a list of faculty members who can help assist you as you develop your presentation.

 Stanley ChangApplications of linear algebra to economics, genetics and cryptography Number theory Basic topology, the classification of surfaces Alexander Diesl Various topics in algebra and number theory Oscar FernandezHamiltonian and non-Hamiltonian Mechanics and Integrability Dynamical Systems Mathematical Physics Megan KerrNon-Euclidean geometry: the parallel postulate Sphere-packing Minimal surfaces, double bubble theorem Karen LangeTopics in Logic; the Recursion Theorem, Goedel's theorems, set theory Martin MagidTopics in geometry: the Theorem Egregium, the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem Set theory, Goedel's Incompleteness Theorem Non-parametric statistics tests Andy Schultz (on leave '13-'14)Number theoretic topics including error-correcting codes and check-digit schemes, primality testing and pseudoprimes, the nature of $\pi$ (its irrationality, its decimal expansion, etc.), etc. Linear algebra topics including applications image compression and Markov processes Alan ShuchatInfinite-dimensional vector spaces, Banach and Hilbert spaces Linear programming and optimization Queues and probability Fred ShultzLinear algebra and applications, including applications to quantum mechanics Dynamical systems, chaos theory Functional analysis, including infinite-dimensional linear algebra, quantum computing, Fourier series Topics in combinatorics Jonathan TannenhauserPhysics Connections between mathematics and physics or biology Ann TrenkTopics in graph theory Topics in combinatorics Ismar VolicTopics in topology: classification of surfaces, the fundamental group, topological groups, interplay between geometry and analysis Knot theory, Seifert surfaces, the Jones polynomial, Poincare conjecture Topics in number theory: quadratic reciprocity, Diophantine equations, cryptography, open problems

## Upcoming Events

Monday, Dec 9, SCI 362

The final student seminar of the semester will be a panel discussion "Doing Mathematics Outside the Major.". We'll meet in 362 for lunch around 12:20, then head over to 364 around 12:35 to hear the talk.