Seminars and Colloquiums
for the week of February 9, 2009
Speakers:
Ms. Rachel Leander, Monday
Dr. Keith Devlin, Stanford University, Tuesday
Dr. Keith Devlin, Stanford University, Wednesday
Mr. Shiying Si, Thursday
Dr. Yulong Xing, Courant Institute, NYU, Friday
Monday, February 9
MATH ECOLOGY SEMINAR
TIME: 11:15 -- 12:05 p.m.
ROOM: Dabney 575
SPEAKER: Ms. Rachel Leander
TITLE: "Connection graph stability method for synchronized coupled chaotic
systems"
Tuesday, February 10
PUBLIC LECTURE
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
ROOM: UC Auditorium
SPEAKER: Dr. Keith Devlin, Stanford University -- "The Math Guy"
TITLE: "When Mathematics Changed Us "
ABSTRACT: At three distinct stages in the development of modern society, a mathematical
development changed - in a fundamental, dramatic, and revolutionary way - how
people understand the world and live their lives. Those advances occurred around
5,000 B.C., in the 16th century, and in the 17th century. Devlin will look at
how human life and cognition changed on each of those three occasions, with
the main focus being risk management and the view of the future that effective
risk-management techniques enable.
Based on Devlin's latest book The Unfinished Game: Pascal, Fermat and the Seventeenth
Century Letter that Made the World Modern, Basic Books 2008.
Reception for Dr. Devlin after the lecture; all are welcome. Validated parking
for the University Center garage, please bring your ticket to the lecture.
http://www.math.utk.edu/Colloquium/devlin.html
Wednesday, February 11
JUNIOR COLLOQUIUM
TIME: 3:35 -- 4:25 p.m.
ROOM: HBB 102
SPEAKER: Dr. Keith Devlin, Stanford University -- "The Math Guy"
TITLE: "Why do golf balls have dimples? and other mysteries of everyday
life (that can be explained only with mathematics)."
ABSTRACT: Among the other mysteries of life that Devlin will address are: What
makes airplanes fly, given that the explanation using Bernoulli's equation that
you find in many books is flat wrong -- as you realize when you observe that
airplanes can fly upside down. Which way do you have to turn the handlebars
to make your bicycle turn to the right?
Thursday, February 12
PROBABILITY SEMINAR
TIME: 12:40 p.m.
ROOM: HBB 132
SPEAKER: Mr. Shiying Si
TITLE: "Two-step variation for processes driven by fractional Brownian
motion with applications in testing for jumps in the high frequency data. Part
4"
Friday, February 13
MATHEMATICS COLLOQUIUM
TIME: 3:35 -- 4:25 p.m.
ROOM: HBB 102
SPEAKER: Dr. Yulong Xing, Courant Institute, NYU
TITLE: "New Efficient Sparse Space-Time Algorithms in Numerical Weather
Prediction"
ABSTRACT: A major stumbling block in the prediction of weather is the accurate
parameterization of moist convection on microscales. A recent multi-scale modeling
approach, superparameterization (SP), has yielded promising results and provided
a potential solution to this problem. SP is a large-scale modeling system with
explicit representation of small-scale processes provided by a cloud-resolving
model (CRM) embedded in each column of a large-scale model. In this talk, I
will present new efficient sparse space-time algorithms of SP which solve the
small scale model in a reduced spatially periodic domain with a reduced time
interval of integration. The new algorithms have been applied to a stringent
two-dimensional test suite involving moist convection interacting with shear.
The numerical results are compared with the CRM and original SP. It is shown
that the new efficient algorithms for SP result in a gain of roughly a factor
of 10 in efficiency, and the large scale variables such as horizontal velocity
and specific humidity are captured in a statistically accurate way.
If you are interested in giving or arranging a talk for one of our seminars or colloquiums, please review our calendar.
If you have questions, or a date you would like to confirm, please contact Dr. Steve Wise.
Week of:
Past notices:
Seminars from 2007-2008 academic year
Seminars from 2006-2007 academic year