Graduate Student Seminar

20 November 2026

Title TBD

Hannah Styer

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04 December 2026

Title TBD

Thoon Nguyen

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Advisor: Dr. Jia Gou

20 November 2026

Title TBD

Hannah Styer

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13 November 2026

A Very Brief Introduction to Uncertainty Quantification

Satish Chandran

Uncertainty quantification (UQ) is the study of how errors propagate through a system, and how data can be used to reduce it. I will give a brief overview of how Bayesian inference and data assimilation are used in UQ within the context of dynamical systems.

Advisor: Dr. Yiwei Wang

6 November 2026

Mori Dream Space Properties for the Compactification of Moduli of Weighted points in Flags.

Guojing Tang

Let $a = (a_1,,,a_n)$ be a non-increasing cage of positive integers, we study the compactifications of moduli space of weighted points in a flag of affine spaces. Over complex number C, we prove that $T^a$ and the first blow up of non-toric center of $T^a_{LM}$ is not a mori dream space for $n \ge 8$, and we will introduce the proof by two endpoint cases $a_{n-1} =1 $ and $a_{n-1} > 1$.

Advisor: Dr. Jose Gonzalez

30 October 2026

"Complex Dimensions of Every Self-Similar Sierpiński Carpet"

Jade Leathrum

We investigate modified Sierpiński Carpet fractals, constructed by dividing a square into a uniform nxn grid, removing a subset of the grid squares, and then repeating that process for each square remaining in that grid. We study these fractals using the fractal zeta functions introduced by Michel Lapidus, Goran Radunović, and Darko Žubrinić in their book "Fractal Zeta Functions and Fractal Drums". We give a full classification of all the possible self-similar Sierpiński Carpet modifications, and we use that classification to demonstrate algorithms for computing the complex dimensions of every Sierpiński Carpet modification on the nxn grid.

Advisor: Dr. Michel Lapidus

23 October 2026

A simple introduction to Lie algebra cohomology

Shane Rankin

Lie algebra cohomology was invented to compute the deRham cohomology of a compact Lie group using only finite-dimensional linear algebra, and it is a useful tool for detecting obstructions in Lie theory. In this talk, we'll give a brief overview of the theory, compute the cohomology of R^3 with the cross product completely, and discuss generalizations of the results we find via Whitehead's Lemmas.

Advisor: Dr. Wee Liang Gan

16 October 2026

Positive cones in (real) Lie groups

Luis Palacios Vela

We'll cover what are real Lie groups, some definitions regarding restricted roots, and their role in what a positive structure is. First, we will look at the inspiration of these constructions and they have been extended to semisimple real Lie groups. We'll cover some examples, and we will give arguments why these can't appear in the context of complex Lie groups.

Advisor: Brian Collier

09 October 2026

Multiscale Computational Modeling in the Context of Drosophila Wing Disc Eversion and Fungal-Bacterial Interactions

Ethan Nowaski

Robust organ formation depends on the coordinated regulation of cellular mechanics, yet how mechanobiological processes such as controlled cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion, actomyosin contractility, membrane stiffness, and internal pressure interlink to generate an organ’s architecture remains poorly understood. Here, we systematically investigated underlying mechanobiology principles using Drosophila wing disc eversion, the metamorphic conversion of a larval epithelial sac into a functional wing. By integrating quantitative imaging experiments with a novel nonlinear physics informed multiscale computational model (PIMM), we extensively tested the roles of individual drivers of tissue morphogenesis, as well as their different combinations. Our analysis suggests the following multi-level sequence of morphogenetic processes defining early wing metamorphosis. First, the localized detachment of the basal ECM at the dorsal-ventral compartment boundary initiates folding and boundary forces rotate and shear the wing disc pouch to guide the proximal ends of the pouch together. Then, patterned actomyosin contractility closes the fold. Also, cell rearrangements promote tissue elongation all through the process. In sum, these results show how organogenesis relies on a combination of subcellular force-generation mechanisms and tissue-level deformations. The developed integrated, data-calibrated nonlinear PIMM framework can serve as a versatile general tool for investigating the mechanisms of tissue development and regeneration.

Advisor: Dr. Mark Alber

02 October 2026

Lightning Talks