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Math & CS Chats

Spring 2025

Thursday, February 20th
Dr. Dick Forrester, Dickinson College
The First-Year Seminar Assignment Problem

At Dickinson College, all incoming first-year students enroll in a First-Year Seminar designed to introduce them to the rigors of college-level work through writing assignments, research projects, and classroom discussions. To match students with seminars that align with their interests, they rank their top six choices from a list of options. The college then assigns students to seminars with the dual objectives of honoring individual preferences while maintaining diversity within each seminar.

This talk will explore student-faculty research projects that have shaped the modeling techniques used in the assignment process. We will introduce key concepts in optimization modeling, multi-criteria optimization, and linearization approaches, highlighting how these methods balance competing priorities.

Noon
Tome 115
Pizza provided

Tuesday, March 18th
Dr. Grant Innerst, Shippensburg University
Approaching Minimum Chi-Square Estimation Through an Algebraic Geometric Lens

This work arises from the realization that statistical estimation problems often display a strong algebraic structure. In certain cases, we can leverage this structure to use powerful software from the algebraic community to find solutions that were previously unattainable. We focus on using tools from numerical algebraic geometry to solve estimation problems that fall into the class of minimum chi-square estimators.

Noon
Tome 115
Pizza provided

Thursday, April 10th
Mathematics & Computer Science Majors' Dinner

HUB Social Hall (or Rector Atrium)
6:00pm
Served meal by Dining Services

Tuesday, April 15th
Encanto Talk - Professor Jackson & Professor English
Abstract: TBD

Noon
Tome 115
Pizza provided

Thursday, April 24th
Megan Triplett '25
Honors Presentation - Talk Title TBD

Abstract TBD

Noon
Tome 115 or Tome 117
Pizza proivded

Wednesday, May 7th
Mathematics & Computer Science Year End Picnic

Tome Outdoor Classroom (Rain Location: Tome 115)
12:00pm
Hot dogs, hamburgers and veggie burgers grilled to perfection by our Math & CS faculty.