2021
BRYNA KRA ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE AMS
Bryna Kra, Sarah Rebecca Roland Professor of Mathematics at Northwestern University, has been elected President of the American Mathematical Society. After a year of being President Elect, her two-year term will start on 1 February 2023. Prof. Kra has been a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society since 2012.
A professional society since 1888, AMS supports the mathematical sciences by providing access to research, professional networking, conferences and events, advocacy, and a connection to a community passionate about mathematics and its relationship to other disciplines and everyday life.
Nov 19, 2021
2021 MIDWEST DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS CONFERENCE
Nov 12, 2021
Northwestern University's Mathematics Department hosted the 2021 Midwest Dynamical Systems Conference Nov. 12-14. The Midwest Dynamical Systems Conference is one of the most influential, diverse, and longest running conference series in dynamical systems. This conference series has met uninterruptedly since the early 1970s, and it has received continuous support from the National Science Foundation since 1988. The organizing committee for the 2021 Midwest Dynamical Systems Conference was Aaron Brown (Northwestern), Laura DeMarco (Harvard), Ilya Khayutin (Northwestern), Roland Roeder (IUPUI), and Daniel Thompson (Ohio State).
NU Mathematics Faculty Member, Ben Antieau Named a 2022 Fellow of the American Mathematical Society
Nov 1, 2021
NU Mathematics faculty member, Ben Antieau, has been named a 2022 Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. The Fellows of the American Mathematical Society program recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to the creation, exposition, advancement, communication, and utilization of mathematics. Professor Antieau was named a 2022 AMS Fellow for his contributions to K-theory, algebraic geometry, and homotopy theory.
Xiumin Du and Aaron Brown Invited to Speak at the 2022 International Congress of Mathematicians
Sept 13, 2021
NU Math faculty members, Xiumin Du and Aaron Brown, received prestigious invitations to speak at the 2022 International Congress of Mathematicians. Xiumin will speak in the Analysis Section and Aaron Brown will speak in the Dynamics Section.
The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is the largest and most significant conference on pure and applied mathematics as well as one of the world’s oldest scientific congresses. The first ICM took place in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1897. ICMs are run every four years by the International Mathematical Union, in partnership with host country organizers. ICM 2022 will meet July 6-14 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Aaron Brown Wins 2022 New Horizons Mathematics Prize
Sept 9, 2021
NU Mathematics faculty member, Aaron Brown, has won the 2022 New Horizons in Mathematics Prize for contributions to the proof of Zimmer’s conjecture.
Northwestern University math major, Federico Burdisso, Wins Bronze Medal for Italy at the Tokyo Olympics
July 28, 2021
Federico Burdisso, a Northwestern University Mathematics Major, won the Bronze Medal for the 200 Meter Butterfly at the Tokyo Olympics. Click here for more details.
NU FACULTY MEMBER, EMMY MURPHY, WINS 2021 MCA AWARD
July 10, 2021
The Mathematical Council of the Americas (MCofA) announced the following prizes: the MCA Prize, the Americas Prize and the Solomon Lefschetz Medal, awarded on the occasion of the 3rd Mathematical Congress of the Americas during a virtual ceremony on July 9th. NU Faculty member, Emmy Murphy, was one of five recipients of the MCA Prize.
The Mathematical Council of the Americas (MCofA) is a network for professional mathematical societies and research institutes based in the Americas, dedicated to promoting the development of mathematics, in all its aspects, throughout the continent. As a continental collaborative effort, special attention is given to cooperating with the Mathematical Union for Latin America and the Caribbean (UMALCA). The goal of the Mathematical Congress of the Americas (MCA) is to internationally highlight the excellence of mathematical achievements in the Americas and foster collaborations among researchers, students, institutions and mathematical societies in the Americas.
2021 MATH UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS ANNOUNCED
May 12, 2021
The 2021 Undergraduate Awards and Lecture were held via zoom on Wednesday, May 12th. Over 50 NU Math faculty, graduate students, award winners, Math office staff, and guests were in attendance. The featured speaker was Prof. Tara Holm of Cornell University, whose talk was titled, "The Geometry of Origami: How the Ancient Japanese Art Triumphed Over Euclid".
The abstract of her talk is listed below:
- "In ancient Greece, Euclid described a system of geometry in The Elements. There are deep connections between this geometry and questions in algebra, as explained by the 19th century French mathematician and political activist Evariste Galois. These connections will allow us to settle the classical questions of Euclidean geometry. Next, we will explore the ancient Japanese art of origami, and discover how paper folding can be turned into a framework for studying geometry. This paper-folding alternative can do everything Euclid could do, and more! Indeed, this seemingly abstract mathematical theory can have surprising and useful applications."
2021 UG AWARD WINNERS
Robert R. Welland Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics:
- Nicholas Karris
Senior Career Award in Mathematics:
- Zihan Wu, Yintian Zhan
Junior Career Award in Mathematics:
- Benjamin Major, Yunru (Rose) Zheng
Award for Excellence in Mathematics by a First-Year Student:
- Varun Banati, Nick Dorai, Rob Dubinski, Emilya Ershstein, Samuel Fiete, Levi Hoogendoorn, Yuhan (Alex) Jin, Varsha Krishna, Kierthan Lathrop, Eric Ma, Jacob Platnick, Valeriia Rohoza, Austin Segal, Fiona Wang, Yao Xiao, Bobby Yalam, Ada Zhong
Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Mathematical Life:
- Nicholas Karris
Award for High Achievement on the William Lowell Putnam Examination:
- Akhil Kalghatgi
Award for Excellence as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant:
- Benjamin Major
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Service Award:
- Nicholas Karris, Neil Vakharia
Award for Excellence as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant:
- Benjamin Major
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Service Award:
- Nicholas Karris, Neil Vakharia
NU MATH FACULTY AWARDED OER FACULTY GRANT
April 17, 2021
Northwestern Faculty Members, Aaron Greicius and Sean McAfee, have been awarded a $10,000 Open Educational Resources (OER) Faculty Grant for their proposal to develop open-source resources for the Math 220 sequence.
The aim of the project is to develop an extensive open-source learning resource for calculus courses in the Mathematics Department, effectively free of cost to students. This single resource would include a large variety of components-- including a complete textbook with embedded videos from an in-house video library, embedded computational cells, a large bank of exercises for written homework, and integration of an open-source online homework system.
This is an ambitious project that will take several years to complete. By the end of the first year, Greicius and McAfee hope to produce skeletal versions of the text corresponding to topics covered in Math 220-1 and Math 220-2. Additionally they plan on working with other faculty to reach consensus on choices of definitions and statements of theory, as well as to recruit future collaborators.
PROFS. BRYNA KRA AND JARED WUNSCH NAMED SIMONS FELLOWS FOR 2021
Feb. 5, 2021
Northwestern University and the Simons Foundation congratulates the outstanding mathematicians and theoretical physicists who have been awarded Simons Fellowships in 2021. Two of Northwestern University Mathematics faculty, Prof. Bryna Kra and Prof. Jared Wunsch, are among the 2021 Simon Fellowship award recipients. Prof. Kra’s project is “Topological and Ergodic Properties of Symbolic Systems.” Prof. Wunsch’s project is “Propagation of Singularities, Diffraction, and Decay of Waves.”
The Simons Fellows program extends academic leaves from one term to a full year, enabling recipients to focus solely on research for the long periods often necessary for significant advances. The Simons Foundation seeks to create strong collaborations and foster the cross-pollination of ideas between investigators, as these interactions often lead to unexpected breakthroughs. The Simons Foundation Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division supports research in mathematics, theoretical physics and theoretical computer science by providing funding for individuals, institutions and science infrastructure.
NU MATH PROF. DU AND PROF. KHAYUTIN AWARDED 2021 SLOAN RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
Feb. 22, 2021
Northwestern University Mathematics faculty members, Prof. Xiumin Du and Prof. Ilya Khayutin, have been awarded 2021 Sloan Research Fellowships.
Open to scholars in eight scientific and technical fields—chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, Earth system science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, and physics—the Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded in close coordination with the scientific community. Candidates must be nominated by their fellow scientists and winners are selected by independent panels of senior scholars on the basis of a candidate’s research accomplishments, creativity, and potential to become a leader in his or her field. More than 1000 researchers are nominated each year for 128 fellowship slots. Winners receive a two-year, $75,000 fellowship which can be spent to advance the fellow’s research.