# Mathematical Sciences Research Institute

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Workshops related to Programs which fall into one of the following three categories.

Introductory Workshop: The idea of these workshops is to set the stage and provide the context for the program, with the intended audience being researchers not in the program.  This would include members in the other programs, members of the local mathematical community, and participants from outside the area selected especially for the workshop, particularly from groups underrepresented in research intensive contexts:  women, minorities, mathematicians not located at research centers, and graduate students.  In selecting participants, priority is given to these latter groups.  When done well, these introductory workshops have been effective in broadcasting the goals, ideas and techniques of a particular program to the mathematical public at large, as well as in bringing the MSRI community together as a whole.

Connections for Women: This is a two-day workshop held immediately preceding the week of the Introductory Workshop. While different programs have approached these workshops in diverse ways, one of the principal objectives, strongly supported by the SAC and HRAC, is to provide an enhanced opportunity for female researchers to interact with other women with similar research interests. There is considerable flexibility for the organization of this two-day event, but MSRI does require good coordination between the Connections and Introductory workshop organizers so that as many female researchers as possible are supported to stay on for the Introductory Workshop.. It is therefore customary to have one person be simultaneously on the organizing committees for both of these workshops. As is the case for all MSRI workshops, registration to attend Connections workshop lectures is open to all interested persons.

Topical Workshop: Also directed toward the mathematical community at large, these workshops are designed to interest and attract young researchers and other mathematicians active in the field.

MSRI provides a yearly workshop called Hot Topics, to showcase what's new, innovative and interesting to the mathematical sciences community at the present time.

Lactation Room:  MSRI is pleased to be able to offer a lactation room for nursing mothers.

1. # Electronic Structure Theory

Organizers: LEAD Lin Lin (University of California, Berkeley), Jianfeng Lu (Duke University), James Sethian (University of California, Berkeley)

Ab initio or first principle electronic structure theories, particularly represented by Kohn-Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT), have been developed into workhorse tools with a wide range of scientific applications in chemistry, physics, materials science, biology etc. What is needed are new techniques that greatly extend the applicability and versatility of these approaches. At the core, many of the challenges that need to be addressed are essentially mathematical. The purpose of the workshop is to provide graduate students a self-contained introduction to electronic structure theory, with particular emphasis on frontier topics in aspects of applied analysis and numerical methods.

Updated on Jul 27, 2016 04:16 PM PDT
2. # Chip Firing and Tropical Curves

Organizers: LEAD Matthew Baker (Georgia Institute of Technology), David Jensen (University of Kentucky), Sam Payne (Yale University)

Tropical geometry uses a combination of techniques from algebraic geometry, combinatorics, and convex polyhedral geometry to study degenerations of algebraic varieties; the simplest tropical objects are tropical curves, which one can think of as "shadows" of algebraic curves.  Linear equivalence of divisors on an abstract tropical curve is determined by a simple but rich combinatorial process called "chip firing", which was discovered independently in the discrete setting by physicists and graph theorists.  From a pedagogical point of view, one can view tropical curves as a combinatorial model for the highly analogous but more abstract theory of algebraic curves, but there is in fact much more to the story than this: one can use tropical curves and chip firing to prove theorems in algebraic geometry and number theory.  This field is relatively new, so participants will have the opportunity to start from scratch and still get a glimpse of the cutting edge in this active research area.

Updated on Feb 11, 2016 02:10 PM PST

1. # Connections for Women: Geometric Group Theory

Organizers: LEAD Ruth Charney (Brandeis University), Indira Chatterji (Université Nice Sophia-Antipolis), Mark Feighn (Rutgers University), Talia Fernós (University of North Carolina)

This three-day workshop will feature talks by six prominent female mathematicians on a wide range of topics in geometric group theory.  Each speaker will give two lectures, separated by a break-out session during which participants will meet in small groups to discuss ideas presented in the first lecture.   The workshop is open to all mathematicians.

Updated on Jul 13, 2016 06:02 PM PDT
2. # Introductory Workshop: Geometric Group Theory

Organizers: Martin Bridson (University of Oxford), Benson Farb (University of Chicago), LEAD Zlil Sela (Hebrew University), Karen Vogtmann (University of Warwick)

This will be an introductory workshop to the MSRI jumbo program Geometric Group Theory being held during the Fall Semester of 2016. The purpose of the workshop is to provide an overview of key areas of research to be covered in the program, including an introduction to open problems of current interest.

Updated on May 27, 2016 10:47 AM PDT
3. # Math Circle - Mentorship and Partnership Program

Organizers: Diana White (MSRI - Mathematical Sciences Research Institute)

Updated on Jul 08, 2016 12:01 PM PDT
4. # Groups acting on CAT(0) spaces

Organizers: Ian Agol (University of California, Berkeley), Pierre-Emmanuel Caprace (Université Catholique de Louvain), Koji Fujiwara (Kyoto University), Alessandra Iozzi (ETH Zürich), LEAD Michah Sageev (Technion---Israel Institute of Technology)

The theme of the workshop is algebraic, geometric and analytical aspects of groups that act by isometries on spaces of non-positive curvature known as CAT(0) spaces. The world of CAT(0) spaces includes classical spaces such as symmetric spaces and buildings, as well as more avant-garde arrivals, such as CAT(0) cube complex. The workshop will bring together researchers studying various aspects of such groups and spaces to discuss recent developments and chart new directions in the field.

Updated on Apr 08, 2016 09:43 AM PDT
5. # Geometry of mapping class groups and Out(Fn)

Organizers: Yael Algom-Kfir (University of Haifa), LEAD Mladen Bestvina (University of Utah), Richard Canary (University of Michigan), Gilbert Levitt (Université de Caen)

A four-day workshop with research-level talks on the latest advances in the geometry of mapping class groups and Out(F_n), and spaces on which they act.

Updated on Jul 26, 2016 03:47 PM PDT
6. # Amenability, coarse embeddability and fixed point properties

Organizers: Goulnara Arzhantseva (University of Vienna), LEAD Cornelia Drutu (University of Oxford), Graham Niblo (University of Southampton), Piotr Nowak (Polish Academy of Sciences)

The main theme of the workshop is the spectrum of analytic properties running from Kazhdan's property (T) at one end to von Neumann's amenability at the other, that forms a foundational organizing structure for infinite groups and spaces. These properties can be described both analytically, via unitary representation theory, and geometrically, using embedding properties for discrete spaces. Connections with probability and combinatorics will likewise be addressed during the meeting.

Updated on Jun 06, 2016 12:24 PM PDT
7. # Connections for Women: Harmonic Analysis

Organizers: Svitlana Mayboroda (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities), LEAD Betsy Stovall (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

This workshop will highlight the work of several prominent women working in harmonic analysis, including some of the field's rising stars.  There will also be a panel discussion.  There will also be a contributed poster session.  This workshop is open to, and poster contributions are welcome from all mathematicians.

Updated on Jul 19, 2016 08:44 AM PDT
8. # Introductory Workshop: Harmonic Analysis

Organizers: Allan Greenleaf (University of Rochester), LEAD Michael Lacey (Georgia Institute of Technology), Svitlana Mayboroda (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities), Betsy Stovall (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Brian Street (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

This week-long workshop will serve as an introduction for graduate students, postdocs, and other researchers to the main themes of the program.  It will feature accessible talks by a number of leading harmonic analysts, including several short courses on the core ideas and techniques in the field.  There will also be a problem session, to which all participants are encouraged to contribute.

Updated on Jun 17, 2016 09:51 AM PDT
9. # Connections for Women: Analytic Number Theory

Organizers: LEAD Chantal David (Concordia University), Kaisa Matomäki (University of Turku), Lillian Pierce (Duke University), Kannan Soundararajan (Stanford University), Terence Tao (University of California, Los Angeles)

This workshop will consist of lectures on the current state of research in analytic number theory, given by prominent women and men in the field.  The workshop is open to all graduate students, post-docs, and researchers in areas related to the program; it will also include a panel discussion session among female researchers on career issues, as well as other social events

Updated on Apr 25, 2016 10:38 AM PDT
10. # Introductory Workshop: Analytic Number Theory

Organizers: Andrew Granville (Université de Montréal), LEAD Emmanuel Kowalski (ETH Zuerich), Kaisa Matomäki (University of Turku), Philippe Michel (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne)

The introductory workshop will present, through short minicourses and introductory lectures, the main topics that will be the subject of much of the Analytic Number Theory Programme at MSRI. These topics include the theory of multiplicative functions, the theory of modular forms and L-functions, the circle method, sieve methods, and the theory of exponential sums over finite fields

Updated on Jul 28, 2016 11:16 AM PDT
11. # Recent developments in Analytic Number Theory

Organizers: Tim Browning (University of Bristol), Chantal David (Concordia University), Kannan Soundararajan (Stanford University), LEAD Terence Tao (University of California, Los Angeles)

This workshop will be focused on presenting the latest developments in analytic number theory, including (but not restricted to) recent advances in sieve theory, multiplicative number theory, exponential sums, arithmetic statistics, estimates on automorphic forms, and the Hardy-Littlewood circle method.

Updated on May 19, 2016 11:17 AM PDT
12. # Recent Developments in Harmonic Analysis

Organizers: Michael Christ (University of California, Berkeley), Steven Hofmann (University of Missouri), LEAD Michael Lacey (Georgia Institute of Technology), Betsy Stovall (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Brian Street (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Topics for this workshop will be drawn from the main research directions of this conference, including:
(1) Restriction, Kakeya, and geometric incidence problems
(2) Analysis on nonhomogenous spaces
(3) Weighted estimates
(4) Quantitative rectifiability and other topics in PDE

Updated on Jul 25, 2016 09:06 AM PDT
13. # Connections for Women: geometry and probability in high dimensions

Organizers: LEAD Shiri Artstein (Tel Aviv University), Marianna Csornyei (University of Chicago), Eva Kopecka (Leopold-Franzens Universität Innsbruck), Elisabeth Werner (Case Western Reserve University)

This workshop is open to all mathematicians.

Updated on Jul 26, 2016 03:04 PM PDT
14. # Introductory Workshop: phenomena in high dimensions

Organizers: Alexander Koldobsky (University of Missouri), Michel Ledoux (University of Toulouse), Monika Ludwig (Technische Universität Wien), LEAD Alain Pajor (Université de Paris Est Marne-la-Vallée), Stanislaw Szarek (Case Western Reserve University), Roman Vershynin (University of Michigan)

This workshop will consist of several short courses related to high dimensional convex geometry, high dimensional probability, and applications in data science. The lectures will be accessible for graduate students.

Updated on Jul 26, 2016 03:15 PM PDT
15. # Connections for Women Workshop: Geometric and Topological Combinatorics

Organizers: Federico Ardila (San Francisco State University), Margaret Bayer (University of Kansas), Francisco Santos (University of Cantabria), LEAD Cynthia Vinzant (North Carolina State University)

Updated on Jul 27, 2016 12:39 PM PDT
16. # Introductory Workshop: Geometric and Topological Combinatorics

Organizers: Imre Barany (Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA)), Anders Björner (Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)), LEAD Ben Braun (University of Kentucky), Isabella Novik (University of Washington), Francis Su (Harvey Mudd College), Rekha Thomas (University of Washington)

Updated on Jul 27, 2016 12:46 PM PDT
17. # Geometric and topological combinatorics: Modern techniques and methods

Organizers: Patricia Hersh (North Carolina State University), LEAD Vic Reiner (University of Minnesota Twin Cities), Bernd Sturmfels (UC Berkeley Math Faculty), Frank Vallentin (Universität zu Köln), Günter M. Ziegler (Freie Universität Berlin)

This workshop will focus on the interaction between Combinatorics, Geometry and Topology, including recent developments and techniques in areas such as

-- polytopes and cell complexes,
-- simplicial complexes and higher order graph theory,
-- methods from equivariant topology and configuration spaces,

-- geometric combinatorics in optimization and social choice theory,
-- algebraic and algebro-geometric methods.

Updated on Jul 27, 2016 12:52 PM PDT
18. # Geometric functional analysis and applications

Organizers: Franck Barthe (Université de Toulouse III (Paul Sabatier)), Rafal Latala (University of Warsaw), Emanuel Milman (Technion---Israel Institute of Technology), Assaf Naor (Princeton University), LEAD Gideon Schechtman (Weizmann Institute of Science)

This is the main workshop of the program "Geometric functional analysis and applications". It will focus on the main topics of the program. These include: Convex geometry, Asymptotic geometric analysis, Interaction with computer science, Signal processing, Random matrix theory and other aspects of Probability.

Updated on Jul 26, 2016 03:19 PM PDT
19. # Women in Topology

Organizers: Maria Basterra (University of New Hampshire), Kristine Bauer (University of Calgary), LEAD Kathryn Hess (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)), Brenda Johnson (Union College--Union University)

The Women in Topology (WIT) network is an international group of female mathematicians interested in homotopy theory whose main goal is to increase the retention of women in the field by providing both unique collaborative research opportunities and mentorship between colleagues.  The MSRI WIT meeting will be organized as an afternoon of short talks from participants, followed by two days of open problem seminars and working groups designed to stimulate new collaborations, as well as to strengthen those already ongoing among the participants

Updated on Feb 22, 2016 09:27 AM PST
20. # Connections for Women: Enumerative Geometry Beyond Numbers

Created on Sep 18, 2015 01:29 PM PDT
21. # Introductory Workshop: Enumerative Geometry Beyond Numbers

Created on Sep 18, 2015 01:35 PM PDT
22. # Connections for Women: Group Representation Theory and Applications

Organizers: Karin Erdmann (University of Oxford), Julia Pevtsova (University of Washington)

Updated on Jul 27, 2016 12:54 PM PDT
23. # Introductory Workshop: Group Representation Theory and Applications

Organizers: Robert Guralnick (University of Southern California), Gunter Malle (Universität Kaiserslautern)

Updated on Jul 27, 2016 12:57 PM PDT
24. # Topical Workshop: Enumerative Geometry Beyond Numbers

Created on Sep 18, 2015 01:38 PM PDT
25. # Representations of Finite and Algebraic Groups

Organizers: Robert Guralnick (University of Southern California), Alexander (Sasha) Kleshchev (University of Oregon), Gunter Malle (Universität Kaiserslautern), Gabriel Navarro (University of Valencia), LEAD Pham Tiep (University of Arizona)

The workshop will bring together key researchers working in various areas of Group Representation Theory to strengthen the interaction and collaboration between them and to make further progress on a number of
basic problems and conjectures in the field. Topics of the workshop include
-- Global-local conjectures in the representation theory of finite groups
-- Representations and cohomology of simple, algebraic and finite groups
-- Connections to Lie theory and categorification, and
-- Applications to group theory, number theory, algebraic geometry, and combinatorics.

Updated on Oct 02, 2015 04:31 PM PDT

workshop
1. # Summer Graduate SchoolAn Introduction to Character Theory and the McKay Conjecture

Organizers: Robert Guralnick (University of Southern California), Pham Tiep (University of Arizona)

Character Theory of Finite Groups provides one of the most powerful tools to study groups. In this course we will give a gentle introduction to basic results in the Character Theory, as well as some of the main conjectures in Group Representation Theory, with particular emphasis on the McKay Conjecture.

Group Photo

Updated on Jul 22, 2016 02:27 PM PDT
2. # Summer Graduate SchoolMixed Integer Nonlinear Programming: Theory, algorithms and applications

Organizers: Franscisco Castro (University of Sevilla), Elena Fernandez (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), Justo Puerto (University of Sevilla)

This school is oriented to the presentation of theory, algorithms and applications for the solution of mixed integer nonlinear problems (MINLP). This type of problems appears in numerous application areas where the modelization of nonlinear phenomena with logical constraints is important; we must remember here the memorable phrase “the world is nonlinear”. Nowadays the theoretical aspects of this area are spread in a number of recent papers which makes it difficult, for non-specialist, to have a solid background of the existing results and new advances in the field. This school aims to organize and present this material in an organized way. Moreover, it also pursues to link theory with actual applications. In particular, remarkable applications can be found in air traffic control agencies, the air companies, the electric power generation companies, the chemical complex units, the analysis of financial products usually associated with risk dealing and in the algorithms in the statistical field and artificial intelligence as for instance artificial neural networks, or supporting vector machines, among many others.

Updated on May 17, 2016 10:51 AM PDT
3. # Summer Graduate SchoolHarmonic Analysis and Elliptic Equations on real Euclidean Spaces and on Rough Sets

Organizers: LEAD Steven Hofmann (University of Missouri), Jose Maria Martell (Instituto de Ciencias Matematicas (ICMAT))

The goal of the workshop is to present harmonic analysis techniques in $R^n$ (the flat" setting), and then to show how those techniques extend to much rougher settings, with application to the theory of elliptic equations. Thus, the subject matter of the workshop will introduce the students to an active, current research area:  the interface between harmonic analysis, elliptic PDE, and geometric measure theory.

Group Photo

Updated on Jul 19, 2016 01:17 PM PDT
4. # MSRI-UPMSRI-UP 2016: Sandpile Groups

Organizers: Federico Ardila (San Francisco State University), Duane Cooper (Morehouse College), Maria Mercedes Franco (Queensborough Community College (CUNY)), Herbert Medina (Loyola Marymount University), LEAD Suzanne Weekes (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

The MSRI-UP summer program is designed for undergraduate students who have completed two years of university-level mathematics courses and would like to conduct research in the mathematical sciences. Due to funding restrictions, only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply and the program cannot accept foreign students regardless of funding. The academic portion of the 2016 program will be led by Prof. Luis Garcia-Puente of Sam Houston State University.

Updated on Jul 19, 2016 09:35 AM PDT
5. # Summer Graduate SchoolSeminaire de Mathematiques Superieures 2016: Dynamics of Biological Systems

Organizers: Thomas Hillen (University of Alberta), Mark Lewis (University of Alberta), Yingfei Yi (University of Alberta)

The purpose of this summer school is to focus on the interplay of dynamical and biological systems, developing the rich connectionbetween science and mathematics that has been so successful to date. Our focus will be on understanding the mathematical structure of dynamical systems that come from biological problems, and then relating the mathematical structures back to the biology to provide scientific insight. We will focus on five key areas: complex bio-networks, multi scale biological dynamics, biological waves, nonlinear dynamics of pattern formation, and disease dynamics. For each of the five key areas, we will invite 2-3 world leaders who are also excellent communicators to deliver a series of 2-4 one-hour lectures. We expect an average of eight hours of lecture per subject area, spread over approximately two weeks.

Updated on Nov 11, 2015 03:54 PM PST
6. # WorkshopGeometric Flows in Riemannian and Complex Geometry

Organizers: Tobias Colding (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), LEAD John Lott (University of California, Berkeley), Natasa Sesum (Rutgers University)

The workshop will concentrate on parabolic methods in both Riemannian and complex geometry. The topics will include

- Ricci flow. Analytic questions about Ricci flow in three dimensions. Possible applications of Ricci flow to 4-manifold topology. Ricci flow in higher dimensions under curvature assumptions.

- Kähler-Ricci Flow. Applications to the Kähler-Einstein problem. Connections to the minimal model program. Study of Kähler-Ricci solitons and limits of Kähler-Ricci flow.

- Mean curvature flow. Singularity analysis. Generic mean curvature flow.

- Other geometric flows such as Calabi flow and pluriclosed flow.

Updated on May 19, 2016 10:40 AM PDT
7. # WorkshopBay Area Differential Geometry Seminar (BADGS) Spring 2016

Organizers: David Bao (San Francisco State University), Joel Hass (University of California, Davis), David Hoffman (Stanford University), Rafe Mazzeo (Stanford University), Richard Montgomery (University of California, Santa Cruz)

The Bay Area Differential Geometry Seminar meets 3 times each year and is a 1-day seminar on recent developments in differential geometry and geometric analysis, broadly interpreted. Typically, it runs from mid-morning until late afternoon, with 3-4 speakers. Lunch will be available and the final talk will be followed by dinner.

Updated on Mar 30, 2016 10:12 AM PDT
8. # WorkshopBay Area Discrete (BAD) Math Day 32

Organizers: Federico Ardila (San Francisco State University), Ralucca Gera (Naval Postgraduate School), Elizabeth Gross (San Jose State University), Angela Hicks (Stanford University), Carol Meyers (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), Rick Scott (University of Santa Clara), Erik Slivenken (University of California, Davis), Ellen Veomett (Saint Mary's College of California), Yan Zhang (University of California, Berkeley)

Bay Area Discrete Math Days are one-day meetings aimed at facilitating communication between researchers and graduate students of discrete mathematics around the San Francisco Bay Area.These days happen semi-annually and strive to create an informal atmosphere to talk about discrete mathematics. The term "discrete mathematics" is chosen to include at least the following topics: Algebraic and Enumerative Combinatorics, Discrete Geometry, Graph Theory, Coding and Design Theory, Combinatorial Aspects of Computational Algebra and Geometry, Combinatorial Optimization, Probabilistic Combinatorics, and Combinatorics in Mathematical Physics

Updated on Feb 19, 2016 03:13 PM PST
9. # WorkshopHot Topics: Cluster algebras and wall-crossing

Organizers: LEAD Mark Gross (University of Cambridge), Paul Hacking (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Sean Keel (University of Texas), Lauren Williams (University of California, Berkeley)

Cluster algebras were introduced in 2001 by Fomin and Zelevinsky to capture the combinatorics of canonical bases and total positivity in semisimple Lie groups. Since then they have revealed a rich combinatorial and group-theoretic structure, and have had significant impact beyond these initial subjects, including string theory, algebraic geometry, and mirror symmetry. Recently Gross, Hacking, Keel and Kontsevich released a preprint introducing mirror symmetry techniques into the subject which resolved several long-standing conjectures, including the construction of canonical bases for cluster algebras and positivity of the Laurent phenomenon. This preprint reformulates the basic construction of cluster algebras in terms of scattering diagrams (or wall-crossing structures). This leads to the proofs of the conjectures and to new constructions of elements of cluster algebras. But fundamentally they provide a new tool for thinking about cluster algebras.

The workshop will bring together many of the different users of cluster algebras to achieve a synthesis of these new techniques with many of the different aspects of the subject. There will be lecture series on the new techniques, and other lecture series on connections with Lie theory, quiver representation theory, mirror symmetry, string theory, and stability conditions.

Updated on Apr 15, 2016 11:14 AM PDT
10. # WorkshopKähler Geometry, Einstein Metrics, and Generalizations

Organizers: Olivier Biquard (École Normale Supérieure), Simon Donaldson (Imperial College, London), Gang Tian (Princeton University), LEAD Jeff Viaclovsky (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

The workshop will integrate elements from complex differential geometry with Einstein metrics and their generalizations. The topics will include

- Existence of Kähler-Einstein metrics and extremal Kähler metrics. Notions of stability in algebraic geometry such as Chow stability, K-stability, b-stability, and polytope stability. Kähler-Einstein metrics with conical singularities along a divisor.

- Calabi-Yau metrics and collapsed limit spaces. Connections with physics and mirror symmetry.

- Einstein metrics and their moduli spaces, ε-regularity, noncompact examples such as ALE, ALF, and Poincaré-Einstein metrics. Generalizations of the Einstein condition, such as Bach-flat metrics and Ricci solitons.

- Sasaki-Einstein metrics and metrics with special holonomy. New examples and classification problems.

Updated on Apr 05, 2016 12:06 PM PDT
11. # WorkshopCritical Issues in Mathematics Education 2016: Observing, Evaluating and Improving Mathematics Teaching from the Early Grades through the University

Organizers: Hyman Bass (University of Michigan), Michael Driskill (Math for America ), LEAD Mark Hoover (University of Michigan), LEAD Deborah Hughes Hallett (University of Arizona), Danny Martin (University of Illinois at Chicago), Miriam Sherin (Northwestern University)

The 2016 CIME workshop focuses directly on the teaching of mathematics at the university and precollege levels. Teaching is not easy to examine in disciplined ways because it is so familiar and seems so obvious.  Although teaching shapes students’ opportunities to learn, what teachers are actually doing is difficult to observe and describe. This impedes work on improving teaching.

This workshop will offer the opportunity to study and talk closely about mathematics teaching through close observation and discussion of video tapes in a setting that will bring together professionals with a range of perspectives, knowledge, experience, and orientations. The goal of the workshop is to develop language and methods for describing, analyzing and evaluating what can be seen in the classroom, with the ultimate goal of helping us shape and improve teaching — our own and more broadly.

Four questions structure the highly interactive design of the workshop:

1. What skills are needed for observing teaching in ways that inform improvement efforts? What is involved in observing teaching? What is the teacher saying and doing? What are students saying and doing? What is the mathematics at play? What else is happening? And what do these imply for teaching?
2. How can the practice and use of observation be structured in order to improve mathematics teaching? What approaches are available? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
3. Observation-based assessment of teaching: Why, what, and how? What are the risks?
4. How can we develop and sustain a cross-professional community that observes and evaluates teaching in such a way that different communities communicate with and learn from each other to support a cycle of improvement in the teaching of mathematics at all levels?

The workshop will provide a library of videos of mathematics teaching for study. In addition, participants are encouraged to submit a short video clip of their own teaching, together with a brief background commentary.  These videos will provide a central text for our collective work on discussing and assessing mathematics teaching.

Group Photo

Updated on Apr 08, 2016 11:41 AM PDT
12. # WorkshopBay Area Differential Geometry Seminar (BADGS) Spring 2016

Organizers: David Bao (San Francisco State University), Joel Hass (University of California, Davis), David Hoffman (Stanford University), Rafe Mazzeo (Stanford University), Richard Montgomery (University of California, Santa Cruz)

The Bay Area Differential Geometry Seminar meets 3 times each year and is a 1-day seminar on recent developments in differential geometry and geometric analysis, broadly interpreted. Typically, it runs from mid-morning until late afternoon, with 3-4 speakers. Lunch will be available and the final talk will be followed by dinner.

Updated on Feb 01, 2016 03:50 PM PST
13. # WorkshopNSF Day at Pasadena City College

Organizers: Lisa-Joy Zgorski (National Science Foundation)

NSF Day at Pasadena City College will discuss funding for researchers at 2- and 4-year institutions.

Updated on Jan 12, 2016 04:59 PM PST
14. # WorkshopIntroductory Workshop: Modern Riemannian Geometry

Organizers: LEAD Tobias Colding (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), John Lott (University of California, Berkeley), Jeff Viaclovsky (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

The week will be devoted to an introduction to modern techniques in Riemannian geometry. This is intended to help graduate students and younger researchers get a headstart, in order to increase their participation during the main semester programs and research lectures. To increase outreach, the week will focus on Riemannian geometry and should be largely accessible. Some minicourses on topics of recent interest will be included. The workshop will also have semi-expository lectures dealing with aspects of spaces with curvature bounded from below, since such spaces will occur throughout the semester. We expect that many Berkeley mathematicians and students will participate in the introductory workshop.

Updated on Mar 17, 2016 11:44 AM PDT
15. # WorkshopConnections for Women: Differential Geometry

Organizers: Christine Breiner (Fordham University), LEAD Natasa Sesum (Rutgers University)

The purpose of this meeting is to help junior female researchers to become familiar with the focus topics of the main MSRI program, and also for the junior researchers to have an opportunity to get acquainted with more senior women researchers in differential geometry.

This workshop is open to all mathematicians.

Updated on Jan 26, 2016 11:08 AM PST
16. # WorkshopBay Area Differential Geometry Seminar (BADGS) Winter 2015

Organizers: David Bao (San Francisco State University), Joel Hass (University of California, Davis), LEAD David Hoffman (Stanford University), Rafe Mazzeo (Stanford University), Richard Montgomery (University of California, Santa Cruz)

The Bay Area Differential Geometry Seminar meets 3 times each year and is a 1-day seminar on recent developments in differential geometry and geometric analysis, broadly interpreted. Typically, it runs from mid-morning until late afternoon, with 3-4 speakers. Lunch will be available and the final talk will be followed by dinner.

Updated on Oct 23, 2015 02:20 PM PDT
17. # WorkshopWorkshop on Combinatorial Games, in honor of Elwyn Berlekamp's 75th Birthday

Organizers: David Eisenbud (MSRI - Mathematical Sciences Research Institute), LEAD Richard Guy (University of Calgary), Thane Plambeck (Counterwave, Inc.), Aaron Siegel (Twitter, Inc.)

A two-day workshop with research-level talks on combinatorial game theory, one of the fields to which Elwyn Berlekamp has made enormous contributions.

Updated on Oct 23, 2015 03:01 PM PDT
18. # WorkshopModern Math Workshop 2015

Organizers: LEAD Hélène Barcelo (MSRI - Mathematical Sciences Research Institute), Helen Chamberlin (Ohio State University), Ricardo Cortez (Tulane University), Sujit Ghosh (NC State University), Dagan Karp (Harvey Mudd College), Anne Pfister (MSRI - Mathematical Sciences Research Institute), Christian Ratsch (University of California, Los Angeles), Ivelisse M. Rubio (University of Puerto Rico), Mariel Vazquez (University of California, Davis), Talithia Williams (Harvey Mudd College)

As part of the Mathematical Sciences Collaborative Diversity Initiatives, nine mathematics institutes are pleased to host their annual SACNAS pre-conference event, the 2015 Modern Math Workshop (MMW). The Modern Math Workshop is intended to encourage minority undergraduates to pursue careers in the mathematical sciences and to assist undergraduates, graduate students and recent PhD’s in building their research networks.

Updated on Oct 12, 2015 11:12 AM PDT
19. # WorkshopNew challenges in PDE: Deterministic dynamics and randomness in high and infinite dimensional systems

Organizers: Jonathan Mattingly (Duke University), LEAD Andrea Nahmod (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Pierre Raphael (Université Nice Sophia-Antipolis), Luc Rey-Bellet (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Daniel Tataru (University of California, Berkeley)

This workshop serves to bring into focus the fundamental aim of the jumbo program by both a)  showcasing the spectacular progress in recent years in the study of both nonlinear dispersive as well as stochastic partial differential equations and b) bringing to the fore the key challenges for the future in quantitatively analyzing the dynamics of solutions arising from the flows generated by deterministic and non-deterministic evolution differential equations, or dynamical evolution of large physical systems.

During the two weeks long workshop, we intertwine talks on a wide array of topics by some of the key researchers in both communities and aim at highlighting the most salient ideas, proofs and questions which are important and fertile for `cross-pollination’ between PDE and SPDE. Topics include:  Global dynamics and singularity formation for geometric and physical nonlinear wave and dispersive models (critical and supercritical regimes); dynamics of infinite dimensional systems (critical phenomena, multi scale dynamics and metastability); symplectic structures of infinite dimensional dynamical systems; randomization and long time dynamics, invariant Gibbs and weighted Wiener measures; derivation of effective dynamics in quantum systems; weak turbulence phenomena; optimization and learning algorithms: distributed, stochastic and parallel.

Updated on Nov 06, 2015 10:49 AM PST
20. # WorkshopTheory of Neural Computation

Organizers: Dmitri Chklovskii (Simons Foundation), David Eisenbud (MSRI - Mathematical Sciences Research Institute), Gary Marcus (New York University), LEAD Bruno Olshausen (University of California, Berkeley), Christos Papadimitriou (University of California, Berkeley), Terrence Sejnowski (Salk Institute for Biological Studies), Fritz Sommer (University of California, Berkeley)

The theme of this workshop is on bringing theory into the study of neural networks---those in brains and those in machines.  We will soon have the capability to monitor activity and structure in the brain at unprecedented scales, but what will these data tell us?  It is unlikely that we will gain insight without some theoretical framework to guide our thinking of what to look for, and why.  Similarly, neural network models can now perform feats of language translation and pattern recognition far beyond what was possible a few years ago; but they have yet to shed new light on neurobiological mechanisms in part because there is only a limited theory of such computations.

What are likely candidates for such theories? Do they already exist? And what is needed to more tightly integrate theoretical frameworks with empirical approaches?

Updated on Mar 23, 2016 09:29 AM PDT
21. # WorkshopElementary Introduction to the Langlands Program, by Edward Frenkel

Organizers: Edward Frenkel (University of California, Berkeley)

One of the most fascinating and important developments in mathematics in the last 50 years is the "Langlands Program", a collection of ideas that provides a grand unification of many areas of mathematics. Frenkel's celebrated book "Love and Math", now translated into many languages, provides an extraordinarily accessible overview of the deep mathematics involved. The lectures will be a great opportunity to hear the story of these ideas from a great expositor, and participate in a discussion of them. Covering topics from the basic ideas of symmetries and Fermat's last theorem to the recent works connecting the Langlands Program to dualities in quantum physics, the lectures will be accessible to undergraduate students.

The video content of this workshop can also be found at the Langlands Program Lectures page

Updated on Feb 10, 2016 11:50 AM PST
22. # WorkshopMath Circle - Mentorship and Partnership Program

Organizers: Diana White (University of Colorado, Denver), Brandy Wiegers (Central Washington University)

The next version of Circle on the Road, the MC-MAP Training Workshops will provide a focused training for Novice Math Circle leaders.  These workshops launch a one-year mentorship and partnership program to support Novice Math Circles through their first few critical years.

Updated on Nov 16, 2015 09:24 AM PST
23. # WorkshopIntroductory Workshop: Randomness and long time dynamics in nonlinear evolution differential equations

Organizers: Kay Kirkpatrick (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), LEAD Yvan Martel (École Polytechnique), LEAD Luc Rey-Bellet (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Gigliola Staffilani (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

The purpose of the program New Challenges in PDE: Deterministic Dynamics and Randomness in High and Infinite Dimensional Systems is to bring together a core group of mathematicians from the dispersive PDE and the SPDE communities whose research contains an underlying and unifying problem:  analyzing high or infinite dimensional dynamics, where dynamics is understood in a broad sense and arising from the flows generated by either deterministic or stochastic partial differential equations, or from dynamical evolution of large physical systems.

The introductory workshop will serve as an overview to the program.  It aims at familiarizing graduate students, postdocs, and other researchers to the major topics of the program through short courses and discussions.

Updated on Aug 31, 2015 02:42 PM PDT
24. # WorkshopConnections for Women: Dispersive and Stochastic PDE

Organizers: LEAD Kay Kirkpatrick (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Andrea Nahmod (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

This workshop will consist of various talks given by prominent female mathematicians whose research lies in and interfaces with the fields of nonlinear evolution dispersive PDE, wave phenomena and stochastic processes.  These talks will be appropriate for graduate students, post-docs, and researchers in areas above mentioned.  The workshop will allocate ample time for group discussions and will include a professional development session.

This workshop is open to all mathematicians.

Updated on Nov 24, 2015 11:37 AM PST
25. # Summer Graduate SchoolIncompressible Fluid Flows at High Reynolds Number

The purpose of this two week workshop is to introduce graduate students to state-of-the-art methods and results in mathematical fluid dynamics. In the first week, we will discuss the mathematical foundations and modern analysis aspects of the Navier-Stokes and Euler equations. In the second week, we will run two courses concurrently on the topics of inviscid limits and hydrodynamic stability. Specifically, one course will focus on boundary layers in high Reynolds number flows and the Prandtl equations while the other will focus on mixing and connections to turbulence. Through the lectures and associated problem sessions, the students will learn about a number of new analysis tools and principles of fluid mechanics that are not always taught in a graduate school curriculum.

Updated on Aug 31, 2015 11:47 AM PDT
26. # Summer Graduate SchoolGaps between Primes and Analytic Number Theory

Organizers: Dimitris Koukoulopoulos (Université de Montréal), LEAD Emmanuel Kowalski (ETH Zuerich), James Maynard (University of Oxford), Kannan Soundararajan (Stanford University)

These courses will give students a full overview of the results of Zhang and Maynard on gaps between primes, and will provide them will a clear understanding of the tools involved. This will make accessible a significant part of modern analytic number theory. The lecturers will also make sure to include, within their course, examples and discussions going further than is strictly required to understand the proofs of Zhang and Maynard, e.g., in the direction of automorphic forms and the Riemann Hypothesis over finite fields.

Updated on Oct 21, 2015 12:36 PM PDT
27. # Summer Graduate SchoolBerkeley summer course in mining and modeling of neuroscience data

Organizers: Ingrid Daubechies (Duke University), Bruno Olshausen (University of California, Berkeley), Christos Papadimitriou (University of California, Berkeley), Fritz Sommer (University of California, Berkeley), LEAD Jeff Teeters (University of California, Berkeley)

This course is for students and researchers with backgrounds in mathematics and computational sciences who are
interested in applying their skills toward problems in neuroscience. It will introduce the major open questions of
neuroscience and teach state-of–the-art techniques for analyzing and modeling neuroscience data sets. The course is designed for students at the graduate level and researchers with background in a quantitative field such as
engineering, mathematics, physics or computer science who may or may not have a specific neuroscience
background. The goal of this summer course is to help researchers find new exciting research areas and at the same time to strengthen quantitative expertise in the field of neuroscience. The course is sponsored by the National Science Foundation from a grant supporting activities at the data sharing repository CRCNS.org, the Helen Wills
Neuroscience Institute, the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing and the Mathematical Science Research
Institute.

Updated on Feb 23, 2015 03:59 PM PST
28. # Summer Graduate SchoolNIMS Summer School on Random Matrix Theory

Organizers: LEAD Jinho Baik (University of Michigan)

This summer graduate school will take place at the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Daejeon, South Korea.  The purpose of this summer school is to introduce some of the basic ideas and methods of random matrix theory to graduate students.  In particular there will be three lecture series on random matrix theory from three different perspectives: from the view points of the integrable structures, the moment method, and the Stieltjes transorm technique.  In addition to the lectures, there will be discussion sessions, and the students will also have plenty of time to interact with the lecturers and with other students.

Please note that accepted students will be provided up to \$1700 in travel reimbursement, in addition to meals and accommodation.

Updated on Nov 20, 2014 12:02 PM PST
29. # Summer Graduate SchoolMathematical Topics in Systems Biology

Organizers: LEAD Steven Altschuler (University of California, San Francisco), Lani Wu (University of California, San Francisco)

This Summer Graduate School will introduce mathematics graduate students to the rapidly emerging area of systems biology. In particular, we will focus on the design and emergent behaviors of molecular networks used by cells to interpret their environments and create robust temporal-spatial behaviors. This will be a very hands-on workshop with students working alone and in teams to program and present key ideas.

Updated on Jun 03, 2015 12:21 PM PDT
30. # Summer Graduate SchoolSeminaire de Mathematiques Superieures 2015: Geometric and Computational Spectral Theory

Organizers: Alexandre Girouard (Laval University), Dmitry Jakobson (McGill University), Michael Levitin (University of Reading), Nilima Nigam (Simon Fraser University), Iosif Polterovich (Université de Montréal), Frederic Rochon (Université du Québec à Montréal)

The lectures will focus on the following four topics: geometry of eigenvalues, geometry of eigenfunctions, spectral theory on manifolds with singularities and computational spectral theory. There has been a number of remarkable recent developments in these closely related fields. The goal of the school is to shed light on different facets of modern spectral theory and to provide a unique opportunity for graduate students and young researchers to get a “big picture” of this rapidly evolving area of mathematics. A particularly novel aspect of the school is the emphasis on the interactions between spectral geometry and computational spectral theory.

Updated on Jan 28, 2015 10:59 AM PST
There are more then 30 past workshops. Please go to Past workshops to see all past workshops.