The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa hosted two mathematics research workshops in July, which attracted dozens of PhD students and mathematicians from around the world.
The workshops were organized by the Department of Mathematics and funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER grants, which are designed to support early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. The events also gave UH students an opportunity to participate in the types of workshops usually held elsewhere.
Geometric group theory
Assistant Professor Yash Lodha led a workshop to train graduate students interested in pursuing a research program in geometric group theory. Groups are mathematical abstractions of symmetries (of an abstract space or a physical object), and play a fundamental role in many areas of mathematics, physics and computer science.
The workshop featured four mini courses by international researchers and five additional research talks, including one by Ashlee Kalauli, a mathematician and faculty at Hawaiʻi Community College. Participants received travel and housing support through a stipend provided by Lodha’s NSF CAREER award.
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“I learned some techniques, arguments and interesting open problems from their mini courses,” said Zhihao Mu, a graduate student at the City University of New York. “I also met many graduate students from other universities. We built connections with each other and will try to find some collaborations in the future. Thanks again for providing me the opportunity to attend the conference! It is a wonderful experience!”
Applied algebraic geometry
Associate Professor Elizabeth Gross oversaw a five-day workshop on “Algebraic Methods in Phylogenetics,” which combined math and biology to study evolution. Students used algebra to explore “family trees” of species, called phylogenetic networks. They tackled problems about how organisms evolved, applying math to uncover relationships between different species. This program showed how algebra can reveal hidden patterns in nature’s history.
Gross’s workshop was open to PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty members interested in branching into new research areas. Travel funding was provided through Gross’s NSF CAREER award.
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“One of the most exciting aspects of research mathematics is working collaboratively with others,” Gross said. “I enjoyed witnessing how effectively participants worked together, helping each other learn and explore a new research direction with enthusiasm and creativity.”
Both workshops represented ongoing efforts by UH Mānoa’s mathematics department to foster advanced research and collaboration in specialized fields. The university’s location offered participants a unique opportunity to engage in high-level mathematical discourse while experiencing Hawaiʻi’s environment.
The Department of Mathematics is housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Natural Sciences.
