A leading researcher in numerical analysis will share the history and relevance of computational mathematics in a public lecture October 3 in Fisher Hall.
Dr. Susanne C. Brenner will deliver the seventh Kliakhandler Public Lecture at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 3 in Fisher 139. The title of her lecture is “Computational Mathematics.”
The campus community and general public are invited. Admission is free.
Brenner, a Boyd Professor and associate director for academic affairs at Louisiana State University, has served as president of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and is a leading researcher in numerical analysis. “This is a general talk about computational mathematics,” said Brenner. “We will trace its fascinating history from ancient time to modern day in terms of people, machines and algorithms. We will discuss the goals and practice of computational mathematics, and the challenges and opportunities that it provides.”
Brenner’s numerous awards and honors include the Humboldt-Forschungspreis Award, a Humboldt Re-invitation Research Award, and the AWM-SIAM Sonia Kovalevsky Lecture Prize. In addition to being named a SIAM Fellow, she is also an American Mathematical Society, American Association for Advancement of Science, and Association for Women in Mathematics fellow, and serves on several editorial boards.
“We’re excited for both the public and our department to take part in this very special event,” said Melissa Keranen, professor and interim department chair. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to hear and be inspired by a leading-edge researcher in the field of mathematics, which is more relevant than ever to our daily lives.”
During her visit, Brenner will also deliver a research colloquium to the Department of Mathematical Sciences at 1 p.m. on Friday, October 4. The presentation is titled “Novel Finite Element Methods for Elliptic Optimal Control Problems with Pointwise State Constraints.”
“Elliptic distributed optimal control problems are infinite dimensional least-squares data fitting problems where the models are defined by second order elliptic boundary value problems,” Brenner explained. “In the presence of pointwise constraints on the state variable, the traditional approach of reducing this problem to a minimization problem involving only the control variable becomes more challenging due to the reduced regularity of the adjoint state. In this talk, I will explain how to adopt finite element methods originally designed for fourth-order elliptic boundary value problems to this class of optimal control problems and present a unified framework for their analysis.”
About the Kliakhandler Lectures
The Kliakhandler lecture series, which began in 2015 through the generosity of former faculty member Igor Kliakhandler, brings a top mathematician to the Michigan Tech campus each year to deliver two lectures—one for the community and one for the mathematical sciences department.
Past lecturers include Richard Stanley of MIT and Nick Trefethen, professor of numerical analysis at Oxford University and Global Distinguished Professor at New York University.
About the Mathematical Sciences Department
Mathematicians at Michigan Technological University conduct research and guide students, applying concepts to fields like business, engineering, healthcare, and government. The Mathematical Sciences Department offers undergraduate degrees in business analytics, mathematics, mathematics and computer science, and statistics and graduate programs with degrees in mathematical sciences, applied statistics, and statistics. Students supercharge their math skills at Michigan’s premier technological university. They graduate prepared for successful careers in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business environment.
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