Mathematics Archives | College of Sciences and Arts Newsblog

Michigan Tech Mathematical Sciences Department Invites Campus and Community to Kliakhandler Lectures

Published September 13, 2024

Sun shining over the exterior of Fisher Hall.

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.

Dr. Susanne Brenner comes to campus in early October.

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.

Questions? Contact us at mathdept@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook or read the Mathematical Sciences news blog for the latest happenings.

Two CSA Faculty Recognized for Outstanding Contributions to Michigan Tech

Published August 13, 2024

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Brick two story building with concrete walkways in front, surrounded by green grass, shrubs, and trees. — The Social Sciences Department, home department of University Professor Kathy Halvorsen is housed in the AOB Building on the Michigan Tech campus.

Kathy Halvorsen and Quiying Sha have been honored for their substantial contributions to teaching, research, and service and are among seven professors recognized through Michigan Tech’s Distinguished and University Professorships. They represent a small percentage of faculty recognized with these awards by the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

University Professors represent no more than two percent of the total number of tenured and tenure-track faculty at Michigan Tech. Since its inception in 2020, four of the seven University Professors have hailed from the College of Sciences and Arts, including three from the Department of Physics. Halvorsen is the first recipient from the Department of Social Sciences.

Distinguished Professors represent no more than 10 percent of the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty in a specific college or school. Since its inception in 2018, four of the 11 Distinguished Professors have been chosen from the College of Sciences and Arts. Sha is the first recipient from the Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Image of Kathy Halvorsen has been named a 2024 University Professor for outstanding contributions to the university — Kathy Halvorsen has been named a 2024 University Professor for outstanding contributions to the University.

This is the second time Halvorsen has been honored as a University Professor. She first received the award in 2019. Halvorsen serves as the University’s associate vice president for research development and a professor in the Department of Social Sciences and College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. The nomination materials commended Halvorsen’s ability to maintain an active research program while holding an administrative position. Halvorsen has published more than 55 papers.

Image of Qiuying Sha has been named a 2024 Distinguished Professor for outstanding contributions to the university — Qiuying Sha has been named a 2024 Distinguished Professor for outstanding contributions to the University.

Sha, named a 2024 Distinguished Professor, is a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. The nomination materials commended Sha’s excellence in teaching, research, and service. Sha is an internationally recognized leader in statistical genetics, developing statistical methods for understanding the genetic basis of human diseases and traits. Her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and she has published over 70 papers. Sha has also been previously selected as a member of NIH’s review panel and an editorial board member for Scientific Reports. She has served on early career management committees and many other committees at Michigan Tech.

Learn more about Sha’s recognition on the Michigan Tech Mathematical Sciences Blog.

Learn more about Halvorsen’s recognition on the Michigan Tech Social Sciences Blog.

About the College of Sciences and Arts

The College of Sciences and Arts strives to be a global center of academic excellence in the sciences, humanities, and arts for an increasingly technological world. Our teacher-scholar model provides the foundation for experiential learning, innovative research and scholarship, and civic leadership. The College offers 33 bachelor’s degrees and 25 graduate degrees and certificates. The College conducts approximately $12,000,000 in externally funded research in health and wellness, sustainability and resiliency, and the human-technology frontier.

Follow the College on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and the CSA blog. Questions? Contact us at csa@mtu.edu.

Steve Mintz is the marketing and communications manager for the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech.

New Faculty Books and a Thank You to Donors — Spring 2021

Published April 16, 2021

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Greetings from the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech!

Spring has arrived early here in the Copper Country. The last full weekend of skiing at Mont Ripley a few weeks ago featured sunshine and 60-degree temperatures and all across campus grass is showing through the remaining piles of snow.

Meanwhile students are back on campus after spring break, and our large COVID surveillance testing on their return has only detected 12 campus cases in the last 14 days. President Koubek has announced our intention to return to normal conditions and normal classroom capacities in the fall, and planning is underway.

More than a third of the Western UP has already been vaccinated, and I welcomed my first shot!

We recently received exciting news that our health research building (temporarily dubbed “H-STEM”), is back on track after a year of covid-induced uncertainty. Faculty across campus are currently working on designing the research and teaching lab spaces. Groundbreaking is tentatively slated for about a year from now. It would be finished near the end of 2022.

I have taken some time recently to read some of our new faculty books. Our professor emeritus Jim Spain, the founding chair of our biological sciences department, has a fascinating autobiography out, Perusing for Pioneer Pathways, documenting his incredible life, much of it here in the Copper Country. Dr. Spain will be inducted this fall into our distinguished Academy of Sciences and Arts.

As a mathematician I took particular interest in a new book from our Humanities Professor Andrew Fiss, titled Performing Math: A History of Communication and Anxiety in the American Mathematics Classroom, published by Rutgers University Press. The book is a wonderful combination of history and technical communication with relevance to today’s mathematics classroom.

In my ‘to read’ pile are two books from Humanities Professor Patty Sotirin, including Feminist Vigilance, with MTU colleagues Victoria Bergvall and Diane Shoos, and also Making Data in Qualitative Research, applying a humanities perspective to data collection.

Our recruiting season is well under way as hundreds of prospective students visit this week for “Preview Week” and many more are attending virtual events this week. Applications are at record highs! Our deposits are slightly trailing last year’s but rapidly catching up as financial aid packages go out. Many of these were delayed due to the difficulties students encountered with taking standardized tests.

Critical to everything we do are our alumni and friend donors. All your donations to our departments, scholarships, and the general fund are vitally important to our success. They will play an even bigger role over the next year with decreased state support expected. Thank you so much for supporting Michigan Tech! For CSA giving opportunities please visit: https://www.mtu.edu/sciences-arts/giving/

If you are ever back in town I hope you will stop by, say hello, and share with me your MTU story. Please do not hesitate to email me any time at djhemmer@mtu.edu to share your MTU experience or offer suggestions.

Best wishes,

David Hemmer
Dean – College of Sciences and Arts

CSA Researchers Participate in first TechTalks

Published November 16, 2016

By Heather Powers

On Thursday, November 10, 2016, several researchers gave two minute presentations for the inaugural TechTalks session of the Michigan Tech Research Forum. Seven of the 13 researchers presented work from CSA disciplines, including the Distinguished Lecture:

Steven Elmer– Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Exercise As a Form of Medicine
Yang Yang – Department of Mathematical Sciences, Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations
Selin Philip – Department of Coginitive and Learning Sciences, Creating a Culture of Better Mental/Behavioral Health among the American Indians in the Keweenaw
Loredana Valenzano– Department of Chemistry, Molecules, Surfaces, Crystals: A Quantum Chemical Quest from Fundamentals to Applications.
Nabanita Saikia – Department of Physics, Emergent Frontiers in 2D Nanomaterials for Biomolecular Recongition and Self-Assembly.
Lynn Mazzoleni– Department of Chemistry, Introducing the New 2D-Liquid Chromatograph and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometer in the Chemical Advanced Resoulation Methods (ChARM) Core Facility at Michigan Tech.
Tarum Dam – Department of Chemistry, Enriching Health-Related Research Through Glycobiological Approaches.

Michigan Tech Research Forum events are presented by the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in coordination with the Office of the Vice President of Research. Additional TechTalks sessions are coming up in Spring 2017. Interested in nominating yourself or others? Use this online f orm.

Browse the Twitter conversations in “TechTalks 2016: Take One,” by Allison Mills.

Distinguished Lecture –

Richelle Winkler gave the inaugural Michigan Tech Research Forum Distinguished Lecture on Thursday, October 13 at 4:00 p.m. in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge. She discussed Making Research Matter: Democratizing Science and Other Lofty Goals.

Professor Hugh Gorman nominated Winkler, an associate professor of sociology and demography, for “community engaged scholarship” that extends across the Michigan Tech campus. Examples of Winkler’s projects include examining the feasibility—social and technical—of using mine water for geothermal heating systems in Calumet and examining the social, economic, and technical aspects of improving recycling in Houghton County. Both projects involve students and community members, and both have real impact in the communities. Winkler also conducts research on the changing demographics of anglers and hunters—and the implications for policy. She presented on this subject at the Department of Biological Sciences last spring.

Category: Mathematics