All Seminars
| Title: Harmonics Echoing Across Time and Space: A Summary of Research on the Topology of the Universe |
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| Undergraduate Honors Thesis Defense: N/A |
| Speaker: Sara Lykken of Emory University |
| Contact: Emily Hamilton, |
| Date: 2010-04-09 at 1:30PM |
| Venue: MSC E406 |
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| Abstract: |
| Title: Centroidal Voronoi tessellations: algorithms and applications |
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| SIAM Student Chapter: Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing |
| Speaker: Max Gunzburger of Florida State University |
| Contact: Alessandro Veneziani, ale@mathcs.emory.edu |
| Date: 2010-04-09 at 4:00PM |
| Venue: MSC W301 |
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| Abstract: One of the beauties of mathematics is that it can uncover connections between seemingly disparate applications. One of the most fertile grounds for unearthing connections is computational algorithms where one often discovers that an algorithm developed for one application is equally useful in several others. One such algorithm is centroidal Voronoi tessellations (CVTs) which are special Voronoi diagrams for which the generators of the diagrams are also the centers of mass (with respect to a given density function) of the Voronoi cells. CVTs have many uses and applications, a non-exhaustive list of which includes data compression, image segmentation and edge detection, clustering, cell biology, territorial behavior of animals, resource allocation, stippling, grid generation in volumes and on surfaces, meshless computing, hypercube sampling, and reduced-order modeling. We discuss mathematical features of CVTs (that give an indication of why they are so effective) as well as deterministic and probabilistic methods for their construction. Our main focus, however, is on considering as many applications of CVTs as time permits. |
| Title: Relationships between areas in a triangulation of a square |
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| Undergraduate Honors Thesis Defense: N/A |
| Speaker: Phillip Andreae of Emory University |
| Contact: Aaron Abrams, |
| Date: 2010-04-09 at 4:00PM |
| Venue: MSC E406 |
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| Abstract: For a triangulation of the unit square---that is, a tiling of the square by triangles---we consider the general problem of studying the relationships between the areas of these triangles. For a particular combinatorial arrangement of vertices and edges, by a dimension argument we expect that there must be a relation among the areas of the triangles. By generalizing the notion of triangulating a square and applying some facts from algebraic geometry, we can prove that this relation is in fact a homogeneous polynomial equation that is an invariant of the combinatorial triangulation. Our focus is on calculating the degree of this polynomial for any arbitrary triangulation. We develop an algorithm to compute this degree by inductively relating a triangulation to simpler ``factor" triangulations and studying the relationship between the associated polynomials. |
| Title: Numerical Simulations of Aortic Blood Flow with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve |
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| Undergraduate Honors Thesis Defense: N/A |
| Speaker: Ruth Blum of Emory University |
| Contact: Alessandro Veneziani, |
| Date: 2010-04-08 at 3:00PM |
| Venue: MSC W301 |
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| Abstract: |
| Title: Cryptanalysis of small-valued secret exponents in RSA cryptosystems |
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| Undergraduate Honors Thesis Defense: N/A |
| Speaker: Richard Oh of Emory University |
| Contact: Skip Garibaldi, skip@mathcs.emory.edu |
| Date: 2010-04-07 at 9:35AM |
| Venue: W306 |
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| Abstract: |
| Title: Learning via Mobile Platforms: The Possibilities and Pitfalls |
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| Colloquium: Computer Science |
| Speaker: Valerie Summet of Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Contact: Susan Guppy, sguppy@emory.edu |
| Date: 2010-04-02 at 3:00PM |
| Venue: MSC W301 |
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| Abstract: Advancing personalized learning has been named as one of the twenty grand challenges for the 21st century by the National Academy of Engineering. One method of personalizing the learning environment is to allow people to learn anytime, anywhere by using their mobile phone as a learning platform. But is learning in a distracted environment via mobile phones effective? In this talk, I present a study designed to evaluate this question. Using a customized web-application, I evaluated 40 participants’ ability to learn American Sign Language vocabulary words via mobile platforms and conventional computing platforms. Over the course of two weeks, participants learned 80 distinct vocabulary words and were evaluated on both receptive and generative language skills. The results of this study show that mobile platforms can support learning and suggest that further personalization is needed to help maximize its impact. In light of these results, this talk concludes with a discussion of future applications aimed at supporting personalized learning in different domains. |
| Title: Polynomials non-negative on non-compact subsets of the plane |
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| Type: Dissertation Defense |
| Speaker: Ha Nguyen of Emory University |
| Contact: Ha Nguyen, hnnguye@emory.edu |
| Date: 2010-04-02 at 4:00PM |
| Venue: MSC W201 |
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| Abstract: |
| Title: The Effects of Projection on Iterative Methods in Image Deblurring |
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| Undergraduate Honors Thesis Defense: N/A |
| Speaker: James Herring of Emory University |
| Contact: Jim Nagy, |
| Date: 2010-04-02 at 4:00PM |
| Venue: MSC W303 |
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| Abstract: Applications of iterative regularization methods encompass a broad spectrum, including image deblurring. One unique feature in image deblurring problems is the non-negativity of the solution. In light of this knowledge, this thesis explores the effectiveness of three projected iterative methods for image deconvolution: projected successive over-relaxation method(SOR), projected Landweber method, and an interior point gradient method. Specifically, this thesis compares the effectiveness of these methods to the standard un-projected SOR method, comparing quality of image reconstruction and the cost of each method. The thesis begins with an introduction to the field of image deblurring problems, iterative regularization, and the methods tested, and follows with experiments and analysis designed to determine the usefulness of these methods for image deblurring. |
| Title: The Challenge of QoS in Configurable Mesh Networks |
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| Colloquium: Computer Science |
| Speaker: Nadine Shillingford of Notre Dame University |
| Contact: Susan Guppy, sguppy@emory.edu |
| Date: 2010-03-29 at 4:00PM |
| Venue: MSC W301 |
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| Abstract: QoS support for power-constrained wireless mesh networks (WMNs) poses a significant challenge. WMNs are increasingly used as multi-purpose networks, i.e., they serve multiple objectives and different applications simultaneously. As a consequence, a one-size-fits-all routing solution is difficult to achieve, particularly when the performance and QoS expectations of these applications differ. This talk discusses Configurable Mesh Routing (CMR), a toolkit that supports the discovery and management of routes based on any combination of a number of supported QoS metrics. This enables network users to deploy customized routes that meet their unique needs. |
| Title: Bubblesort and Juggling Sequences |
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| Colloquium: N/A |
| Speaker: Ron Graham of University of California San Diego |
| Contact: Vojtech Rodl, rodl@mathcs.emory.edu |
| Date: 2010-03-25 at 4:00PM |
| Venue: MSC W201 |
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| Abstract: In this talk I will describe some recent results concerning the connection between the bubblesort sorting algorithm and certain integer sequences used to analyze various juggling patterns. The analysis leads to new results on the joint distribution of the descent and maximum drop statistics of a permutation, as well as a new class of identities for the classical Eulerian numbers. |