Workshop and Research Seminars by Prof. Michael Dorff

School of Mathematical Sciences will organize workshop and research seminars as follows:

Convenors	Dr. Lee See Keong and Prof. Rosihan M. Ali
Speaker	Prof. Michael Dorff (Brigham Young University, Utah, USA)
Date	1 - 2 March 2017
Time	10.00 am - 4.30 pm
Venue	Conference Room, School of Mathematical Sciences

Workshop: Non-teaching Careers for Mathematicians and Solving Math Problems from Industry.

Date and Time: 1/3/2017 (10.00 - 12.00 noon & 2.30 - 4.30 pm).

Abstract:
Many students and professors think that teaching is the main (or only) career option for someone who studies mathematics. But there are hundreds of jobs for math students. In this workshop, we will discuss some of the exciting things mathematicians in business, industry and government are doing in their careers. We will present some mathematics problems from industry, discuss how these problems are different than the abstract math problems that professors solve, and explore some techniques used in solving these problems.

Seminar: Analytic Functions, Harmonic Functions, and Minimal Surfaces.

Date and Time: 2/3/2017 (9.30 - 10.30 am).

Abstract:
Complex-valued harmonic mappings can be regarded as generalizations of analytic functions and are related to minimal surfaces which are beautiful geometric shapes with intriguing properties. In this talk, we will provide background material about these harmonic mappings, discuss the relationship between them and minimal surfaces, present some new results, and pose a few open problems.

Student Seminar: Soap Bubbles and Mathematics.

Date and Time: 2/3/2017 (11.00 - 12.00 noon).

Venue: DKG 31 School of Mathematical Sciences.

Abstract:
In geometry we learn that the shortest path between two points is a line. In this talk, we explore this idea in several different settings. First, we apply this idea to finding the shortest path connecting four points. Then we move this idea up a dimension and look at a few equivalent ideas in terms of surfaces in 3-dimensional space. Surprisingly, these first two settings are connected through soap films that result when a wire frame is dipped into soap solution. We use a hands-on approach to look at the geometry of some specific soap films and "minimal surfaces".

You are cordially invited to these events. CPD points will be given to USM staff.