- Um-gms - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

[GMS] Seminar on March 23, Monday
by Berkant Cunnuk 20 Mar '26

20 Mar '26

Dear GMS, I hope you are doing well. We will have a seminar on Monday, March 23, between 11:30 and 12:30 at 225 St. Paul's. Our speaker will be @Gabriel Hamm<mailto:hammg2@myumanitoba.ca>. You can find more information about his talk below. Title: Fast algorithms for Sobolev orthogonal polynomials Abstract: Sobolev orthogonal polynomials are those polynomials orthogonal with respect to an inner product including derivatives. They have a beautiful and rich theoretical history. We propose fast algorithms for Sobolev orthogonal polynomials by careful consideration of the properties of the Sobolev–Gram matrix. We begin with a description of a matrix equation for the Sobolev–Gram matrix with a number of terms proportional to the order of the Sobolev inner product. We describe conditions on the vectorial measure that cause the Sobolev–Gram matrix to be banded, leading to linear complexity Cholesky factorization. Next, we convert the problem of including Dirac measures into that of a finite-rank perturbation of a known Cholesky factorization, which can also be performed in linear complexity. Finally, in the case of conversion to Chebyshev polynomials, we harness the power of randomized numerical linear algebra to solve the connection problem in O(n log^{O(1)}n) flops. See you all in the seminar! GMS Website<https://sites.google.com/view/umgradmathsociety/> / Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/umgradmathsociety/> Sincerely, Berkant<https://cnnk.xyz> GMS Executive

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[GMS] Seminar on March 9, Monday
by Berkant Cunnuk 08 Mar '26

08 Mar '26

Dear GMS, I hope this email finds you well. We will have a seminar on March 9, Monday (tomorrow) between 11:30 and 12:30 at 225 St. Paul's. Our speaker will be @Gabriel Ogulu<mailto:Gabriel.Ogulu@umanitoba.ca>. You can find more information about his talk below. Title: Matrix Analysis of the Ultraspherical Spectral Method Abstract: Spectral methods are prized in scientific computing for their exponential convergence rates, yet classical collocation approaches suffer from severe algebraic bottle necks: they generate dense differentiation matrices with condition numbers scaling as O(N4). This research project investigates the Ultraspherical Spectral Method, a structured approach that overcomes these limitations by utilizing a hierarchy of orthogonal polynomial bases to represent differentiation as a sparse, banded operation. We perform a rigorous matrix analysis of the infinite-dimensional operators arising from this discretization, specifically constructing the banded differentiation (D(2)), multiplication (X), and basis conversion (R(2)) matrices. A key focus is the solution of ”almost-banded” linear systems structures arising from the imposition of boundary conditions on banded operators. We implement a stable QR factorization algorithm utilizing Givens rotations to solve these systems while minimizing fill-in. Numerical experiments performed in Julia validate the theoretical claims on two canonical problems: the Airy boundary value problem and the Harmonic Oscillator eigenvalue problem. Our benchmarks confirm that the ultraspherical solver achieves O(N) computational complexity, a significant improvement over the O(N3) scaling of dense spectral methods, while maintaining bounded or slowly growing condition numbers. This work demonstrates that exploiting structured linear algebra is essential for unlocking the full potential of spectral discretizations in modern differential equation solvers. See you all in the seminar! GMS Website<https://sites.google.com/view/umgradmathsociety/> / Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/umgradmathsociety/> Sincerely, Berkant<https://cnnk.xyz> GMS Executive

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Fw: [Spectra] Conference Announcement: Queer in Computational and Applied Mathematics II - 18-22 May in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
by Homer De Vera 22 Feb '26

22 Feb '26

Hi All, Just forwarding this email in case you might be interested in attending the Queer in Computational and Applied Mathematics Workshop to be held on 18-22 May in Kelowna, British Columbia. For the details, see below the original email from Michael Robert. See you all tomorrow at the GMS seminar at 11:30am at 225 St. Paul's, which will be a proposal writing and website making workshop. (See recent email from Berkant.) Best, Homer ________________________________ From: Hermie Monterde <monterdh(a)myumanitoba.ca> Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2026 6:48 PM Subject: FW: [Spectra] Conference Announcement: Queer in Computational and Applied Mathematics II - 18-22 May in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada Hi everyone, Good evening! Kindly forward the email below to anyone interested! It is about the upcoming Queer in Computational and Applied Math 2026 which will be held in UBCO in Kelowna, BC this coming May. Padayon, Hermie Monterde<https://sites.google.com/view/hermiemonterde/home> Pronouns: she/her [why this is important<https://pronouns.org/what-and-why>] PIMS-Simons Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Mathematics and Statistics University of Regina ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Robert, Michael <michaelrobert(a)vt.edu<mailto:michaelrobert@vt.edu>> Date: Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 12:08 PM Subject: [Spectra] Conference Announcement: Queer in Computational and Applied Mathematics II - 18-22 May in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada To: spectra-math(a)googlegroups.com<mailto:spectra-math@googlegroups.com> <spectra-math(a)googlegroups.com<mailto:spectra-math@googlegroups.com>> Dear all, We are excited to announce the second Queer in Computational and Applied Mathematics (QCAM) Workshop to be held at University of British Columbia - Okanagan 18-22 May, 2026 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. This workshop aims to foster a supportive network of 2SLGBTQIA+ researchers and academics through mentoring and research opportunities, as well as providing a safe space for researchers across the subfields of computational and applied mathematics to connect, collaborate, and build community within the field. In addition to plenary talks, we will solicit abstracts from invited participants for contributed talks and a poster session. We will also be organizing working groups on important topics in computational and applied mathematics. There will also be networking and mentoring opportunities. There is a limited number of allowed participants with limited travel support. However, accommodations and most meals will be provided by the Banff International Research Station and the Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences, respectively. If interested in attending, please fill out the following form: QCAM-II Interest Form<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnq45h97jj2226OCr_URhHJwFGIbEOIBu…> to help us with planning some of the logistics. Please note this form is only an expression of interest and not a commitment to come. We hope to see you there! QCAM Organizing Committee Andrew Bernoff, Harvey Mudd College Alexander Hoover, Cleveland State University Raven Shane Johnson, Rice University Michael Kelly, Transylvania University Hermie Monterde, University of Manitoba Michael Robert, Virginia Tech J. Darby Smith Becca Thomases, Smith College Amy Wiebe, University of British Columbia Okanagan +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics<https://math.vt.edu/> Core Faculty, VT Center for the Mathematics of Biosystems (VT-CMB<https://cmb.science.vt.edu/>) Affiliated Faculty, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens (CeZAP<https://infectiousdisease.fralinlifesci.vt.edu/>) Virginia Tech<https://www.vt.edu/> Pronouns: he/him/his [why this is important<https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why>] Office: McBryde 418 https://personal.math.vt.edu/michaelrobert/ Broadening Participation in Science Calendar of Events: Click Here to see Events<https://www.science.vt.edu/broadening-participation/calendar.html>! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Spectra" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to spectra-math+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com<mailto:spectra-math+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com>. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/spectra-math/SN6PR05MB5855F88CB732758A2D8…<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/spectra-math/SN6PR05MB5855F88CB732758A2D8…>.

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[GMS] Seminar on Monday Feb 9 with Invited Speaker Jane Breen
by Homer De Vera 09 Feb '26

09 Feb '26

Dear GMS members, We have an invited speaker, Dr. Jane Breen<https://sites.google.com/view/breenj>, visiting our department next week. She is an alumna of the University of Manitoba where she graduated with a Ph.D. Mathematics degree in 2018. She will be giving two talks at the department next week: 1. GMS Seminar (Feb 9, Monday, 11:30am, 225 St. Paul's) The talk will focus on Jane sharing her academic career journey from being a PhD student at U of M to becoming an Associate Professor at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario. 2. Department Colloquium (Feb 11, Wednesday, 1:30pm, 225 St. Paul's) Jane will be presenting a talk entitled Kemeny's constant for Markov chains and random walks on graphs. The abstract will be sent together with the usual department colloquium invitation sent by the math office. We graduate students are tasked to assist our invited speaker during her entire stay. Like before, I will be forming a small committee that will be in charge of this. The tasks will include planning some lunches/dinners (possibly social activities) for our guest together with graduate students and possibly some faculty members. If interested in joining the committee or just joining the lunches/dinners/social activities, send me a message or sign up on this form<https://forms.gle/Z93RjHd3KPEiKuEc6>. Thanks to Dr. Karen Gunderson and the department we are able to choose and invite math researchers/professors to our university and gain math and career insights, build connections in academia, possibly bring about research collaborations, etc. If you have ideas on who to invite next time, send me your suggestions or note it on the form<https://forms.gle/Z93RjHd3KPEiKuEc6>. I believe the department is still very much open to inviting another speaker for the colloquium this term. Best, Homer Graduate Mathematics Society<https://sites.google.com/view/umgradmathsociety/gms-seminars/about>

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[GMS] Seminar on January 2, Monday
by Berkant Cunnuk 30 Jan '26

30 Jan '26

Dear GMS, I hope this email finds you well. We will have a seminar on January 2, Monday (next week) between 11:30 and 12:30 at 225 St. Paul's (different room!!!!). We are a bit more flexible this semester, so you may see weekly or biweekly seminars depending on speaker request/availability. Lunch will be served as usual. Our speaker will be @Irushi Jayathunga<mailto:Irushi.Jayathunga@umanitoba.ca>. You can find more information about her talk below. Title: Enhancing Mathematics Education through Context-Based, Learner-Centered Approaches Abstract: In this talk, the context-based, learner-centered approach we introduced in the classroom to teach mathematics will be discussed. By incorporating real-world examples and activities that connected mathematical concepts to practical applications, we aimed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and its real-world use. To measure the success of these methods, we used pre-and post-course student surveys to assess changes in students' understanding, engagement, and attitudes toward mathematics. The pre-course survey gathered insights into students' prior experiences and challenges, while the post-course survey evaluated their perceptions after experiencing the context-based approach. Our findings provide valuable insights into how these methods can enhance student learning, offering a foundation for refining and improving context-based teaching strategies in mathematics education. See you all in the seminar! GMS Website<https://sites.google.com/view/umgradmathsociety/> / Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/umgradmathsociety/> Sincerely, Berkant<https://cnnk.xyz> GMS Executive

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[GMS] Grad Seminar on January 26
by Berkant Cunnuk 25 Jan '26

25 Jan '26

Dear GMS, I hope you are all doing well. We will have a seminar on 26th of January, Monday in 123 St. Paul's between 11:30 and 12:30. Our speaker is @Homer De Vera<mailto:deverahf@myumanitoba.ca>. This is going to be the first talk of this semester. Lunch will be served as usual. The details about his talk are below. Title: Minimizing Kemeny's constant for partial stochastic matrices with a single specified column Abstract: Given a finite, discrete-time, time-homogeneous Markov chain on n states with an irreducible transition matrix T, we may compute Kemeny's constant K(T) in terms of the eigenvalues of T. Kemeny's constant on such matrices may be interpreted in terms of the expected number of steps to get from a random initial state to a random destination state, and hence, may be viewed as average travel time on a network when the states of the Markov chain are viewed as vertices on a graph. We similarly define K(T) in terms of eigenvalues of a stochastic matrix T having a single essential class, an extension of irreducible stochastic matrices. Suppose we have a partial stochastic matrix where some entries are specified and the rest are unspecified, how do we choose values for the unspecified entries so that the resulting stochastic matrix has a single essential class and K(T) is minimized? Steve Kirkland solved this question for partial stochastic matrices where the only specified entries are the diagonal entries and where the only specified entries are in a single row. In this talk, we present our results for the case where the only specified entries are in a single column. This is a work in progress with Prof. Kirkland. We have slots available for interested speakers! Please fill out this form<https://forms.gle/gMgGoqTcBnadxhwu9> if you are interested. See you all in the seminar! GMS Website<https://sites.google.com/view/umgradmathsociety/> / Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/umgradmathsociety/> Sincerely, Berkant<https://cnnk.xyz> GMS Executive

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[GMS] Vote for the GMS Winter 2026 Seminar day/time
by Berkant Cunnuk 09 Dec '25

09 Dec '25

Hello GMS, Thanks to all of you for your continued attendance at the GMS seminars during the Fall term. GMS seminars will continue during the Winter term. If you intend to give a speech, feel free to reach out to me (or any other GMS executive). We need to book a room way in advance, so we need to pick a day and time. I know that MHC hours aren't determined yet, but you should have some idea how your schedule will look, considering TA applications are over. Please take a look at the following link and pick times that work for you. https://whenisgood.net/sf5pszt If you could do it this week, that would be great! Sincerely, Berkant<https://cnnk.xyz> GMS Executive

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[GMS] Grad Seminar on December 3
by Berkant Cunnuk 03 Dec '25

03 Dec '25

Dear GMS, I hope you are all doing well. We will have a seminar on 3rd of December, Wednesday in 123 St. Paul's between 12:30 and 13:30. Our speaker is @Sueda Senturk Avci<mailto:senturks@myumanitoba.ca>. This is going to be the last talk of this semester. The details about her talk are below. Title: Computing Fourier Coefficients of Non-Holomorphic Eisenstein Series Abstract: The classical (holomorphic) Eisenstein series with the form \begin{equation*} E_k(z) = \frac{1}{2} \displaystyle\sum_{\substack{m,n \in \mathbb{Z} \\ (m,n) \neq (0,0)}} (mz + n)^{-k} \end{equation*} for $z \in \mathbb{H}$ has the Fourier coefficients \begin{equation*} E_k(z) = \zeta(k) + \frac{(2\pi)^k (-1)^{k/2}}{(k - 1)!} \sum_{N=1}^\infty \sigma_{k-1}(N) q^N, \quad \text{where } q = e^{2\pi i z}. \end{equation*} We see that the sum-of-divisors function $\sigma$ pops up in the non-constant coefficient part, which can be obtained via an elementary examination. When we change our focus to the non-holomorphic Eisenstein series with the form \begin{equation*} E_s(z) = \displaystyle\sum_{\substack{c,d \in \mathbb{Z} \\ \gcd(c,d) = 1}} \frac{y^s}{|cz+d|^{2s}}, \quad \text{for } z \in \mathbb{H} \text{ and } \Re(s) > 1, \end{equation*} the coefficients inevitably change. More explicitly, their Fourier expansion is \begin{equation*} E_s(z) = y^s + \frac{\xi(2s-1)}{\xi(2s)} y^{1-s} + \frac{2y^{\frac{1}{2}}}{\xi(2s)} |m|^{s-\frac{1}{2}} \sigma_{1-2s}(m) K_{s-\frac{1}{2}}(2\pi |m|y) e^{2\pi i mx}. \end{equation*} However, we keep seeing $\sigma$ in the non-constant coefficient part, and it comes from a more complicated but rigorous series of computations over local fields. In this talk, we will attempt to explain the background setup of these computations. Finally, if time permits, we will talk about the Whittaker functions that appear throughout our computations for a moment. The seminar can also be accessed from Zoom: https://umanitoba.zoom.us/j/61904749902?pwd=NBzY0WN8ItdlMq2fZiKCpb1uPf8L8i.1 Meeting ID: 619 0474 9902 Passcode: 846191 See you all in the seminar! GMS Website<https://sites.google.com/view/umgradmathsociety/> / Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/umgradmathsociety/> Sincerely, Berkant<https://cnnk.xyz> GMS Executive

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Fw: Colloquium this Wednesday - Alice Lacaze-Masmonteil (Regina)
by Homer De Vera 26 Nov '25

26 Nov '25

Dear GMS, The speaker at today's department colloquium is Dr. Alice Lacaze-Masmonteil, our invited speaker from the University of Regina. So let's please attend if we can. See the invitation below from Dr. Karen Gunderson for more details. After the talk at about 2:45pm, we will be holding a Q&A session about graduate study/research experience/general experience in academia with Dr. Lacaze-Masmonteil as our resource speaker. If you have some questions that you'd like us to ask for you, kindly submit them on this form<https://forms.gle/Wrecpwti36z2f2hD6>. Also at around 5pm, we will be going for bouldering at The Hive with our guest. It will cost about $35-40 individually. Don't hesitate to join if interested, just let me know so we can arrange the transportation plans to get there. Thanks! Best, Homer ________________________________ From: Karen Gunderson <Karen.Gunderson(a)umanitoba.ca> Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2025 9:31 AM To: Kerry Nemet <Kerry.Nemet(a)umanitoba.ca>; Melanie Vanderhorst <Melanie.Vanderhorst(a)umanitoba.ca> Subject: Colloquium this Wednesday - Alice Lacaze-Masmonteil (Regina) Dear colleagues, This week's in-person Colloquium talk will be: Wednesday, 26 November at 1:30pm and held in 225 St Paul’s College. Alice Lacaze-Masmonteil (Regina) will be speaking on “On the second largest eigenvalue of certain graphs in the perfect matching association scheme” (see abstract below). Dr. Lacaze-Mastoneil is the invited speaker of the Graduate Mathematics Society this term. Please make a special effort to attend the talks by our in-person speakers! Next week, our in-person speaker will be Dr Yevgeniy Bilokopytov (Alberta). As always, I am maintaining a public google calendar that you can subscribe to for up-to-date seminar information: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=840d5f2e955ab7313f26b18ff3b8… Best wishes, Karen, your colloquium coordinator This week’s talk details: Date and time: Wednesday November 26th, 1:30-3:00pm Location: 225 St Paul’s College Speaker: Alice Lacaze-Masmonteil (Regina) Title: On the second largest eigenvalue of certain graphs in the perfect matching association scheme Abstract: Defined as the difference between its two largest eigenvalues, the spectral gap of a graph plays an important role on our understanding of its connectivity as observed by Godsil and Royle (2001). Since computing the largest eigenvalue of a graph is generally not too difficult, the crux to understanding the spectral gap of a graph is to compute its second largest eigenvalue. In this talk, we will consider the spectral gap of certain graphs in the perfect matching association scheme. Since these graphs are part of the same association scheme, they have the same eigenspaces. These eigenspaces correspond to irreducible representations of the symmetric group and thus, one could use these irreducible representations to compute the eigenvalues of each graph. In practice, such computations are difficult to perform which makes it difficult to find the eigenspace that realizes the second largest eigenvalue. The focus of my talk will be to identify this eigenspace for selected graphs in the scheme. This is joint work with Himanshu Gupta, Allen Herman, Roghayeh (Mitra) Maleki, and Karen Meagher.

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Graduate student-led department colloquium with invited speaker: Dr. Alice Lacaze-Masmonteil
by Homer De Vera 20 Nov '25

20 Nov '25

Hi All, Every term we are encouraged by the department to invite a speaker to come visit UManitoba and give a talk at the math department colloquium. We are tasked to organize the visit from their arrival to departure with assistance from the department staff and most expenses are covered by the department. Last year, we invited Dr. Harmony Zhan from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. This term we have invited Dr. Alice Lacaze-Masmonteil, a postdoctoral fellow from the University of Regina, whose research interests include cycle decompositions of graphs and pursuit-evasion games on graphs. She will be arriving next week Monday (Nov 24) and depart on Thursday (Nov 27). She is scheduled to give a talk at the department colloquium on Wednesday (Nov 26). Throughout her stay, we will be assisting her, accompanying her in some lunches/dinners with grad students/postdocs and possibly faculty members, or taking her around Winnipeg like visiting the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. This would be a great opportunity to network with an early-level researcher in Canada especially if you are interested in the speaker's research area, or in general to gain insights from her experiences in academia. I am forming a committee to oversee these tasks. As part of the committee, you may put this on your CV as event organizer under "service to university" or "extracurricular activities." If you also have ideas for other speakers to invite next term, this would be a good experience so that you'll know how it goes for the next time with your preferred invited speaker. If you are just interested in joining the lunches/dinners but not as part of the committee, that's perfectly fine too. Please sign up on this form<https://forms.gle/Q3sCfGiaAWUniqjg8> to let me know about your interest and availability. Best, Homer

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