Fifth Annual TUMC
6-7 November 2009
Invited Talks


Tim Chartier
Davidson College
Putting a Spring in Yoda's Step

Abstract:  When the character Yoda first appeared on the silver screen, his movements were due to the efforts of famed muppeteer Frank Oz. In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Yoda returned to the movies but this time the character was not a puppet but a digital image within a computer. This talk will discuss the role, or more aptly the force, of mathematics behind a few aspects of movie special effects. Armed with differential equations, animators can create a believable flow to Yoda's robe or a convincing digital stunt person.

Biography:  Tim Chartier is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Davidson College. He received both a B.S. degree in applied mathematics and a M.S. degree in computational mathematics from Western Michigan University. After doctoral work in applied mathematics at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a postdoctoral position at the University of Washington, he arrived at Davidson College in 2003. Tim is a recipient of the Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member from the Mathematical Association of America. As a researcher, Tim has worked with both Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories on the development and analysis of computational methods targeted to increase efficiency and robustness of numerical simulation on the lab's supercomputers, which are among the fastest in the world. Tim's research with and beyond the labs was recognized with an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship.

Jennifer Quinn
University of Washington, Tacoma
Mathematics to DIE For: The Battle Between Counting and Matching

Abstract:  Positive sums count. Alternating sums match. So which is "easier" to consider mathematically? From the analysis of infinite series, we know that if a positive sum converges, then its alternating sum must also converge but the converse is not true. From linear algebra, we know that the permanent of an n × n matrix is usually hard to calculate, whereas its alternating sum, the determinant, can be computed efficiently and it has many nice theoretical properties.

In this talk, you will judge a combinatorial competition between the competing techniques. Be prepared to explore a variety of positive and alternating sums involving binomial coefficients, Fibonacci numbers, and other beautiful combinatorial quantities. How are the terms in each sum concretely interpreted? What is being counted? What is being matched? Do alternating sums always give simpler results? You decide.

Biography: Jennifer Quinn (jjquinn@u.washington.edu) earned her BA, MS, and PhD from Williams College, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin, respectively. She is the Associate Director for Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at University of Washington, Tacoma where she is a working to build a mathematics curriculum on the expanding campus. Prior to joining UWT, she served as Executive Director of the Association for Women in Mathematics and before that, spent more than a decade as a faculty member at Occidental College in Los Angeles. An award winning teacher, author, and scholar, Jenny thinks that beautiful mathematics is as much art as science and as such, should be enjoyed by everyone. Her advice to you, "Read Math Horizons!"