Simons Lectures in Mathematics–Spring 2020
2D percolation revisited
Stanislav Smirnov (University of Geneva, Skoltech)

Percolation is a mathematical model for the filtering of a liquid through a porous material or the spread of a forest fire or an epidemic: the edges of some graph are declared open or closed depending on independent coin tosses, and then connected open clusters are studied. While simple to define, this model exhibits very complicated behavior, with non-trivial scaling exponents and dimensions.Centering on the 2D setting, we will discuss simple proofs of some important theorems, connection of percolation to other models,as well as remaining open questions.  …

Analysis, Dynamics, Geometry and Probability
The conference is on the occasion of Chris Bishop’s 60th birthday.

March 2-6, 2020

The workshop will bring together experts in Analysis, Dynamics, Geometry and Probability. These fields have had fruitful interaction in the past and present. One example is the connection between Brownian motion, harmonic measure, analysis of singular integrals, and geometric properties of domains. Another example is dynamics interacting with geometric properties of quasiconformal mappings. Finally we mention the interaction between analytic and probabilistic methods and computational problems. The purpose of the workshop will be to share insights and foster further interaction between the fields. To this end, an emphasis will be given to talks being accessible to a broad audience of mathematicians and physicists. …

Congratulations to Sir Simon Donaldson, co-winner of the 2020 Wolf Prize in Mathematics

Sir Simon Donaldson, a permanent member of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics (SCGP) and a professor in the Department of Mathematics, was recently named a recipient of the 2020 Wolf Prize in Mathematics for his contribution to differential geometry and topology. Professor Donaldson is jointly awarded the prize with Professor Yakov Eliashberg, Stanford University and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the SCGP, for their outstanding contributions to mathematics over many years. …

How many moves do you need to make to truly randomize a simple puzzle like the 15 puzzle?

This question was asked by mathematician Percy Diaconis in 1988 and was open until this year, when the solution was found by Robert Hough, assistant professor at mathematics department of SBU and Yang Chu, an undergraduate student working with Hough as part of Enhanced REU program sponsored by the Summer Math Foundation. They have posted a preprint in which they provide a full answer to this question.

Read more about it in this article in Quanta magazine.

Congratulations to Misha Lyubich on being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Stony Brook University Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Mikhail Lyubich has been honored with membership to the elite American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), which recognizes the outstanding achievements of individuals in academia, the arts, business, government and public affairs.

A leader in the field of dynamical systems, Lyubich is Director of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences at Stony Brook. He is one of the founders of modern real and complex one-dimensional dynamics, having in many ways shaped the development of the field. …

Graduate Summer School on the Geometry and Modular Representation Theory of Algebraic Groups
August 19-23, 2019
Xiuxiong Chen Wins Simons Investigator Award in Mathematics

Xiuxiong Chen is a leading figure in complex geometry with fundamental contributions to the field. He and his collaborators have made major breakthroughs and finally settled several long-standing problems. With S.K. Donaldson and S. Sun, Chen proved the stability conjecture (which goes back to Yau) on Fano Kähler manifolds.

 

Analytic Low-Dimensional Dynamics
A celebration of Misha Lyubich's 60th birthday

May 27-June 7, 2019

Xujia Chen awarded the 2019 John Marburger III Fellowship for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics

An endowment made in the memory of Dr. John H. Marburger, III, former president of Stony Brook University, director of Brookhaven National Laboratory, science advisor to President George W. Bush, and Vice President for Research at Stony Brook, provides funding support for women undertaking advanced graduate study in the physical sciences, engineering, or mathematics.

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Aleksander Doan awarded a 2019 President's Award to Distinguished Doctoral Students

Aleksander Doan is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mathematics, working in the field of differential geometry. In his thesis, he studied the phenomenon of energy concentration for solutions to the equations of gauge theory, and explored a relationship between gauge theory and algebraic geometry.

 

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