Speaker: Colleen Mitchell, Department of Mathematics

Title: From Chicken McNugget Theorem to Frobenius Coin Problem and Beyond

Abstract: Chicken McNuggets were sold in packs of 6, 9, and 20. What is the largest number of McNuggets which you cannot buy? Professor Takao Komatsu will explore this problem and generalize it to a deep research program in linear Diophantine equations.

Professor Komatsu is also our colloquium speaker at Wednesday 3:30 in MLH 105.

Professor Komatsu will visit us the whole week and his office is 225K and you are welcome to...

Title: Fibonacci and related numbers in determinants

Abstract: There are many references to matrices or determinants that have Fibonacci numbers as elements. In this talk, we show several determinants expressing the Fibonacci and related polynomials. This method is well-applicable to other numbers or polynomials too. In addition, these results, based on the form of the Hessenberg matrix, allow for many applications such as inverse formulas, explicit expressions, and continued fraction...

Title: Gamma-factor for representations of covering groups in the spirit of the Langlands-Shahidi method.

Abstract: The Langlands-Shahidi method associates a gamma-factor to representations of quasi-split reductive groups defined over local fields, exploiting the uniqueness of the Whittaker model. In our talk we shall give a speculative definition for a gamma-factor in the context of covering groups in the spirit of this method although the uniqueness of the Whittaker model fails. We shall...

Title: Finding needles in haystacks: Boolean intervals in the weak order of $\mathfrak{S}_n$

Abstract: Finding and enumerating Boolean intervals in $W(\mathfrak{S}_n)$, the weak order of symmetric group $\mathfrak{S}_n$, can feel like trying to find needles in a haystack. However, through a surprising connection to the outcome map of parking functions we provide a complete characterization and enumeration for Boolean intervals in $W(\mathfrak{S}_n)$. We show that

for any $\pi\in\mathfrak{S}_n$...

Title: Number theory

Speaker: Laurent Jay (Department of Mathematics)

Title: An introduction to mean curvature flow

Abstract: The mean curvature flow can be thought of as the gradient flow for the area functional, on the space of submanifolds. In this talk I will introduce some of the basic ideas related to the mean curvature of hypersurfaces in Euclidean space, and I will describe some of the main questions.

The speaker is also our colloquium speaker the same day at 3:30 and all are welcome to attend.

Title: Singularities of generic mean curvature flows

Abstract: Surfaces evolving by mean curvature flow in R3 can develop rather complicated singularities. However, it was conjectured by Huisken that generically only very simple singularities can form. This conjecture was recently resolved by works of Chodosh-Choi-Mantoulidis-Schulze and Bamler-Kleiner. I will discuss these results, as well as what more we can say.

Professor Szekelyhidi is given a special lecture on some of the introductory...

Speaker: Dr. John T. Betts, The Boeing Company

The Great Plains Operator Theory Symposium. From a modest beginning in 1981, the Great Plains Operator Theory Symposium (GPOTS) has become a major annual conference. It rotates between Universities in the U.S., with a new host university every year, and with NSF funding. For Spring 2026, it will be at the University of Iowa, a founding university. By now, GPOTS has evolved into a major international conference on operator theory and operator algebras. The symposium focuses on recent developments...