[SAMSI logo] 19 T.W. Alexander Drive
P.O. Box 14006
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-4006
Tel: 919.685.9350
Fax: 919.685.9360
[email protected]
 
OpportunitiesProgramsWorkshopsCalendarAffiliatesReports & PublicationsDirectoryAbout
 

SAMSI Special Workshop

Blackwell-Tapia Conference

November 14-15, 2008
Radison Hotel Research Triangle Park (RTP)
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

David Blackwell Richard Tapia

Organizers:
Ricardo Cortez (Tulane University)
William Massey (Princeton University)
Michael Minion (SAMSI and University of North Carolina)
Carolyn Morgan (Hampton University)
Cristina Villalobos (University of Texas Panamerican)

Description
Workshop Poster
Application
Schedule

Description

This is the fifth in a series of biannual conferences honoring David Blackwell and Richard Tapia, two seminal figures who inspired a generation of African-American, Native American and Latino/Latina students to pursue careers in mathematics. Carrying forward their work, this one and a half day conference will

  • recognize and showcase mathematical excellence by minority researchers
  • recognize and disseminate successful efforts to address under-representation
  • inform students and mathematicians about career opportunities in mathematics, especially outside academia
  • provide networking opportunities for mathematical researchers at all points in the higher education/career trajectory

The conference will include a mix of activities including scientific talks; poster presentations; a panel discussion of career opportunities in mathematics, and another panel on recruitment and retention of a diverse mathematics workforce; and ample opportunities for discussion and interaction.

Dr. Juan MezaThe National Blackwell-Tapia Committee is pleased to announce that the 2008 Blackwell-Tapia Prize will be awarded to Dr. Juan C. Meza, Department Head and Senior Scientist for the High Performance Computing Research Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

This prize is awarded every second year in honor of the legacy of David H. Blackwell and Richard A. Tapia.

Dr. Meza has an exceptionally distinguished record as a mathematical scientist, an accomplished and effective head of a large department doing cutting-edge explorations in the computational sciences, computational mathematics, and future technologies, and a role model and active advocate for others from groups under-represented in the mathematical sciences. As a mathematician, his current research focuses on nonlinear optimization with an emphasis on methods for parallel computing, and he has also worked on various scientific and engineering applications including scalable methods for nanoscience, power grid reliability, molecular conformation problems, optimal design of chemical vapor deposition furnaces, and semiconductor device modeling. He is a much sought after speaker, both nationally and internationally, on topics ranging from his own research, through major invited talks on the importance of diversity such as his presentation as the 2008 Marjorie Lee Browne Colloquium Speaker for the University of Michigan's Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration, and advice important to young mathematicians-in-the-making such as his presentations to student groups on how they can be effective speakers and presenters themselves. His record of service to communities under-represented in mathematics includes chairing the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) Human Resources Advisory Committee, co-chairing the annual Diversity Day workshops of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and many other activities too numerous to mention here; however, they regularly extend from serving on high-level advisory committees on diversity for major scientific organizations, through rolling up his own sleeves and working directly with early-career mathematics students from under-represented groups, as he did in the 2007 MSRI Undergraduate Program (MSRI-UP).

In addition to his other recognitions, Dr. Meza will also receive the 2008 Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), to be presented on October 9 at the 2008 SACNAS National Conference in Salt Lake City.

Application

On-line registrations are now closed. However, on-site registrants are still welcome. Please call SAMSI at (919)685-9350.

Please make reservations at the Radisson Hotel RTP as soon as possible. The SAMSI room block and rate ($109) is effective until October 31, 2008. After this date, there is no guarantee a room will be available.  If you have a change in plans, individual room reservations must be cancelled 72 hours prior to arrival. Check-in is at 3:00 PM; check-out is 12:00 noon.

 

Schedule

Friday, November 14, 2008
Radisson Hotel RTP

12:30-1:30 Registration and Refreshments
1:30-1:50 Welcome and Introduction
1:50-2:30 Lecture: Jacqueline Hughes-Oliver, N.C. State University
Analysis of High-Dimensional Structure-Activity Screening Datasets Using the Optimal Bit String Tree
2:30-3:20 Panel Discussion: Getting Undergraduates Involved in Research
Carlos Castillo-Chavez, Arizona State University (Chair)
Reinhard Laubenbacher, Virginia Tech
Juan Meza, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Peter Mucha, UNC-Chapel Hill
Michael Shearer, North Carolina State University
3:20-3:45 Break
3:45-4:30 Short Talks I: Tim Thornton, University of California, San Francisco
Statistical Methods for Genetic Association Studies in Structured Populations

Angela Gallegos, Tulane University
Crocodilia, Sex Determination and Delay Differential Equations
4:30-5:10 Lecture: Freda Porter, Porter Scientific
Technologies for Addressing Environmental Challenges
5:10-6:30 Poster Set-up
6:30-8:30 Poster Session and Reception

SAMSI will provide poster presentation boards and tape. The board dimensions are 4 ft. wide by 3 ft. high. They are tri-fold with each side being 1 ft. wide and the center 2 ft. wide. Please make sure your poster fits the board. The boards can accommodate up to 16 pages of paper measuring 8.5 inches by 11 inches.

Saturday, November 15, 2008
Radisson Hotel RTP

8:30-9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00-9:30 Lecture: Oscar Gonzalez, University of Texas, Austin
Predicting Geometric Properties of DNA from Hydrodynamic Diffusion Data
9:30-10:15 Short talks II: Rudy Horne, Florida State University
Solitary Waves in Discrete Media in the Presence of Four-Wave Mixing Products

Yolanda Munoz Maldonado, Michigan Technological University
Testing the Equality of Mean Functions for Continuous Time Stochastic Processes
10:15-10:45 Coffee
10:45-11:15 Lecture: Gabriel Huerta, University of New Mexico
Statistical Approaches for Parameter Estimation in Climate Models
11:15-12:00 Short talks III: Ulrica Wilson, Morehouse College
A Criterion for Finding Cyclic kp((t))-division Algebras

Tanya Moore, Building Diversity in Science
Using Mathematics to Transform Communities
12:00-1:40 Lunch (Galeria Restaurant, first floor)
1:40-2:00 Opportunities at SAMSI, the Math Institutes, and NSF
Jim Berger, SAMSI
Cheri Shakiban, IMA
Peter March, NSF
2:00-3:00 Panel Discussion: Career Opportunities in the Mathematical Sciences
Carolyn Morgan, Hampton University (Chair)
Tanya Moore, Building Diversity in Science
Bob Rodriguez, SAS Institute
Nell Sedransk, NISS
Janet Spoonamore, Army Research Office
3:00-3:20 Break
3:20-4:00 Lecture: Richard Tapia, Rice University
Optimization: The Cradle of Contemporary Mathematics
4:00-5:00 Blackwell-Tapia Lecture:
Juan Meza, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Optimization: The Difference Between Theory and Practice ...
5:00-6:15 Break
6:15-6:30 Conference Group Photos
6:30-9:00 Conference Reception and Banquet
6:30       Reception
7:00       Dinner is Served
7:45       Juan Meza Receives Award

 




 
 

Entire site © 2001-2010, Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute. All Rights Reserved.