Women

In

Mathematics

In

New England

WIMIN is a one-day conference in mathematics and statistics, hosted by Smith College. The conference is open to all, and registration is free.


WIMIN 2019: Saturday, September 21, 2019, 9:30am - 5pm

*Click here for the schedule*

The conference starts (with coffee and light breakfast) at 9:30am in McConnell Hall

Featuring:

Coffee
Student talks
Lunch
Grad student panel

Dorothy Wrinch Lecture in Biomathematics

Erica Graham (Bryn Mawr College)
Building and breaking the ovulatory cycle: modeling insights

The ovulatory cycle is the result of a tightly regulated system of crosstalk between reproductive hormones generated in the brain and ovary. The complex hormone feedback gives rise to the characteristic oscillatory behavior of the menstrual cycle. Altered hormone regulation may disrupt the cycle, leading to abnormal ovulation and/or fertility. The sheer complexity of this system poses a challenge to identifying precise mechanisms of dysfunction. However, mathematical approaches have been useful in examining pathophysiology, even when precise biological mechanisms are unknown. I will discuss mathematical models of ovulation in the context of general dynamics, the nature of dysfunction, clinical implications, and an algorithmic approach for data- and biology-driven model reduction.

Alice Dickinson Lecture in Mathematics

Allison Henrich (Seattle University)
It's all fun and games until someone becomes a mathematician

As former MAA President Francis Su recently reminded us, PLAY is essential for human flourishing. Whether you are a poet or a scientist, a grandparent or a child, play can powerfully enrich your life. For mathematicians, play is essential for building intuition. For undergraduates, play can inspire a desire to get involved in mathematical research. The world of knots provides fertile ground for understanding these connections. Playing games on knot diagrams can give us intuition about knotty structures, while learning about the theory of knots can reveal the "magic" behind rope tricks and excite us to learn more.