This award will support a series of annual mathematics conferences begun in 1999 and held at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. These conferences, unusual because the topics vary from year to year, are designed to expose faculty and advanced undergraduate students to cutting-edge mathematics, and to enhance the Harvey Mudd College research environment by fostering interactions between its students and faculty and the participants of the conference. This award will provide support for four speakers, a contributed poster session, and a community-wide pre-conference talk. It will also significantly broaden the geographic participation in the conferences by providing travel support for graduate students and recent Ph.D.'s, with preference given to members of underrepresented groups.
By bringing topflight researchers to Harvey Mudd College each fall, the conferences expose participants to a wide range of mathematics. Past topics have included analysis, applied mathematics, differential geometry, applied algebra and combinatorics, and mathematical biology. The planned topics for the conferences covered by this award are: geometry, algebra, and phylogenetic trees (2004); scientific computing (2005); and enumerative combinatorics (2006). The conferences give rise to activities and projects in mathematics courses taught at Harvey Mudd College. They also serve as a convenient gathering place for mathematicians and mathematics students in Southern California, fostering interaction and collaboration in several mathematical communities. With community-wide pre-conference talks that emphasize the impact and beauty of mathematics, these conferences will annually influence over 250 people, encouraging mathematical research while also strengthening public awareness of mathematics.
