Colloquium Series 2024-2025

This colloquium is sponsored by the Department of Mathematics & Statistics
For more information, contact the colloquium chair, Dr. Michael Kerckhove.

Upcoming:

November 11 at 12:00 pm in Jepson Hall 109

Jamie Settle, PhD, W '07, Cornelia Brackenridge Talbot Professor of Government, College of William & Mary

Title: Using Computational Social Science to Assess the Impacts of Social Media on Political Attitudes and Behavior

Abstract: What did we learn about the impact of Facebook and Instagram on key political attitudes and behaviors during the U.S. 2020 elections? How do those lessons shape our expectations of the role of social media platforms in the 2024 election? The public and pundits frequently blame social media for a variety of societal ills, ranging from affective polarization to the spread of disinformation to the extremity of people’s attitudes. In this talk, Jaime Settle will present the results from five studies that have been published out of an academic collaboration with Meta that use experimental and observational approaches on Meta’s platforms to assess their impact on people’s political attitudes and behavior.

 

Past Events:

October 28

Elizabeth Milicevic, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, Haverford College

Title: The Algebra and Geometry of Core Partitions

Abstract: Core partitions are used extensively as indexing sets for objects in representation theory, algebraic geometry, and number theory.  Cores naturally index certain elements of the affine symmetric group, which is an infinite analog of the group of permutations on a finite set.  We can also conveniently realize these group elements via other geometric and combinatorial models such as abacus diagrams, permutahedra in a hyperplane arrangement, and words in a Coxeter group.  In this talk, we will explore the relationship among these various algebraic, geometric, and combinatorial perspectives on core partitions, proving some bijections along the way which are difficult to see purely combinatorially.  This talk will be completely self-contained; no algebraic, geometric, or combinatorial background will be assumed.