Newswise — The West Virginia University Department of Mathematics is set to host Morgantown Algebra Days April 13-14.

The first algebra conference to take place at WVU, Morgantown Algebra Days aims to bring researchers together who study algebra and increase their interactions among other researchers in Appalachia, the mid-Atlantic states and northeast states.

“We aim to bring together algebraists in the region to share ideas and network,” said Ela Celikbas, a research assistant professor of mathematics at WVU. “We especially want to spark graduate students’ interests in doing research in algebra to help grow the field in the region.”

The conference will feature eight research talks and a poster session for graduate students. The speakers include:

·      Eloísa Grifo, University of Michigan

·      Craig Huneke, University of Virginia

·      Andrew Kustin, University of South Carolina

·      Claudia Miller, Syracuse University

·      Claudia Polini, University of Notre Dame.

·      Sean Sather-Wagstaff, Clemson University

·      Kazuma Shimomoto, Nihon University, Japan

·      Mark Walker, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The conference will take place at Ming Hsieh Hall on WVU’s Morgantown campus.

Meals and two nights of lodging will be provided for as many participants as possible. Priority will be given to participants who have no other federal support as well as graduate students, postdoctoral scholars or members of underrepresented groups in mathematical sciences.

Morgantown Algebra Days is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the WVU Department of Mathematics. The conference is organized by Ela Celikbas, along with WVU Assistant Professor of Mathematics Olgur Celikbas and Thomas Polstra, a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of Utah. 

“Algebra is an indispensable part of mathematics. It has interactions with many other areas,” Olgur Celikbas said. “For example, commutative algebra is one of the main sources of modern algebraic geometry, which has various applications, such as in applied mathematics."  

For more information and to register for the conference, visit math.wvu.edu/mad2019.

“Algebra is a foundational topic for our undergraduate and graduate mathematics majors,” said Marjorie Darrah, chair of the Department of Mathematics. “Having the Morgantown Algebra Days conference on our campus will be a great opportunity for our faculty and students to interact with experts from around the world.”