Finger Lakes Probability Seminar

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

This award will be used to organize a Finger Lakes Probability Seminar to be held at Cornell University on April 22nd and 23rd of 2016. Home to Syracuse University, the University of Rochester, and Cornell University, and centrally located amongst a number of other premier research institutions, the Finger Lakes region of New York State has a long tradition of outstanding scholarship in probability theory and related fields. In the past, conferences such as the Cayuga Triangle Probability Seminar fostered collaborative relationships between researchers at these institutions, and events like the Cornell Probability Summer Schools helped establish the region as an international center of research and education in probability. The proposed seminar will build on the successes of these past endeavors and help revitalize probability in the Finger Lakes region. In addition to bringing together researchers from diverse areas of study to share insights and initiate new research projects, the seminar will have a broader impact by educating students and young researchers in preparation for careers in science, finance, and other industries. Probability is one of the most widely used mathematical tools in applications of all sorts, and it is of paramount importance that the younger generations have the skills and knowledge to employ it correctly and to continue increasing our understanding of how to deal rigorously with the uncertainties faced in the natural and social sciences. The Finger Lakes Probability Seminar will expose students from a wide variety of backgrounds to the probabilistic way of thinking and to cutting edge developments in the field, and will help integrate the next generation of researchers into the broader probability community. The conference will focus on several different sub-topics within the field of probability, including Integrable Probability, Random Matrix Theory, Large Deviations, Schramm-Loewner Evolution, Stochastic Partial Differential Equations, Spin Glasses, Percolation, and Markov chain Mixing, as well as the application of probabilistic methods to other disciplines such as biology, economics, statistics, and computer science. For more information, please see the conference website at http://www.math.cornell.edu/~flprob/.