WOMP 2021

(Last updated Sept 13, 2021)

The Warmup Program for entering first year graduate students in mathematics is a social and academic program organized by older graduate students in the math department. The goals of the 2021 program, similar to its predecessors, will be to provide the background necessary for approaching the first year coursework, provide opportunities for first year students to meet older graduate students in the math department, form connections essential to an inclusive department, as well as develop a group dynamic among their cohort.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the warmup program in 2021 is different from its traditional format. The program will be a week long rather than two. In addition, social events will be held with the appropriate social distancing measures in place.

*The schedule down below is provisional, please check back for the final version nearer to the beginning of WOMP.



WOMP

Day
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Saturday
18 Sep
Pre-WOMP Lunch

Micah Gay and DeVon Ingram

Sign up here. We will eat in the courtyard in front of the Greek house, which is located at 5221 South Kimbark Avenue inside the gated apartment complex behind CVS.

Tour of Hyde Park

Chris Wilson

Meet inside of the courtyard in front of the Greek house, which is located at 5221 South Kimbark Avenue inside the gated apartment complex behind CVS.
Sunday
19 Sep
Walk Downtown For Dinner

Micah Gay and DeVon Ingram

Meet at the exit tunnel to promontory point in front of the fountain at 4 PM. The walk will take approximately 2-2.5 hours, and we will end up at Giordano's.
Monday
20 Sep
Physical Sciences Division Graduate Orientation

Lunch Time!

Micah Gay and DeVon Ingram

Lunch will be provided for first years and today's panelists in the barn (Ryerson 352).

Forum on the First Year Program

Chloé Postel-Vinay, Peter Huxford, Livia Xu, Wei Yao

A guided Q&A session about various topics concerning the first year program (such as the first year courses and finding an advisor) will take place in Eckhart 202. If you would like to submit any questions anonymously, please submit them here.

Representation Theory

Megan Roda

Room: Eckhart 202

Come learn about the representation theory of finite groups! The lecture will include the motivation behind the subject itself, as well as cover some of the main ideas/results. Topics include Maschke's theorem, Schur's lemma, and the orthonormality of characters.
Research Talk

Billy Lee

Room: Eckhart 202

Title: What is Number Theory?

Abstract: We will start by exploring what originally interested the ancient Greeks, and arrive at a completely imprecise introduction of the Langlands program. Everything will be motivated by small, concrete examples, assuming nothing but basic algebra knowledge.

Game Night

Billy Lee

Meet in the first year office on the fourth floor of Ryerson (if you do not have access, message Billy, and someone will let you into the building). Please follow the university's rules regarding COVID (for example, you must wear a mask at all times). Feel free to bring any board game that you would like to play with the group!
Tuesday
21 Sep
Research Talk

Bohdan Kivva

Room: Eckhart 202

Title: Lower Bounds: What's beyond Counting?

Abstract: (Almost) trivial counting shows that there must exist hard-to-compute functions. However, finding explicit examples of such functions turns out to be extremely challenging. We will discuss some approaches to prove lower bounds for explicit functions, and we will see connections to basic linear algebra and algebraic geometry.
UChicagoGRAD Graduate Student Orientation

Snack Break with AWM

Sarah Reitzes

Enjoy snacks and tea with the UChicago Association for Women in Math (AWM) while learning about issues prevalent among underrepresented groups in mathematics. Students of all genders are welcome! We will meet in the quad right outside of Eckhart.

Forum on Life in Chicago

Colin Aitken, Billy Lee, Daniel Mitsutani, Jon DeWitt

Meet in Eckhart 202.
Rock Climbing

Wei Yao

Sign up here. We will try to catch the 6:54 PM metra from 51st/53rd station. Meet in front of Starbucks on the intersection of 53rd street and Lake Park Avenue by 6:45 PM, so that we can walk to the station together. Note that these times are subject to change (you can check Google maps to verify the times). You will need to buy your own Metra ticket, but we can buy one for anyone who is unable to do so. On our way back, we will either take the 9:45 PM Metra or the 10:30 PM Metra back to Hyde Park. The cost for admission will be covered. While taking public transportation and using the climbing gym, please wear a mask. If possible (and if you have not yet been to First Ascent), please fill out their safety waiver ahead of time (email Wei Yao for the waiver, or if you have any other questions/concerns).
Wednesday
22 Sep
Algebraic Topology

Peter Huxford

Room: Eckhart 202
We will mainly discuss the motivation behind algebraic topology itself, along with the Galois correspondence for covering spaces.
Differential Topology/Geometry

DeVon Ingram

Room: Eckhart 202
The goal of this lecture is to connect familiar concepts in calculus to constructions in differential topology and differential geometry. Topics include the inverse/implicit function theorem and its generalizations in differential topology, a geometric approach to exterior differentiation, and the use of calculus of variations in Riemannian geometry.

UChicagoGRAD Finances Info Session

Forum on the University and Local Resources
Thursday
23 Sep
Measure Theory

Jin Woo Sung

Room: Eckhart 203
We will survey the key techniques that comprise measure theory.
Research Talk

Peter Morfe

Room: Eckhart 203

Title: Homogeneization of Interface Motions

Abstract: I will discuss geometric partial differential equations and homogenization theory. The goal of homogenization is to understand the effect of microstructures on the large-scale behavior of solutions of partial differential equations. When geometric PDEs are involved, this task can be particularly challenging. As a result, the work requires a blend of tools from PDE and ergodic theory.

Research Talk

Iqra Altaf

Room: Eckhart 203

Title: Introduction to Geometric Measure Theory

Abstract: A brief introduction to Hausdorff measures, dimension, and rectifiable sets.
Friday
24 Sep
Department Orientation with the Faculty

This event will be online.

Sexual Misconduct Awareness and Prevention

Amie Wilkinson

This event will be online.
Faculty Open House

This event will be online.
Poker Night

Pallav Goyal

Meet at the Greek house (5221 South Kimbark Avenue), which is inside the gated apartment complex behind CVS.
Saturday
25 Sep
Kayaking Downtown

Sign up here.
Trip to the Art Institute of Chicago

Bonfire at the Point

Chris Wilson

Meet at Promontory Point.