Professor Erin Conlon delivered the keynote address "Parallel Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods for Bayesian Analysis of Big Data" at the Heidelberg University Workshop on Monte Carlo Methods and Big Data in Heidelberg, Germany, 10-11 February 2017.

During 31 January - 1 February, Associate Professor Krista J Gile participated in a consultation on Population Size Estimation in Hard-to-Reach High-Risk Populations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Visiting Assistant Professor Robin Koytcheff gave two research-related talks last month: “From linking numbers to Taylor towers” (University at Albany, Monday 30 January) and “Knots, links, linking numbers, and generalizations” (West Chester University, Tuesday 21 February).

In January, Professor Ivan Mirkovic lectured in the Number Theory and the Representation Theory seminars at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. He also gave three talks during the 16-27 January workshop on Geometry and Representation Theory at the Schrödinger Institute in Vienna, Austria.

As part of its THEMATIC MONTH ON DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS AND INTERACTIONS, Professor HongKun Zhang was invited to participate in two workshops at CIRM Luminy (Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques) in the environs of Marseille, France, between 13-24 February:

• Teichmüller Space, Polygonal Billiards, Interval Exchanges

• Non-Uniformly Hyperbolic Dynamical Systems, Coupling and Renewal Theory ;

in the latter, she delivered a talk on "Diffusion behavior of Lorentz gas with flat points" based on her two recent publications.

On 23 February, the faculty adopted by unanimous vote the following statement on equity, inclusion and diversity:

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics includes and serves faculty, staff, and students from a wide range of personal and professional backgrounds. It has long been a pillar of academic thought that diversity of perspectives fosters enhanced ability to advance science. We know that having a department of teachers, mentors, staff, researchers, and colleagues from a range of personal and professional backgrounds also enhances our ability to effectively serve our educational mission. We embrace the diversity of our department and community, including persons of varying age, disability, ethnicity, family status, gender, gender identity, geographic region, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.