ICERM Special Event: "Blackwell-Tapia Conference 2012" (November 9-10, 2012)

David Blackwell
April 24, 1919 -
July 8, 2010

Richard Tapia

This is the seventh in a series of biennial conferences honoring David Blackwell and Richard Tapia, two seminal figures who inspired a generation of African-American, Native American and Latino/Latina students to pursue careers in mathematics. Carrying forward their work, this one and a half day conference will

• Recognize and showcase mathematical excellence by minority researchers
• Recognize and disseminate successful efforts to address under-representation
• Inform students and mathematicians about career opportunities in mathematics, especially outside academia
• Provide networking opportunities for mathematical researchers at all points in the higher education/career trajectory

The conference includes a mix of activities including scientific talks, poster presentations, panel discussions, ample opportunities for discussion and interaction, and the awarding of the 2012 Blackwell-Tapia Prize.

This event is supported in part by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Schedule and Supporting Materials

Friday	November 9, 2012
Time	Description	Speaker	Location	Abstracts	Slides
1:00 - 1:10	Introduction and Director Welcome	Jill Pipher, Director, ICERM	11th Floor Lecture Hall
1:10 - 1:50	The short pulse equation in high-low frequency bands for nonlinear metamaterials	Nathaniel Whitaker, University of Massachussetts, Amherst	11th Floor Lecture Hall
1:55 - 2:35	How a dynamical model can predict phenotype from genotype	Santiago Schnell, University of Michigan	11th Floor Lecture Hall
2:40 - 2:50	Short Break (with coffee available)		11th Floor Collaborative Space
2:50 - 3:30	The Effect of Age Structure on Stem and Non-stem Cancer Cell Population Dynamics	Suzanne Weekes, Worcester Polytechnic Institute	11th Floor Lecture Hall
3:35 - 4:00	Coffee and Tea Break		11th Floor Collaborative Space
4:00 - 4:40	Using Delay Differential Equations to Model Dendritic Cell Therapies	Angela Gallegos, Loyola Marymount University	11th Floor Lecture Hall
4:45 - 5:25	Scientific computing for movie special effects and virtual surgery	Joseph M. Teran, University of California, Los Angeles	11th Floor Lecture Hall
5:30 - 5:40	Short Break (with coffee available)		11th Floor Collaborative Space
5:40 - 6:25	Algorithm for Molecular Simulation and Analysis	Rachel Vincent-Finley, Southern University and A&M College	11th Floor Lecture Hall
6:25 - 6:30	Math and Undergraduate Education Funding opportunities at NSF	Ron Buckmire, National Science Foundation	11th Floor Lecture Hall
6:30 - 8:15	Poster Session and Reception at ICERM		11th Floor Lecture Hall and Collaborative Space

Saturday	November 10, 2012
Time	Description	Speaker	Location	Abstracts	Slides
8:30 - 9:15	Continental Breakfast		11th Floor Collaborative Space
9:15 - 9:55	Successes in computational biological fluid dynamics -- courtesy of Ricardo Cortez	Lisa Fauci, Tulane University	11th Floor Lecture Hall
10:00 - 10:30	Math and undergraduate education funding opportunities at NSF	Rob Buckmire, National Science Foundation	11th Floor Lecture Hall
10:30 - 10:55	Short Break (with coffee available)		11th Floor Collaborative Space
10:55 - 11:00	Group Photo		11th Floor Lecture Hall
11:00 - 11:40	Sensitivity of System Stability of UAVs to Variation of Vehicle Aerodynamic Characteristics	David Torain, Hampton University	11th Floor Lecture Hall
11:45 - 1:10	Lunch Break
1:10 - 1:50	The ground field method and the number of solutions of systems of polynomial equations over finite fields	Ivelisse Rubio, University of Puerto Rico	11th Floor Lecture Hall
1:55 - 2:35	On the Global Well-Posedness of a PDE model for Criminal Behavior	Nancy Rodriguez, Stanford University	11th Floor Lecture Hall
2:40 - 3:00	Short Break (with coffee available)		11th Floor Collaborative Space
3:00 - 4:00	A Statistician's Tour of Duty in the World of Drug Discovery	Joaquin Bustoz, Jr. Lecture- Jacqueline M. Hughes-Oliver, George Mason University	11th Floor Lecture Hall
4:00 - 4:00	Introduction of Prize Winner	Introduction by Trachette Jackson	11th Floor Lecture Hall
4:00 - 5:00	A Spatial Model of Mosquito Host-Seeking Behavior	Ricardo Cortez, Tulane University	11th Floor Lecture Hall
5:30 - 6:30	Cash Bar Reception		Westin Hotel, Providence
6:30 - 6:35	Seated for Banquet		Westin Hotel, Providence
6:35 - 7:00	Remarks and Awarding of Blackwell-Tapia Prize		Westin Hotel, Providence
7:00 - 9:00	Banquet: Food Served/Buffet Open		Westin Hotel, Providence

Ricardo Cortez Awarded 2012 Blackwell-Tapia Prize

The National Blackwell-Tapia Committee recently announced that Professor Ricardo Cortez of the Mathematics Department at Tulane University was awarded the 2012 Blackwell-Tapia Prize. The prize recognizes a mathematical scientist who has contributed significantly to research in his or her field of expertise and who has served as a role model for mathematical scientists and students from underrepresented minority groups or has contributed in other significant ways to addressing the problem of the underrepresentation of minorities in mathematics. Dr. Cortez is internationally regarded as a leading researcher in fluid dynamics and mathematical modeling. He has also been a leader in undergraduate mentoring and the development of training opportunities for underrepresented minority students in the mathematical sciences. Dr. Cortez will be the guest of honor at the Seventh Blackwell-Tapia Conference at ICERMon November 9-10, 2012. Read the full announcement here.

Photo by Paula Burch-Celentano

The biennial Blackwell-Tapia Prize was established in 2002 by the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in honor of the late David H. Blackwell and Richard A. Tapia, distinguished mathematical scientists who have been inspirations to more than a generation of African American and Latino/Latina students and professionals in the mathematical sciences. A consortium of U.S. mathematics institutes, which host the conference in turn, supports the conference at which the prize is awarded. Previous hosts have been MSRI (2002), IPAM (2004), IMA (2006), SAMSI (2008), and MBI (2010).

The initial Blackwell-Tapia Conference was organized at Cornell University in 2000 by MTBI Director Carlos Castillo-Chavez. In 2002, MSRI Director David Eisenbud suggested the addition of the prize to succeeding Blackwell-Tapia Conferences. This prize is funded by a generous donation from Cornell secured by Castillo-Chavez. Previous recipients of the Blackwell-Tapia Prize are Arlie Petters (2002), Rodrigo Bañuelos (2004), William Massey (2006), Juan Meza (2008), and Trachette Jackson (2010). A more detailed version of the history can be seen at by clicking here.