U Mass Logo

T.W.I.G.S.
The "What Is ...?" Graduate Seminar

Room 1634, Lederle Graduate Research Tower
University of Massachusetts, Amherst 		Stellated Icosahedron
Talks begin at 3:00pm.     Refreshments at 4:00pm.
Driving Directions   and   Campus Maps
Back to TWIGS homepage
Maintained by Farshid Hajir.

What Is T.W.I.G.S.?


Wheras twigs are slender shoots issuing from a branch or a stem, T.W.I.G.S. is a seminar for all members of the mathematical community, aimed most directly at beginning graduate students. There are many important objects/problems/theorems in mathematics which can be stated in an elementary way but which a student likely will not encounter in the first years of graduate study. The goal of TWIGS is to bring faculty and students together to talk about such objects/problems/theorems in an informal setting. It is hoped that the seminar will help students in two complementary ways: 1) by broadening their knowledge, 2) by helping them identify an area of concentration (and perhaps an advisor?).

The highest priority of TWIGS is to deliver talks which are interesting and understandable to graduate students. The speakers, usually faculty members at UMass, will define the objects of interest, give examples, and explain why they find them interesting, all using terms a first-year graduate student is expected to understand. All members of the mathematical community, including advanced undergraduates, are welcome to attend.

TWIGS usually meets on Wednesdays at 3:00 pm in the 16th floor lounge (Lederle Graduate Research Tower, room 1634), with tea/cookies following the talk at 4:00.

The seminar is organized by Farshid Hajir. Please contact me with comments/questions/suggestions.

The Stellated Icosahedron above is from the math models collection at The University of Arizona Mathematics Department.

Last modified: 1 October 2002 by Farshid Hajir