Current MUIC Mathematics Seminar
(Trimester 2, Academic Year 2025 - 2026)
January 14, 2026 - March 25, 2026
The Mathematics Seminar organized by the Applied Mathematics Program of Mahidol University International College (MUIC)
(Trimester 2, Academic Year 2025 - 2026)
January 14, 2026 - March 25, 2026
The Mathematics Seminar organized by the Applied Mathematics Program of Mahidol University International College (MUIC)
For information about our seminar in the past trimesters, see here (PAST), and for the next trimester, see here (NEXT).
Organizer: Pakawut "Pro" Jiradilok (pakawut.jir@mahidol.edu)
Talks are normally on Wednesdays, from 4:15 pm to 5:15 pm,
at Mahidol University International College (MUIC), Salaya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom, THAILAND.
Here you can find the schedule for the talks in the current trimester.
Scheduled Talks
Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Room: 1210 (MUIC Building 1)
Speaker: Wayne Lawton (Siberian Federal University)
Title: Integrable vector fields, falling cats, and quasi-rational consumers
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Time: N/A
Room: N/A
Speaker: N/A (no meeting scheduled)
Title: N/A
Abstract: N/A
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Room: 1210 (MUIC Building 1)
Speaker: Brian Hopkins (Saint Peter's University)
Title: Refining and Extending the Crank-Mex Theorem for Integer Partitions
Abstract: In 2020, George Andrews and David Newman and also the speaker and James Sellers independently discovered a connection between the important crank statistic for partitions requested by Dyson and the simple mex statistic, the smallest positive integer that is not a part of a given partition. What has become known as the crank-mex theorem states that the number of partitions of n with nonnegative crank equals the number of partitions of n with odd mex. This has led to a flurry of results, including a connection by the speaker and Sellers to partition fixed points, i.e., partitions for which the i-th part is i for some index i.
Recently, Andrews and Moshe Newman established a refinement: The number of partitions of n with nonnegative crank and k parts greater than one equals the number of partitions of n with odd mex and k parts greater than one. They proved this with generating functions and requested a combinatorial proof. The current project extends a complementary result, namely that the following quantities are equal: (a) the number of partitions of n with even mex and k parts greater than one, (b) the number of partitions of n with a fixed point and k+1 parts greater than one, (c) the number of partitions of n with negative crank and k parts greater than one, and (d) the number of partitions of n with positive crank and k+1 parts greater than one. We give both generating function and combinatorial proofs with one step from work of Isaac Konan. This is joint work with George Andrews.
Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Time: 4 pm - 5:30 pm
Room: TBA.
Speaker: N/A (internal meeting of MUIC applied math faculty)
Title: N/A
Abstract: N/A
Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Time: 4 pm - 5:30 pm
Room: TBA.
Speaker: N/A (internal meeting of MUIC applied math faculty)
Title: N/A
Abstract: N/A
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Room: 1315 (MUIC Building 1)
Speaker: Sorawee Porncharoenwase (Amazon Web Services)
Title: Automated Reasoning in Cloud Governance and Access
Abstract: Automated reasoning uses mathematical logic to provide guarantees about system behavior. In this talk, we show how we apply automated reasoning to improve the security and reliability of cloud services, strengthening customer trust in our products.
First, we present our methodology for migrating a legacy yet critical authorization engine to a modern implementation amenable to automated reasoning. The migration enables us to optimize and evolve the engine with confidence, backed by formal assurance of correctness. Second, we describe our ongoing work on a new programming language for writing configuration compliance rules. By integrating automated reasoning into the language design, we address a longstanding challenge in cloud security: detecting rule drift, where rule logic becomes outdated as the underlying environment evolves.
Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Room: 1315 (MUIC Building 1)
Speaker: Tipaluck Krityakierne (Mahidol University)
Title: How Long until the Dice Land on a Square?
Abstract: We consider a simple stochastic process formed by summing repeated die rolls and study the expected time until the total first reaches a perfect square. Although the model is elementary, the sparsity of the target set leads to nontrivial first-passage behavior. We present a framework based on backward recursions and truncation ideas to analyze such hitting times with high precision, illustrating general techniques that arise in discrete mathematics, probability, and algorithms.
This talk is based on joint work with Thotsaporn Thanatipanonda.
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Room: 1315 (MUIC Building 1)
Speaker: Wijit Yangjit (Kasetsart University)
Title: Dedekind Sums
Abstract: The classical Dedekind sums are defined by
$$
s(h,k)=\sum_{\mu=1}^k\left(\left(\frac{h\mu}{k}\right)\right)\left(\left(\frac{\mu}{k}\right)\right),
$$
where $((x))$ is the sawtooth function defined by
$$
((x))=
\begin{cases}
x-\lfloor x\rfloor-\frac{1}{2}&\text{if }x\text{ is not an integer},\\
0&\text{if }x\text{ is an integer.}
\end{cases}
$$
They appear in the study of the Dedekind eta function under modular transformations. In this talk, we will explore their connections with the Jacobi symbol, Mordell's theorem on lattice points in tetrahedra, and Fibonacci numbers.
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Room: 1315 (MUIC Building 1)
Speaker: Michael Allen (Mahidol University)
Title: Graphs with Traffic Rules
Abstract: Our goal is to obtain the generating functions $g^{(k)}$ for $k$ up to 6 for the number of $n\times k$ binary matrices in which each one is adjacent to exactly two other ones. The usual approach would be to use transfer matrices, but these rapidly become too large to handle practically without a computer algebra package (e.g., when $k=5$, the corresponding transfer matrix is $280\times280$). Here we show that $g^{(k)}$ can be obtained manually if we consider graphs in which paths containing U-turns or left or right turns at certain nodes are forbidden.
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Time: 4 pm - 5:30 pm
Room: TBA.
Speaker: N/A (internal meeting of MUIC applied math faculty)
Title: N/A
Abstract: N/A
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Room: 1315 (MUIC Building 1)
Speaker: Dmitry Berdinsky (Mahidol University)
Title: Linear-time Computable Groups
Abstract: A normal form of a group associates a word with each of its elements. There are two related problems studied about normal forms of groups. Does a group admit a normal form such that the group operation belongs to a specific complexity class? What is a family of groups admitting normal forms for which the group operation belongs to a specific complexity class? This talk discusses these two problems when the group operation or multiplication by generators are computed in linear time.
Speaker(s) for T2/2025-2026 awaiting date assignments.
-
Notes for confirmed speakers for T2/2025-2026.
Please submit the title of your talk before Wednesday, December 24, 2025.
Please submit the abstract of your talk at least 7 days before your talk.
If you have beamer slides, please submit them at least 24 hours before your talk.
Thank you!
Notes for each speaker about the day of your talk.
(1) Please remember to bring your Thai National ID card or your passport to your talk!
(2) Please note that after your seminar talk, we do bring you to dinner in the evening, so please be available for the dinner.
(3) The organizer might be teaching until 4 pm. If you arrive early, please wait near the seminar room (check the room above) of your talk. People (the organizer and the audience) should arrive there at 4:15 pm.
Thank you!
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