African Diaspora Joint Mathematics
ADJOINT is a yearlong program that provides opportunities for U.S. mathematicians – especially those from the African Diaspora – to conduct collaborative research on topics at the forefront of mathematical and statistical research. Participants will spend two weeks taking part in an intensive collaborative summer session at SLMath (formerly MSRI).
The two-week summer session for ADJOINT 2024 will take place June 24 to July 5, 2024 in Berkeley, California.
Researchers can participate in either of the following ways:
Joining ADJOINT small groups under the guidance of some of the nation's foremost mathematicians and statisticians to expand their research portfolio into a new area. (View: 2024 research topics and leaders)
Applying to Self-ADJOINT as part of an existing or newly-formed independent research group to work on a new or established research project. (View: Group application instructions)
Throughout the following academic year, the program provides conference and travel support to increase opportunities for collaboration, maximize researcher visibility, and engender a sense of community among participants.
ADJOINT enriches the mathematical and statistical sciences as a whole by providing a platform for researchers, especially members of the African Diaspora mathematical and statistical communities, to advance their research and careers and deepen their engagement with the broader research community.
* The 2024 on-site director is Dr. Edray Goins (Pomona College).
The application period for 2024 ADJOINT and Self-ADJOINT has ended.
ADJOINT Directors
Dr. Edray Goins (Pomona College) - 2024 site director
Dr. Caleb Ashley, (Boston College)
Dr. Naiomi Cameron, Spelman College)
Dr. Anisah Nu’Man (Spelman College)
Dr. Donald E.K. Martin (North Carolina State University)
+Program Activity
ADJOINT and Self-ADJOINT participants will:
Conduct research at SLMath within a small group of mathematical and/or statistical scientists
Participate in professional enhancement activities provided by the onsite ADJOINT Director
Receive funding for two weeks of lodging, meals and incidentals, and one round-trip travel to Berkeley, CA
After the two-week workshop, each participant will:
Have the opportunity to further their research project with the team members including the research leader
Have access to funding to attend conference(s) or to meet with other team members to pursue the research project, or to present results
Become part of a network of research and career mentors
+Eligibility
All ADJOINT and Self-ADJOINT participants must be US citizens or permanent residents, possess a PhD in the mathematical or statistical sciences, and be employed at a US institution.
All participants must be in residence and actively engaged in the program 8:30 am - 5:00 pm daily (without teaching, mentoring, or other professional responsibilities) for the full two-week duration on site at SLMath.
Self-ADJOINT researchers may be part of only one group’s application.
For a complete list of application materials required, and research topics and leaders for ADJOINT individual applicants, see below.
+Funding & Support
The following support will be provided to all ADJOINT and Self-ADJOINT participants:
Lodging at a hotel in Downtown Berkeley designated by SLMath
All meals
Reimbursement of travel expenses to and from Berkeley
$2,000 per person for post-programmatic travel
To allow visitors to fully participate in its scientific activities, SLMath is pleased to be able to offer Childcare Grants to researchers with children ages 17 and under. SLMath prides itself on welcoming mathematicians and statisticians from all backgrounds and on actively promoting the participation of members from groups historically underrepresented in the mathematical and statistical sciences. We encourage members of these groups to apply for family support grants. Historically underrepresented groups include women, Native Americans, African Americans, Latinx/Hispanic persons, persons with disabilities, and members of the LGBT+ community.
Space permitting, mathematicians and statisticians who are spouses or partners of invited group members will be offered shared office space.
+Selection Process
The guiding principle in selecting participants and establishing the ADJOINT groups is the creation of diverse teams whose members come from a variety of institutional types and career stages. The degree of potential positive impact on the careers of African-Americans in the mathematical and statistical sciences will be an important factor in the final decisions.
ADJOINT 2024 (Individual Applicants)
Apply to ADJOINT 2024 (Individuals)
Application Deadline: February 4, 2024
Application Requirements (ADJOINT)
Applicants must provide:
a cover letter specifying which of the offered research projects you wish to be part of; if more than one, please indicate your priorities
a CV
a personal statement, no longer than one page, addressing how your participation will contribute to the goals of the program (e.g., why you are a good candidate for this workshop and what you hope to gain)
a research statement, no longer than two pages, describing your current research interests, and relevant past research activities, and how they relate to the project(s) of greatest interest to you (e.g., what motivates your current interests and what is your relevant research background)
Due to funding restrictions, only US citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply.
2024 ADJOINT Research Leaders and Topics
Applicants must specify which of the offered research projects they wish to be part of:
Melody Goodman (NYU School of Global Public Health)
Comparison of probability and non-probability samples of web-based survey data on COVID-19 vaccination
The same survey was collected using a convenience sample (non-probability) and a probability sample with weights. To improve the analytical strength of the data, the qualified responses were weighted by iterative proportional fitting weighting, using multivariate target distributions from the U.S. Census American Community Survey 2018 data for gender, age (18-30 years of age), ethnicity, and race. The weighted sample size was equivalent to the unweighted number of qualified responses. The applied weights were clustered around the unweighted value of 1, with a sample balance of 87.3. We will compare differences in demographic characteristics of the samples and estimates of key measures across the samples (probability and nonprobability). The survey is about knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to COVID-19 precautions, including vaccination.
Background: Knowledge of working with complex survey samples and using Stata for data analysis.
Bibliography
Aaron Pollack (University of California, San Diego)
Explicit Computation of Cuspidal Modular Forms
A modular form is a type of very special smooth function. One can think of them as being analogues of the exponential function \(F(x) = e^{2 pi i x}\) for real numbers \(x\). This function has three salient properties:
1) it has infinitely many discrete symmetries: \(F(x) = F(x+n)\) for any integer \(n\);
2) it satisfies a simple linear differential equation;
3) it is bounded.
What if we change the domain from the real numbers to a more general Lie group? We obtain modular forms. Specifically, suppose \(G\) is a non-compact Lie group, and \(S\) in \(G\) is an infinite discrete subgroup. Roughly speaking, a cuspidal modular form for \(G\) of level \(S\) is a smooth function \(F\) that satisfies three properties:
\( F(sg) = F(g)\) for all \(s\) in \(S\);
\(DF = 0\), where \(D\) is a certain type of linear differential operator;
\(F\) is bounded.
So, if \(G\) is the real numbers and \(S\) is the integers, we can count the function \(F(x) = e^{2 pi i x}\) as a cuspidal modular form. But when \(G\) is a non-abelian Lie group, it can be extremely difficult to write down even a single example of a cuspidal modular form. Nevertheless, modular forms are the subject of immense study in number theory and representation theory, partly because they conjecturally connect many different areas of mathematics.
The goal of this project is to do theoretical computation with and numerical computation of certain spaces of modular forms. More specifically,
The first goal is to prove that certain classes of cuspidal modular forms are uniquely determined by a finite amount of data, in a precise way.
The second goal is to numerically compute some examples of cuspidal modular forms. (By part 1, only a finite amount of data needs to be computed!)
Background: The main background needed would be some familiarity with Lie groups and Lie algebras. For motivation, I also recommend reading about classical modular forms, e.g., in Serre’s “A course in arithmetic”, Chapter VII.
Self-ADJOINT (Research Groups)
Apply to Self-ADJOINT 2024 (Groups)
Application Deadline: February 4, 2024
Applications require a Project Description, a statement on alignment with program goals, as well as additional information.
Project Description: The project description should not exceed two pages, should be aimed at a broad mathematical audience, and must contain the following:
A brief history of the collaboration (if applicable)
The broader mathematical context and motivation for the research area
A description of the goals, impact, and specific research problems to be addressed
If applicable, a description of the partial results already obtained
A timeline for the project, including the research that will be accomplished before, during, and after the two-week residency at SLMath
Statement on Alignment with Program Goals: The statement on alignment with program goals should not exceed two pages. This statement should describe why the proposed group and collaboration fits with the aims of the program which are to:
“Provide space, funding, and the opportunity for in-person collaboration to small groups of mathematicians, especially members of the African Diaspora, whose ongoing research may have been disproportionately affected by various obstacles including professional isolation, heavy teaching or administrative workloads, lack of access to funding, and/or family obligations.
Through this effort, SLMath aims to mitigate the obstacles faced by these groups, improve the odds of research project completion, and deepen their research experience. The goal of this program is to enhance the mathematical sciences as a whole by positively affecting the research and careers of all of its participants and assisting their efforts to maintain involvement in the research community.”
In particular, this statement should describe how participation in ADJOINT will positively affect the careers of each participant.
If you prefer not to share information regarding obstacles you may have overcome with respect to your career, you may focus on the latter half of the above goals statement.
Additional Information: In addition to the Project Description and Statement on Alignment with Program Goals, the following information is required:
A list of all members on the research team, including home institution, email address, confirmation of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, year of PhD, and current position. Please include gender, racial, and ethnic identification of each member of the research team. This demographic information is voluntary and will enable us to measure our progress with respect to our mission. Please note that this information is reported only on an aggregated basis and is not an individual factor in decision-making.
A biographical sketch (following NSF format) of no more than three pages for each of the team members. Each sketch should include no more than 10 publications relevant to the proposed projects
If applicable, a list of Mathematics Subject Classification Codes (primary and secondary)
A list of keywords