Fearless Friday Seminars
Our department fosters a lively and friendly community of scholars and learners in mathematics and computer science. It is important to recognize that learning in the classroom is only a part of that. We invite all of our students to be part of our community. A great way to participate is to attend public lectures about new ideas in mathematics and computer science. To get the most out of these opportunities, we recommend that students listen actively, take notes, and ask the speaker questions. To encourage this, the department requires that each major write a summary of four selected talks, to illustrate their active participation in the lecture, and to practice the important skill of grasping the essentials of a public lecture and reporting on them in written form.
The Department sponsors the FEARLESS FRIDAY SEMINAR series, which features talks on mathematics or computer science on most Friday afternoons, at 12:30 or 1:00 p.m., usually in Tutt Science 122 or Tutt Science 213. Many of these talks are of wide interest outside the department, and all are cordially invited to attend. We traditionally rate these talks, using a version of the movie rating system.
The ratings are as follows:
G: No mathematics or computer science background required
PG: Some undergraduate mathematics or computer science assumed (e.g., some calculus, some programming)
PG13: Considerable undergraduate mathematics or computer science assumed
R: Some graduate mathematics or computer science assumed
X: A talk only the speaker understands
XXX: A talk even the speaker does not understand!