SLMath_Flyer_MSRI-UP_2026 (PDF)
Author: Prof. Bockting
23rd Annual Undergraduate STEM Research Showcase
On November 7th, DePaul hosted its 23rd Annual Undergraduate STEM Research Showcase. At the showcase, DePaul students communicated their research findings with the scientific community through poster presentations and research talks. Several Mathematical Sciences students presented their work, including:
Oral Presentations
- Umid Ahmadali, The Six-Vertex Model with Partial Domain Wall Boundary Conditions (pDWBC) and the Probability Distribution of the Type-C Vertex in the Final Row
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Karl Liechty - Umid Ahmadali, Non-Distributive Intervals on the Type-B Tamari Lattice
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Emily Barnard - Owen Levens, Polynomials Arising from Sorted Binomial Coefficients
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Allan Berele -
Nicolas Oses Frola, The Effectiveness of a Size-Based Recognition Model on Motif Identification and Characterization
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Shaun Mahoney, Penn State University
Poster Presentations
- Clara Campos de Araujo, The Dirichlet Eigenvalue Problem on Grid Domains
Faculty Advisor: Dr. David Sher
Work supported by the Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program (URAP) - Michael Czaplinski, A Tale of Knots with Many Twists and Turns
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Enrico Au-Yeung - Joosung Lee, Who Can Win in a Game of Knots?
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Enrico Au-Yeung - Owen Levens, Pascalian Root Asymptotics
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Allan Berele
Work supported by the Undergraduate Summer Research Program (USRP) - Jiahui Li, L-splines-of-order-4-algorithm
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Enrico Au-Yeung - Vu Phan, Expected Number of Turns to Complete a Generalized (m,n) Bingo Game
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ilie Ugarcovici - Grant Williams, Can ChatGPT Help Undergraduates Solve Graduate Level Abstract Geometry Problems?
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Enrico Au-Yeung
The showcase also featured a plenary talk by 2011 DePaul Math alumna Dr. Joelle Mbatchou. After graduating from DePaul in 2011, Dr. Mbatchou went on to earn Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Chicago. In Dr. Mbatchou’s current role as a Senior Statistical Geneticist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, she works on the development of statistical methods and computational tools for large-scale data sets. You can read more about her work here.
MAT Department Volunteers at Nourishing Hope
On Wednesday, August 27, a group of math department volunteers spent the morning helping at Nourishing Hope, a Chicago nonprofit that provides food to neighbors in need. Seventeen of us worked together packing bags and boxes for home delivery that included produce, pantry items, and dairy. The space at this location was smaller than usual, but our crew kept things moving by taking on different roles such as sorting, lifting, and box making. After the shift, everyone gathered for lunch, which made the day not only meaningful but also a chance to connect outside the classroom. Thank you to everyone who joined in. It was inspiring to see so many from the math community come together to support Chicago families, and we are already looking forward to next year’s event.
Photo gallery:
Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Wisdom in Mathematics (NCUWM)
The Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Wisdom in Mathematics (NCUWM) is accepting applications for participants and poster presenters until November 14. This conference is open to all undergraduates and provides most of the local funding as well as some travel support. Students may present research talks or posters, or they can attend without presenting. The conference is helpful for all students, whether they know they want to go to graduate school in math or whether they like math and are unsure what to do with it. Please consider applying!
The conference will take place January 30 – February 1, 2026. More information can be found here: NCUWM
For information on carpooling/caravanning with students from nearby institutions, please reach out to Prof. Bockting (sarah.bockting@depaul.edu).
Solution to Mathematical Toy Box – SQ2025
Three of the vertices of a square in ℝ3 are (1, 2, 3), (10, 14, 23), and (22, 30, 8). What is the sum of the coordinates of the fourth vertex?
Solution: The square in question is the translation by (1, 2, 3) of the square with vertices (0, 0, 0), (9, 12, 20), (21, 28, 5), and (12, 16, 15), so the fourth vertex is
(12+1, 16+2, 15+3)=(13, 18, 18), whose sum of coordinates is 49.
Call for Applications: Big East Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium
We are excited to share with you a terrific research opportunity for our students! DePaul University will be participating in the Big East Research Poster Symposium that will be held in New York City on March 14, 2026. Up to 5 students will be able to attend this opportunity to present on their faculty-sponsored research, learn about the research of their peers, network with students across the 11 colleges within the Big East conference, and attend the Championship basketball game held at Madison Square Garden.
Click here to read the full Student Call for Applications- Big East Symposium. The travel dates are March 13-15, and DePaul covers up to $1225 in funding,
The deadline for application is on December 8, 2025. Applications should be submitted to academicinnovation@depaul.edu.
Summer Research Institute 2025
As part of this summer’s College of Science and Health Summer Research Institute, four students worked on a project titled Where Should the Beacons Go? Using Math to Optimize Coverage. Guided by co-leads Emily Barnard and Javid Validashti, with support from graduate assistant Anjali Pasupathy, the student team of Talisa Green,Saadiya Janow, Shaima Khan Zada, and Abigail Walton explored how to position resource centers to provide the best possible coverage.
Over the course of the five-week program, the group applied calculus, mathematical modeling, and data visualization to analyze placement strategies. By testing different error functions and approaches, they discovered how different models can affect overall performance. Along the way, they gained hands-on experience in optimization and graphing while connecting abstract math concepts to real-world problems.
The Summer Research Institute also provided workshops on project planning, science communication, research ethics, and professional development, giving students skills to support both their research and future career paths. The project culminated in a final presentation and celebration on August 8.
MAT Community Tea & Coffee Hour Dates for Autumn 2025
Throughout the year, the MAT Department hosts a number of informal events meant to help build and sustain our mathematical sciences community here at DePaul. These events provide an opportunity to meet with fellow MAT students, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as MAT faculty members in a relaxed setting.
We will have five teas during the spring quarter:
- Friday, 9/19 at 1:30-2:45 pm
- Friday, 10/3 at 1:30-2:45 pm
- Friday, 10/17 at 1:15-2:45 pm
- Friday, 10/31 at 1:30-2:45 pm
- Friday, 11/14 at 1:30-2:45 pm
These community hours will take place in the MAT Department office suite (on the 5th floor of SAC, roughly SAC 546). Light refreshments, such as coffee, tea, and cookies, will be served. We hope that you can join us.
MAT Community Tea & Coffee Hour Dates for Spring 2025
Throughout the year, the MAT Department hosts a number of informal events meant to help build and sustain our mathematical sciences community here at DePaul. These events provide an opportunity to meet with fellow MAT students, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as MAT faculty members in a relaxed setting.
We will have five teas during the spring quarter:
- Friday, 4/4 at 1:30-2:45 pm
- Friday, 4/25 at 1:30-2:45 pm
- Friday, 5/9 at 1:15-2:45 pm
- Friday, 5/16 at 1:30-2:45 pm
- Friday, 5/30 at 1:30-2:45 pm
These community hours will take place in the MAT Department office suite (on the 5th floor of SAC, roughly SAC 546). Light refreshments, such as coffee, tea, and cookies, will be served. We hope that you can join us.
Solution to Mathematical Toy Box – WQ2025
Two circles are concentric. A chord c units long cuts across the larger, tangent to the smaller. What is the area of the shaded region in terms of c?
Solution: [From MT Nov 1991]
Let the radii of the smaller and larger circles be r and R respectively, so the area we seek is given by ℼR2 – ℼr2. Now, let A be the center of both circles, let point B be the point of tangency of the chord, and D be the point of intersection with the larger circle, as indicated. Now, because triangle ABD is right, we have r2 + (c/2)2 = R2, so that R2 – r2 = (c/2)2. The shaded area is then equal to ℼc2/4.
