Rice University’s Department of Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research (CMOR) welcomed researchers from Rice and institutions across the country for the fourth annual Research Training Group (RTG) Workshop in Numerical Mathematics and Scientific Computing (NASC), held Oct. 2–3.
Supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the two-day workshop brought together undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty to share research and explore emerging developments in numerical mathematics, scientific computing and related fields.
This year’s program featured 21 research talks, 10 poster presentations and lightning talks. Topics included novel optimization algorithms, neural network-informed numerical methods for solving differential equations, fast high-order solvers and discontinuous Galerkin methods for wave equations. Participants represented institutions across the country, including New York University, Virginia Tech, the University of Maryland, the University of Colorado Boulder and Oregon State University.
“The NASC annual workshop is the event our RTG community looks forward to every year. Students, postdocs and faculty present their latest research results and have networking opportunities,” said Beatrice Riviere, Noah Harding Chair and professor of computational applied mathematics and operations research and principal investigator of the RTG.
For students and postdoctoral researchers, the workshop also provided opportunities to strengthen their research communication skills, receive feedback and connect with colleagues working on related computational and mathematical challenges.
“Presenting at this workshop was a great opportunity to refine how I communicate my research and get useful feedback from people outside my immediate area. The atmosphere was welcoming and supportive, which made it easy to discuss ideas and engage with the interesting work being done in scientific computing and adjacent fields,” said Kyle Alkire, a Rice Ph.D. student who presented his research in scientific machine learning.
Riviere leads the RTG alongside co-principal investigators Thomas Anderson and Lu Zhang, assistant professors of computational applied mathematics and operations research, and Matthias Heinkenschloss, Noah Harding Chair and professor of computational applied mathematics and operations research.
“This workshop is one of the annual highlights of our Research Training Group, where Rice students and postdocs affiliated with the Research Training Group and students from outside Rice can showcase and discuss their work and expand their scientific network,” says Heinkenschloss.