Hello all,

Our talk next week will be given by Prof. Sean Hartnoll on entropy; details are below.

Title: Entropy: From Steam Engines to Black Holes and Quantum Computers
Speaker: Prof. Sean Hartnoll
Abstract: The notion of entropy was invented in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution to describe the fact that heat engines could never be perfectly efficient. The irreversible generation of entropy was later understood to occur because everyday macroscopic objects are made up of very many small molecules whose microscopic motion is so complicated that we cannot hope to harness their energy in a useful way. This idea of “inaccessible energy” underpinned Hawking and Bekenstein’s calculation of the entropy of a black hole in the 1970’s: stuff inside a black hole is unknowable to an external observer. As things fall into a black hole it grows, and this is the growth of our ignorance and of entropy. I will describe how, over the past half century, black holes have come to be understood as highly quantum mechanical steam engines. As part of this process, the mathematics of black holes has fed into exciting developments in the seemingly unrelated field of quantum entanglement and quantum computation.
Date: Monday 13 November
Time: 7pm
Location: Winstanley Lecture Theatre – Trinity College

Refreshments will be likely provided following the talk. In addition, there have been slight changes to the Society. We are now sponsored by Jane Street, who have asked us to share the following:

This January, Jane Street is excited to host two in- house programmes, WISE and FOCUS. Details about each programme can be found below. The application deadline is Sunday, 19th November 2023. 

WISE (7th – 10th January 2024 in London) is for first-year undergraduate students who identify as women, transgender, and gender-expansive to spend two days in our London office learning more about who we are, what we do, and how we do it. You will learn about how we use maths, computer science and probability concepts in trading, as well as insight into the different roles that exist within the firm. Jane Street will provide all travel and housing accommodation. Deadline to apply is Sunday, 19th November 2023. 

FOCUS: (10th- 13th January 2024 in London) is crafted for undergraduate students, who self-identify with an underrepresented ethnic or racial minority group. No prior finance experience is required, only an interest in seeing what a career at Jane Street might look like! Over the course of two days, you will participate in classes, discussions, and activities that are structured to provide a broad overview of the work our trading, software development, and strategy and product teams do. Jane Street will provide all travel and housing accommodation. Deadline to apply is Sunday, 19th November 2023. 

Furthermore, following personal circumstances, the previous President has resigned and will be switching roles with the previous Vice President – the updated committee is reflected in the email footer and the TMS’ website.

We hope to see you on Monday!

Hello all,

Our talk next week will be by Professor Andrea J. Liu of the University of Pennsylvania on mathematical biology. Note that we will be in the CMS, with a start time of 6:45pm rather than the usual 7pm.

Title: Persistent homology for understanding protein allostery
Speaker: Andrea J. Liu
Abstract: We know from statistical physics that we need ensembles in order to extract microscopic understanding of collective phenomena. We have designed networks to have properties inspired by protein allostery and by “flow allostery” exhibited by the brain vasculature. By analyzing an ensemble of networks designed to have the similar response, we find that the response is of a topological nature and can be characterized using persistent homology. Our analysis is generalizable to real proteins and produces similar results, suggesting that the characterization of protein allostery can be reduced to the measure of the topological significance of two properties.
Date: Monday 6 November
Time: 6:45pm
Location: CMS MR2

As usual, port and orange juice will be served after the talk. We hope to see you there!

Hello all,

As part of our sponsorship arrangements, Jump Trading will be hosting a talk next week discussing quantitative research at the company. The speaker is a current quantitative researcher who formerly studied mathematics at Trinity. If you wish to attend, Jump has asked that you RSVP using either the attached QR code or the link circulated in the mailing list. Note that this event takes place on Wednesday, rather than the usual Monday.

Title: Quantitative Research at Jump Trading
Speaker: Akuan Liu
Abstract: Learn about quantitative research at Jump Trading — a leading quantitative trading firm built upon cutting-edge research and machine learning, high-performance technology, and an entrepreneurial culture — from Jump QR Akuan Liu (Cambridge ’18).
Date: Wednesday 1 November
Time: 7pm
Location: Winstanley Lecture Theatre – Trinity College

Note that this entry did not originally appear on the website on the date of notification: it has been retroactively added for continuity purposes.

Hello all,

Unfortunately, we were unable to host our regular talk yesterday due to administrative complications involving the scheduled speaker. However, we are pleased to host a student talk this Friday by the TMS’ own vice-president on Brownian motion.

Title: History and Construction of Brownian Motion
Speaker: Fredy Yip
Abstract: Originating as a physical discovery in botany, Brownian motion has been a key piece of evidence for molecular theory. In modern times, it now plays a central role in the analysis of stochastic and partial differential equations, alongside financial modelling. We shall explore its rigorous mathematical underpinnings which empowers its rich applications in analysis and beyond.
Date: Friday 27 October
Time: 7pm
Location: Winstanley Lecture Theatre – Trinity College

There will be orange juice accompanying the talk, but there will be no port served at this event at the request of the speaker.

In addition, our sponsor, Jump Trading, has asked that we circulate details of their internship and graduate opportunities. Please see the file shared on the mailing list if interested.

Following the success of our quizzes last year, the TMS will be hosting another quiz this Monday – details are below. We will be providing pizza and drinks during the quiz; to allow us to plan for numbers and cater to dietary requirements, please fill out the form circulated in the email* before 12pm on Monday.

Participants will be divided into teams of 3 to 4 people, with prizes to be won. If you don’t have a team, one can be arranged on the evening.

Also note that, subject to capacity restrictions, our regular events (including this quiz) are open to members of all colleges.

Date: October 16
Time: 7pm start
Location: Burrell’s Field Common Room

*If you would like to join the mailing list, please contact the Secretary.

Our first talk of the term will be given by Prof. Imre Leader; details are below.

For those that are unfamiliar with the Trinity Mathematical Society’s talks, we host speakers each week during term to talk about a chosen topic in mathematics, usually starting around 7pm on a Monday in the Winstanley Lecture Theatre (Note: the talk this Monday is not in the usual location and instead will be hosted in the CMS). The talks are always interesting and usually approachable by all mathematically inclined (with any prerequisites listed beforehand where applicable). Across the term, we aim to host a range of speakers working in various areas of mathematics – wherever your mathematical interests may lie, we hope to have a talk that appeals to you.

Title: Thinking in Higher Dimensions
Speaker: Prof. Imre Leader
Date: Monday 9 October
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Location: MR2 in the Centre for Mathematical Sciences

There may also be refreshments accompanying the talk. We hope to see you there!

The TMS’ Annual General Meeting took place on May 24, and the following people were elected at the time:

President: Sharvil Kesarwani*
Vice-president: Fredy Yip
Constable: Somsubhro Bagchi
Treasurer: James Bang*
Secretary: Jason Chi
Membership Secretary: Rubaiyat Khondaker

Unfortunately, following the AGM, the elected President resigned due to unforseen circumstances. Committee meetings were then held, in which the elected Treasurer became the new President, and a new person was elected as Treasurer. All other positions remain unchanged; the TMS Committee for 2023-24 will therefore be

President: James Bang
Vice-president: Fredy Yip
Constable: Somsubhro Bagchi
Treasurer: Eleanor MacGillivray
Secretary: Jason Chi
Membership Secretary: Rubaiyat Khondaker

Contact details for the current committee can be found on the about page.

Following a period of website inactivity, the new committee hopes to update the website more frequently with details of the society’s activites. We look forward to seeing everyone at our events this year.

President: Valentin Imbach
Vice-president: Sharvil Kesarwani
Constable: Misha Schmalian
Treasurer: Joel Fair
Secretary: Somsubhro Bagchi
Membership Secretary: Artur Avameri

And a message of thanks to all of the community:

In what will be the penultimate email I send as the Secretary of the Trinity Mathematical Society, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all.

Thank you for attending and enjoying so many talks and events over these years – it has been a pleasure to see the society thrive and grow – from the annual influx of freshers to familiar-faced long-term regulars. Thank you for putting up with all of my emails (with the occasional poem and barely functional puns) over these years, and for the kind replies. And thank you to all the diligent members of the TMS Committee, for making all of this possible, for inviting brilliant speakers and so, so much more.

In my three years of the TMS, I feel fortunate to have shared historic events with the community. In particular, 2018/19 saw the 100th year of the society, with celebrations culminating in the TMS Centenary Dinner and Symposium. 2019/20 was in general excellent, upholding the traditions with the annual ‘TMS Call My Bluff’, Garden Party and a fantastic range of speakers.

Finally, 2020/21 has been unique in many ways. All the committee, especially the President – Misha – have worked hard to make the most of the situation, inviting a diverse range of speakers from various universities around the world. Indeed, our final talk of this term will be delivered by Professor Leonard Susskind of Stanford University in the US.

I sincerely hope that normality will return (in some form!) next year, so that freshers may experience all that the society has to offer – from the talks in the Winstanley Lecture Theatre (with the customary accompanying port/apple juice, and even pre-talk piano playing sometimes?!), the ‘brown-bread’ ice cream at the TMS Garden Party, the annual Symposium and Dinner, and most importantly, the opportunity to meet other TMS members properly in person.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my role over the past three years – and I am glad to be handing it over to Som, who I’m sure will manage excellently – part of next year’s committee headed by the capable hands of Valentin (whose college parents are very proud of him), backed by the expertise of Misha as Constable. I hope to continue attending talks in the future, and as usual, hope to see many of you there!

It has truly been an honour to have been part of this remarkable community. Many thanks for a wonderful three years.