Florida State University will host a virtual conference exploring how recent developments in artificial intelligence are shaping the future of mathematical research and education.

“Mathematics at a Turning Point: AI, Research, and the Next Generation” kicks off Friday, Sept. 25 at 1:20 p.m. with experts in the field of mathematics and AI offering a range of perspectives on the future of mathematical research and career training amid AI’s recent high-profile impacts on the field. The online event is presented by Marion Bradley Brennan Professor of Mathematics Martin Bauer and is open to the public with required registration.

“AI has the potential to reshape every part of the mathematical research process, raising profound questions and uncertainties for mathematics and, more broadly, for science in general,” Bauer said. “This panel aims to examine what these changes may mean for the future of research, with a particular emphasis on the challenges faced by early-career mathematicians. I strongly believe that there are, unfortunately, no easy answers: responding to this transition will require our community to come together and work hard to address the most pressing questions and develop solutions that will allow the next generation of researchers to thrive in this new environment.”

The rapidly evolving capabilities of AI are now used for a variety of mathematical exercises ranging from basic problem solving to proof assistance and complex computations. This has drastically changed the way mathematical research is conducted, from brainstorming ideas to drafting to applying calculations.

Some experts are concerned that erasing the need for manual calculations at the foundational level trivializes the learning process for math students and forces them to become more dependent on AI for their research. Together, the panelists will discuss challenges faced by mathematicians and solutions brought about by the relationship between AI and mathematics to help visualize a future for what researchers can do with a resource that has the ability to test hypotheses and compute calculations in minutes. The organizers also intend for this panel to highlight responsible AI use in math research.

“Mathematicians making targeted use of AI have demonstrated stunning effectiveness at tackling research-level mathematics problems,” said FSU College of Arts and Sciences Dean Sam Huckaba, who earned his doctorate in mathematics from Purdue University in 1986 and served as both FSU math faculty and in administrative roles before becoming dean. “It’s an understatement to say that the recent advancements of this technology, which are multiplying ever more swiftly and have opened possibilities not previously thought to be easily reachable, have captured the attention of the entire discipline.”

Featured panelists: Mathematics experts with unique perspectives on AI

All of the six featured speakers are mathematics researchers, and most are actively studying AI and its capability to make meaningful contributions to mathematics. Panelists will provide unique perspectives to graduate students and early-career mathematicians on how to use the technology in positive ways and prepare for the future of the field. Bauer will moderate the panel, raising questions motivated by his own experiences as well as those of FSU graduate students and early-career mathematicians.

Panelists include:

• Ettore Aldrovandi, professor and chair of FSU’s Department of Mathematics
• Alex Kontorovich, distinguished professor and Department of Mathematics chair at Rutgers University
• Javier Gómez-Serrano, professor of mathematics at Brown University
• Tony Feng, associate professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley
• Jeremy Avigad, professor of philosophy and mathematical sciences at Carnegie Mellon University
• Rachel Ward, distinguished professor in computational engineering and sciences at the University of Texas, Austin

“The panel event provides a fantastic opportunity for mathematics experts who have been using and thinking about AI to share their knowledge and experiences,” Huckaba said. “My hope is that it will serve as a catalyst and help the participants better understand both challenges and opportunities facing the field.”

This is the second AI-related panel Bauer will host this semester, with over 700 confirmed registrations across both events. “The crisis of AI-generated mathematics,” was held online Friday, Sept. 11, with discussions focused on a critical examination of AI and its broader implications for science and education. Participants included researchers from 205 distinct higher-education institutions or campuses across 31 countries, further demonstrating the demand for these discussions across the globe.

“One challenge for current undergraduate students is learning how to use AI without letting it become a shortcut that prevents them from developing their own understanding,” Bauer said. “I always encourage my students not to dismiss AI, as it is an essential tool that they will need to learn how to use effectively. At the same time, working through problems and calculations themselves remains necessary for understanding the deeper meaning of the material.”

Visit the “Mathematics at a Turning Point” event website for more information and to register.

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For as long as he can remember, Florida State University sophomore and Presidential Scholar James “LJ” Dunphy has had a fascination with weather and a knack for data-driven science. Now, those interests have led him to be named a recipient of one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) most competitive awards.

Dunphy, a meteorology and applied mathematics major in the College of Arts and Sciences from Tampa, Florida, has been selected as a recipient of the NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship. His research strives to make machine learning-based weather forecasts more accurate and less computationally demanding.

“What we’re looking at is trying to reduce those input parameters so we can save time and compute, while actually increasing forecast accuracy,” Dunphy said. “If we can just get a little bit more accurate forecast, we can have more accurate evacuation orders and better prepare the public for scenarios like hurricanes and tornadoes.”

The Hollings Scholarship Program provides awards up to $9,500 a year in financial assistance for two years of full-time study and a 10-week, full-time paid internship at a NOAA facility during the award’s second-year summer.

“LJ has been developing next-generation algorithms for AI-based weather models. I have never encountered a sophomore with such a high level of self-motivation and research talent,” said Zhaohua Wu, professor of meteorology and Dunphy’s research mentor. “Some of his results even surpass those reported in recent papers. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him.”

Dunphy’s interest in meteorology was shaped by experiences with severe weather in Florida and beyond.

“Weather, being from Tampa, has always impacted me,” he said. “Hurricanes are kind of the first thing that come to mind and they impact us up here in Tallahassee, too. This is something I’ve always been surrounded by, and something I’ve always been interested in.”

His double major allows him to combine physical science with advanced computation, as machine learning becomes increasingly important in weather forecasting.

“[NOAA’s]  mission of protecting life and property has been a very important part of protecting my community. To be able to have the opportunity to give back is just something I’m really, really grateful for.”

– LJ Dunphy, FSU student and Hollings Scholarship recipient

“What I specifically want to go into in meteorology is the modeling part and forecasting,” Dunphy said. “My applied math major really, really helps with that, with understanding all the algorithms that go into it. So, it gives you the physical understanding from meteorology and the technical computational side from applied math.”

Dunphy applied for the Hollings Scholarship after encouragement from D. Craig Filar, associate dean of Honors, Scholars, and Fellows and director of FSU’s Presidential Scholars Program.

“When we invited LJ to be a part of the Presidential Scholars program, we knew he would do incredibly high caliber work in meteorology,” Filar said. “His recognition as a Hollings Scholar demonstrates his capacity for impactful and innovative work in the field of meteorology, and it speaks to his strong character to want to connect predictive modeling with improved notifications to protect communities. LJ will utilize this opportunity to expand his learning and experience in a manner that will serve his field well; I am incredibly proud of LJ for his recognition with the Hollings Scholarship program.”

As part of the scholarship, Dunphy will complete a 10-week NOAA paid internship next summer after his junior year and provide him with the opportunity to work at nearly any NOAA office nationwide.

“NOAA has always been a big part of my life,” Dunphy said. “Their mission of protecting life and property has been a very important part of protecting my community. To be able to have the opportunity to give back is just something I’m really, really grateful for.”

Dunphy recognized the role FSU’s academic environment and research opportunities played in helping him reach this milestone.

“All the resources that FSU has given me have been really, really immensely helpful,” he said, crediting the Presidential Scholars Program, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and mentorship from faculty in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science.

Looking forward, Dunphy urges fellow students to aim high and take chances, even if those opportunities seem out of reach.

“The only reason I got to where I am now is just because I put myself out there,” he said. “You’d be really surprised where your abilities take you, especially when you’re really passionate about something. The worst they can say is no.”

For more information about scholarships and fellowships, visit FSU’s Office of National Fellowships.

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The Florida State University Department of Mathematics will host the 11th annual Math Fun Day this week to invite community members of all ages to engage in exciting activities that show how math makes up the world around them.

Math Fun Day will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, in the Love Building, 1017 Academic Way, on FSU’s main campus. This event, which is free and open to the public, welcomes K-12 students and their families to participate in a series of hands-on games and activities illustrating the wonders of math.

“Seeing so many people excited about math in a non-school setting really makes the event fun and enjoyable for the kids who attend,” said Monica Hurdal, professor of biomathematics and associate chair for academic affairs in the Department of Mathematics.

Math Fun Day 2026 is structured as an open house featuring 10 rooms, each containing different activities that engage students in math, such as programming polygons on a computer, playing 3D tic-tac-toe and cracking secret codes. Participants will have up to four hours to make their way through the activity rooms and experience the joys of mathematics.

The day includes opportunities for students of all different levels to learn how math makes up the world we live in as well as how it’s applied in industry, technology, science and everyday tasks. These activities aim to help attendees find a new appreciation for mathematics and spark interest in the discipline.

“Sometimes, math can have a bit of a negative connotation,” Hurdal said. “If we help everybody realize that you can do cool things with math, we might inspire the next generation of mathematicians.”

This year, Math Fun Day will feature a room highlighting fractals, which are repeating patterns occurring in geometry and nature, hosted by the Math Honor Society Pi Mu Epsilon, and a room discussing prominent female mathematicians, hosted by the FSU student chapter of the Association of Women in Mathematics.

“Math is for everyone, and everyone can participate in it,” said Kaylie Green, a biomathematics doctoral student, president of the FSU chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics, and president of FSU’s Graduate Women in STEM student organization. “Volunteering with Math Fun Day for the last two years has taught me how to adapt math for different levels and continually reminds me how fun math can be. Seeing attendees smile and laugh when they get a question right or suddenly understand something is really rewarding.”

The event is supported by more than 100 volunteers made up of both students and faculty. Although most volunteers hail from the Department of Mathematics, others conduct research in a variety of academic areas, reflecting math’s interdisciplinary nature, and many student volunteers return to help multiple years in a row.

“All of our student volunteers make the event what it is,” Hurdal said. “They put in so much time to engage with the children, and their enthusiasm spreads and inspires others to get involved and enjoy math. It’s always worthwhile when we see kids who ask their parents if they can stay at Math Fun Day after the event is over.”

Visit the 2026 Math Fun Day website to learn more about the event.

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Four Florida State University faculty from the Department of Mathematics have received new funding from the National Science Foundation that will allow them to design mathematical mechanisms to improve understanding of theoretical mathematical concepts, support students’ professional and academic growth, and develop new methods and tools for use in a wide variety of applications.

The three grants, totaling more than $500,000, were awarded this fall to Associate Professor of Mathematics Thomas Needham, Professor of Mathematics Martin Bauer, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Wojciech Ożański, and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Jeremy Usatine.

“A common denominator in all three grants is innovation and advancement through the discovery of new, unexpected and cutting-edge results in their fields,” said Ettore Aldrovandi, Department of Mathematics chair. “From a broader point of view, their common goal is to maximize the impact their respective research activities have on the educational mission of the department by supporting students, seminars and more.”

Projects

Needham and Bauer received a $253,888 grant for the project, “Generalized Optimal Transport Models: Theory and Computation,” which will enhance developments in efficient algorithms and open-source software programs used in fields ranging from biomedical imaging to artificial intelligence.

The grant, for which Needham and Bauer will collaborate with University of Houston mathematics professor Nicolas Charon, focuses on optimal transport, a mathematical framework that breaks down the ideal process when moving production goods to consumers, such as estimating the correct amount of concrete needed for a construction project so workers don’t need to transport extra materials.

“Our research will provide new methods for handling complex data with additional internal structures, such as images, shapes and networks,” said Needham, the project’s principal investigator. “Suppose you have data from a collection of arterial networks from human retinas, and you wish to identify features in these networks that are early indicators of a disease. Our project develops a mathematical framework for performing statistical inferences on data like this.”

This framework will develop new tools that help solve fundamental problems in data science, engineering, and medical fields by strengthening systems’ interpretations of visual data to improve accuracy.

Ożański received a $145,000 grant for his project, “Instabilities in incompressible fluid flows,” to research how steady flows, or fluids like air and fuel, can become unstable. The project aims to advance the understanding of the intrinsic mechanisms of fluids, which are responsible for the emergence of instabilities, and will yield practical results related to operations, efficiency and accuracy in areas like transportation, energy and weather forecasting.

When a plane takes off, its wings disturb the air by creating wingtip vortices. These vortices are highly unstable and lead to turbulent behavior from the air behind the plane, a main reason for delays between planes taking off. Understanding these instabilities is a major problem of mathematical aerodynamics. An analysis of the equations determining such air flows is crucial to the advancement of aerodynamic designs, aviation technology and public safety.

“The project will investigate how instabilities develop in fluids by analyzing 3D incompressible Euler equations that govern the dynamics of inviscid fluids, or fluids that move with very little resistance,” Ożański said. “The project will allow us to research new scenarios where steady fluid flow suddenly becomes unstable due to disturbances, which can lead to unpredictable results like reduced efficiency or turbulent behavior. Improving our understanding of fluid instabilities can help improve the efficiency of various energy systems and enhance the technology used for weather predictions.”

Usatine received a $108,000 grant for “Motivic, Stringy, and Gromov-Witten Invariants,” through which he will develop new tools to better understand irregular geometric spaces and more accurately describe their mathematical structures, which are defined by equations.

Usatine’s theoretical research focuses on improving the understanding of smooth varieties, objects defined by equations that appear flat at high magnification but are actually not, such as spheres. Smooth varieties can help explain why small system changes lead to predictable changes in a system’s outcome and are present throughout different scientific fields such as physics.

His research also focuses on the properties of stringy invariants — measurements that describe the structures of irregular spaces — and Gromov-Witten invariants, measurements of complex curves within a space. Invariants don’t change even in a slightly deformed space, making them powerful tools for understanding complex geometries.

Educational Outreach

Furthering the educational mission of the department, Needham and Bauer’s work will provide opportunities for students through Python coding courses for graduate students and junior researchers and K-12 student outreach activities. The four faculty members from each grant all plan to organize activities related to their projects to exhibit at FSU Math Fun Day, an annual outreach event that engages K-12 students with hands-on activities each February.

To learn more about research conducted in the Department of Mathematics, visit math.fsu.edu.

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A Florida State University researcher will use new funding to improve the artificial intelligence and machine learning models that support 3D modeling structures used in medicine, scientific research, computer graphics and other visualization-based fields.

Associate Professor of Mathematics Martin Bauer will lead an interdisciplinary team in enhancing creation of 3D models, such as those that support medical imaging for diagnostic and monitoring purposes, enlarged cell structure models used in biology laboratories, and the computer graphics and computer-generated imagery used in film and video game production.

“We plan to analyze complex structures of data from current 3D models and improve the algorithms powering them, which will generate more accurate models in medical prosthetics, graphic design prototyping, architecture systems, manufacturing customizable parts and other areas,” Bauer said.

The joint grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the French National Research Agency includes more than $650,000 in funding, with $300,000 directly awarded by NSF to Florida State.

HOW IT WORKS
The researcher will integrate techniques from shape analysis — a field within computational geometry and image processing that uses methods to represent, compare and identify geometric shapes — with infinite-dimensional differential geometry, the study of different geometric structures and properties in spaces with unlimited dimensions.

“Through this work, we strive to develop innovative algorithms for understanding and modeling the complex deformations that occur in real-world processes of 3D objects,” Bauer said. “This will in turn allow us to develop new methods to more accurately execute 3D modeling and printing projects in all variations.”

Bauer’s research combines abstract mathematics, which focuses on general concepts and theories, and applied mathematics consisting of specific problems, equations, and real-world concepts.

APPLICATIONS AND IMPACT
Bauer’s research has applications in data science, AI, shape analysis and medical imaging. He routinely works with biomedical engineers, biologists, computer scientists and other professionals to determine how to best help them in their specific fields while incorporating traditional classroom mathematic concepts, such as how algebra operations are used to digitally manipulate modifications made to 3D models.

Creating, processing and printing 3D projects utilizes mesh-extraction, a computer graphics process that digitally assembles shapes to construct a 3D object’s surface and structure. The team’s improved algorithms will strengthen models generated by mesh-extraction that are based on scans of a real-world object.

“This work is particularly timely given recent technological advances in 3D scanning and mesh-extraction,” said Ettore Aldrovandi, Department of Mathematics chair. “It has the potential for transformative impact in augmented reality, in which digital graphics are displayed to let a user see them in the real world through a phone’s camera, and virtual reality, in which computer-generated simulations immerse audiences in different realities. This impact will also assist in establishing new mathematical frameworks for shape analysis.”

Additional uses for this work include strengthening 3D modeling in applications available for use on smartphones. While AI and ML have expanded access to such applications, these programs can create inaccurate scans due to unreliable performance in running computer and graphics tasks.

“We intend to integrate the developed methodologies from this work with algorithms from large language models, such as ChatGPT, to further enhance modern software’s text-to-3D capabilities,” Bauer said. “The innovations produced in recent years in deep learning, AI, and ML are fueled by mathematics and computer science. We still have a lot to learn about what drives these innovations, and we have to keep pushing the boundaries of possibilities for applying these novel methods in 3D modeling.”

STUDENT RESEARCH AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
Through the collaborative grant, Bauer’s graduate students will have the opportunity to travel to Houston where they will analyze data, test models and develop further connections. Graduate students working on the research at the University of Houston will also travel to FSU to observe parts of the research.

“Dr. Bauer’s grant represents significant advancements in applying topological data analysis — looking at properties of shapes and spaces that remain unchanged when moved but not broken — and shape analysis to human body modeling,” Aldrovandi said. “The research promises to develop robust geometric deep learning models capable of handling raw 3D data regardless of data collection methods, with applications spanning from body motion generation to facial expression analysis.”

Additional contributors to this research include Bauer’s longtime collaborator Nicolas Charon, mathematics professor at the University of Houston in Texas; Mohamed Daoudi, professor of computer science at IMT Nord Europe — a graduate school of engineering partnered with the University of Lille — in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France; and Sylvain Arguillère, a researcher at the University of Lille in Lille, France.

To learn more about research conducted in FSU’s Department of Mathematics, visit math.fsu.edu.

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The Florida State University Department of Mathematics welcomed K-12 students, their families and members of the Tallahassee community last week for the 10th annual Math Fun Day, an event demonstrating how math exists in exciting ways all around us, far beyond what we see in worksheets and homework.  

Math Fun Day, which is free and open to the public, invites attendees to take part in various hands-on activities and engaging demonstrations that derive from mathematical theories and practices.  

This year’s event, held Saturday, Feb. 1, in the Love Building on FSU’s main campus, was conducted in partnership with the FSU Festival of the Creative Arts, a month-long campus-wide collaborative festival highlighting varied areas of research and creativity.  

“Math Fun Day has a lot of hands-on opportunities, visuals and exciting activities to show that math is a lot of fun,” said Monica Hurdal, Math Fun Day director, biomathematics professor and associate chair for academic affairs in FSU’s mathematics department. “At the event, people are often surprised to see how each activity relates to mathematics. Encouraging students to think this way and change their perspective on math is so enjoyable.” 

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Florida State University’s College of Music and Department of Mathematics are combining art and science with two family-friendly educational events happening on Saturday, Feb. 1.

Sing with the Symphony will take place from 10:30–11:45 a.m. at the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall while FSU Math Fun Day will be from 1-5 p.m. at the Love Building at FSU.

“As we gather for these exciting events, we celebrate the power of interdisciplinary collaboration to inspire and innovate,” said Iain Quinn, professor of organ, festival director and FSU’s research fellow in the arts and humanities. “These events are a testament to the incredible talent and creativity within our community, and we are excited to share this experience with everyone.”

Sing with the Symphony

This annual performance includes a new work for audience and orchestra participation suitable for all ages. The theme this year is math, and the performance features a piece, “The Mathematician’s Patterns,” composed by student Justine de Saint Mars, based on a text by English mathematician G.H. Hardy.

The program will also include selections from the clarinet concerto by English composer Gerald Finzi, featuring faculty clarinetist Deborah Bish, as well as the local premiere of the final movement of William Dawson’s “Negro Folk Symphony.”

The University Symphony Orchestra will perform the full program Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall.

FSU Math Fun Day

FSU Math Fun Day, hosted by the Department of Mathematics, will feature hands-on math activities and demonstrations suitable for K-12 students.

“We have lots of activities to show that math is a lot of fun,” said Monica Hurdal, Math Fun Day director and a professor of biomathematics. “Math is not just worksheets, it can be a very hands-on subject with lots of visuals and fun activities. A lot of math is trying to teach problem-solving and thinking of things spatially. Math Fun Day encourages different ways of thinking, and that’s what mathematics is all about.”

These events are part of FSU’s Festival of the Creative Arts, a campuswide celebration of creativity and collaboration. Both events are open to the public, open to all ages and free of charge.

For more information, visit research.fsu.edu/fca.

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Updated 11 a.m. Jan. 24, 2025

Florida State University’s Office of Research will host the Festival of the Creative Arts, a campuswide collaborative event highlighting the different voices, talents and creativity of FSU faculty and students throughout January and February.

Departments from across campus will celebrate the innovation and creative excellence that result from combining various modes of expression and subjects.

“The festival highlights many areas of interdisciplinary research across campus with faculty and students engaged in performances, symposia and talks,” said Professor of Organ, Iain Quinn, festival director and FSU’s Research Fellow in the arts and humanities. “Research is  the core of our scholarly work, and we look forward to sharing new discoveries, multiple premieres and superb performances, all while enjoying great conversations with the larger community.”

Several events are offered for K-12 students, including the popular “Sing with the Symphony” concert, in which the audience sings a new piece with an orchestra; FSU Math Fun Day; a sing-along screening of “The Wizard of Oz;” and events at the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee.

All events are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit research.fsu.edu/fca or view the flyer.

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As the fall 2024 semester draws to a close, Florida State University celebrates the achievements of its graduates, each with a unique story that highlights their journey. From groundbreaking research to impactful community involvement, these students have worked tirelessly to reach this moment.

Amari Riley grew up in a military family and lived around the world before settling in Navarre, Florida. She is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from FSU’s College of Business. Riley chose FSU for its commitment to student success and school spirit, particularly enjoying game days and the university’s resources.

During her time at FSU, Riley served on the executive board of FSU’s National Council of Negro Women and mentored first-year students as an Engage 100 leader. She said being accepted into the prestigious James M. Seneff Honors program in the College of Business stands out as a highlight.

“Through this program, I have had the chance to build upon my skills and meet amazing people,” she said. “Being a Seneff Scholar has also pushed me outside of my comfort zone, ultimately helping me work toward becoming the business leader I aspire to be.”

As she prepared to graduate, she reflected on the significance of this milestone in her academic journey.

“Walking across the stage at commencement will be the culmination of all my collegiate accomplishments and serve as the perfect close to an incredible journey,” Riley said. “FSU has given me beautiful memories and impactful opportunities that have helped me achieve all my goals. Now, as I’m about to graduate a semester early, I feel that everything has fallen into place.”

Riley is pursuing a career in the field of data and technology and has been hired as a technology consultant with Ernst & Young Global Limited.

Anie Delva of Miami is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida State University’s College of Nursing. As a first-generation college student and Haitian American, she chose FSU because of the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) program, which provided her the opportunity to pursue higher education on a full scholarship.

“Being the first in my family to attend college — and doing so on a full-ride scholarship — has been a tremendous honor,” she said. “I am proud to be graduating from FSU with my bachelor’s in nursing, a milestone that reflects both my hard work and the unwavering support of my family and community.”

Delva, who secured her first nursing job at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in the Cardiac Progressive Care Unit, shares the achievement with her family.

“It represents the sacrifices we’ve made and the barriers we’ve overcome,” she said.

Looking ahead, Delva’s goal is to become a skilled and compassionate nurse, and she aims to inspire future generations of nurses by emphasizing the importance of representation and holistic patient care.

“In the future, I hope to work in a setting where I can make a tangible difference in patients’ lives, especially in critical care,” she said. “Whether in a cardiac unit, emergency room, or other specialized areas, I want to be a nurse who listens to her patients and addresses their concerns holistically.”

Anthony Archer from Richmond, Virginia, is receiving his doctorate in higher education from the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. He came to FSU to pursue his master’s degree in 2001, graduated in 2004 and has worked for the university in various capacities since.

Archer recognizes FSU’s employee tuition scholarship, which provides six hours of coursework per semester at no cost, as one of the greatest benefits of working at the university.

“This particular scholarship has been so transformational for so many, and I am proud to work at an institution that values, encourages and supports its employees’ educational development and success,” Archer said.

His proudest accomplishments at FSU are the relationships he has built.

“My former professors are now my co-authors, and my former classmates are now my colleagues,” he said. “The way FSU infuses collaboration into its curriculum has deepened my appreciation for the importance of community in academia.”

He will miss the frequent “aha” moments that come with doctoral coursework and the growth they represent.

Archer has dedicated his career to the service of public higher education institutions and plans to continue working full-time at FSU. His hope is that his doctorate will allow him to help the university address the myriad of challenges public institutions face.

Wonmin Song of Busan, South Korea, is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Applied and Computational Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences. She chose FSU for its strong math and physics programs and opportunities for research and involvement.

“I’ve always been passionate about problem-solving and data science, and FSU’s supportive environment has helped me explore those interests in ways I couldn’t have imagined,” she said.

Song’s proudest accomplishments as an undergraduate have been serving as the president of the Society of Undergraduate Mathematics Students, mentoring students as a Learning Assistant and participating in math and nuclear physics research projects. She also worked with the Visually Impaired and Blind Students Framework Development Team, helping to develop guidelines for supporting visually impaired students in math courses.

Song will miss collaborating with peers in challenging classes, getting advice from professors and attending the student organization events that have made her feel like she belonged at FSU.

“This ceremony isn’t just about finishing college but also about honoring the incredible journey FSU has given me and looking forward to the next steps in my career and life,” she said.

After graduation, Song will work as a data analyst. She wants to work on projects that use data to solve real-world problems, from optimizing business strategies to tackling challenges in health and environmental sustainability.

Maria Cristina Gullesserian is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Growing up in San José, Costa Rica, she was influenced by a culture that celebrates close-knit community connections, an experience for which she remains grateful.

The welcoming environment was important in her decision to attend FSU.

“Moving to a different country with a different set of customs and culture was an enriching experience with many new opportunities; however, I still missed the close-knit environment I had grown up with back home,” she said. “Not only was I instantly enamored by the beautiful nature around campus, but witnessing the welcoming environment fostered by FSU became a deciding factor in the decision to pursue my undergraduate career at this university.

She worked as a lab manager for the Motivated Social Cognition Lab and as the undergraduate coordinator for an NSF-funded virtual reality study in the FSU March Research Laboratory. She also valued her time as a member of RENEW (Realizing Everyone’s Need for Emotional Wellness), an organization that collaborates with FSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Through RENEW, she had the opportunity to present topics on wellness and mental health to various campus organizations.

Gullesserian hopes to earn a doctorate in social psychology, secure a position at a research-oriented institution and eventually lead her own research lab. Specifically, she is interested in researching the effects of attitudes and behaviors during intergroup interactions.

“Being the first person in my family to earn my bachelor’s degree is a testament to their years of support, guidance and encouragement,” she said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be in the fortunate position I am in today, graduating from a well-renowned institution and applying to doctoral programs.”

First-generation student Roodens Benjamin is graduating from Florida State University’s College of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Originally from Deerfield Beach, Florida, Benjamin chose FSU for its challenging academic environment and the strong support system provided by its dedicated professors.

Benjamin said FSU helped him grow as a person and become more resilient, compassionate and confident.

“Throughout my journey of becoming a nurse, I always wanted a school that would challenge me academically and provide a strong support system of professors who truly care for their students’ success,” he said. “Attending Florida State University has allowed me to have a variety of opportunities for me to excel in my career. The camaraderie of my professors and colleagues is truly amazing and I am blessed to have the chance to be in a profession where I can make a change every day.”

Walking in the commencement ceremony is especially meaningful for Benjamin as a first-generation graduate.

“Being a first-generation graduate is a powerful symbol of accomplishment, growth and transition,” he said. “Walking in this ceremony represents the culmination of years of hard work, sacrifice and personal development.”

Benjamin plans to become a certified nurse anesthetist and would like to eventually own a clinic. His primary goal is to provide exceptional patient-centered care to ensure every patient feels supported, informed and safe.

“My path was challenging, filled with both triumphs and setbacks, but it ultimately shaped me into a more resilient, compassionate and confident individual,” he said.

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It’s a common sight — ants marching in an orderly line over and around obstacles from their nest to a food source, guided by scent trails left by scouts marking the find. But what happens when those scouts find a comestible motherlode?

A team of Florida State University researchers led by Assistant Professor of Mathematics Bhargav Karamched has discovered that in a foraging ant’s search for food, it will leave pheromone trails connecting its colony to multiple food sources when they’re available, successfully creating the first model that explains the phenomenon of trail formation to multiple food sources.

Karamched, who also serves as faculty in FSU’s Institute of Molecular Biophysics, and music arts administration graduate student Sean Hartman, published “Walk This Way: Modeling Foraging Ant Dynamics in Multiple Food Source Environments” in the Journal of Mathematical Biology in September.

“The power of mathematics is that we can devise models that reproduce experimentally observed data and make concrete predictions about what will happen next,” Karamched said. “In this case, we uncovered something that hasn’t been described well by other models: if an ant has access to multiple food sources from its nest, it will initially make multiple trails to each of the sources.”

Karamched uses modeling, mathematical analysis and computer simulations to understand and solve problems in neuroscience and cell biology. Hartman, who earned dual bachelor’s degrees from FSU’s Department of Mathematics and College of Music in May 2023 and expects to complete his graduate studies this spring, approached Karamched about assisting with a Directed Individual Study (DIS). DIS allows students in FSU’s Honors Program to work one-on-one with faculty mentors in an open-ended, hands-on research experience and would allow Hartman to be more involved with mathematical modeling.

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Two Florida State University researchers have earned more than $9 million in separate grants from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop foundation models for artificial intelligence that benefit science.

Feng Bao, the Timothy Gannon Endowed Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, and Zecheng Zhang, assistant professor of mathematics, will use their grants over the next three years to develop privacy-preserving and energy-efficient AI models that tackle a range of public-facing climate issues and contribute to the preservation of collected green energy such as wind, wave and solar power. FSU is the only institution to be awarded multiple grants for this initiative and earned two of 11 grants awarded.

“We’re looking to solve real problems that scientists and the general public are facing,” Bao said. “By creating foundation models, which are machine learning or deep learning models that can be used across a wide range of applications because they’re trained on broad data, we’re building a key component of AI and can assist scientists in a number of ways.”

Over the next three years Bao and Zhang will work with their respective teams alongside environmental scientists, climate scientists, computer scientists and other researchers to develop models that can be scaled for use in supercomputers — which can further optimize the models — at U.S. national laboratories including Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“While one model may not address every issue we’re trying to fix, we can create various foundation models that, when given a new problem and some retraining, can quickly adapt to solve new problems,” Zhang said. “A big part of math’s role in AI is determining how much data a model needs in order to solve a problem.”

Existing AI systems have tools to predict weather events, map deforestation, track icebergs and their melt rates, identify pollution and more. Bao’s $5.4 million project, titled “DyGenAI: Dynamic Generative Artificial Intelligence for Prediction and Control of High-Dimensional Nonlinear Complex Systems,” will be programmed with massive amounts of observational data and scientific principles to develop models that improve the accuracy of weather event predictions such as hurricane forecasts.

“Progress in AI is inspiring us to imagine faster and more-efficient ways to do science. These research efforts will make scientific AI both more trustworthy and more energy efficient, unlocking its potential to accelerate scientific discovery.”

— Ceren Susut, DOE Associate Director of Science Advanced Scientific Computing Research

Because dynamic models adapt to solve new problems as the models take in new data, they can be programmed to provide predictions for exact geographic locations in a certain set of atmospheric conditions. These models will also be generative, meaning they can estimate unobservable conditions, such as those predicted in impending weather events, based on known data.

“Dynamic generative models allow for fast data processing and the ability to quickly make a decision based on this new data,” Bao said. “For example, if a model predicts a natural disaster like a hurricane based on real-time, local data, both emergency responders and citizens can have more time to prepare. Another model will also be used to inform preparations about securing and storing renewable energy, which is necessary because renewable energy sources are not always available due to weather conditions.”

Zhang’s $4 million project “FedNeMO: Physics-Informed and Energy-Aware Federated Learning of Neural Multi-Operator Learners as Scientific Foundation Models” will process observational data, physical principles and energy principles to develop models that assist researchers working with the Earth’s surface. While Bao’s model will be used by meteorologists to prepare for changing weather, Zhang’s model will be used to predict earthquakes and better investigate the Earth’s structure, including identifying minerals underground.

“By taking in data from sensors all over the world, which measure the Earth’s activity, a model can predict even a potential earthquake,” Zhang said. “I’m also planning to collaborate with scientists from our Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science as well as the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in developing these models.”

Funding for this DOE initiative is directed by the White House’s executive order for the Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, which supports work to develop foundation models for science and privacy-preserving AI technologies.

“Progress in AI is inspiring us to imagine faster and more-efficient ways to do science,” said Ceren Susut, DOE Associate Director of Science for Advanced Scientific Computing Research. “These research efforts will make scientific AI both more trustworthy and more energy efficient, unlocking its potential to accelerate scientific discovery.”

To learn more about research in the Department of Mathematics, visit math.fsu.edu.

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New research from a Florida State University professor and colleagues explains the mathematics behind how initial predispositions and additional information affect decision making.

The research team’s findings show that when decision makers quickly come to a conclusion, the decision is more influenced by their initial bias, or a tendency to err on the side of one of the choices presented. If decision makers wait to gather more information, the slower decision will be less biased. The work was published today in Physical Review E.

“The basic result might seem sort of intuitive, but the mathematics we had to employ to prove this was really non-trivial,” said co-author Bhargav Karamched, an assistant professor in the FSU Department of Mathematics and the Institute of Molecular Biophysics. “We saw that for the first decider in a group, the trajectory of their belief is almost a straight line. The last decider hovers around, going back and forth for a while before making a decision. Even though the underlying equation for each agent’s belief is the same except for their initial bias, the statistics and behavior of each individual is very different.”

The researchers built a mathematical model that represented a group of agents required to decide between two conclusions, one which was correct and one which was incorrect. The model assumed each actor within a group was acting rationally, that is, deciding based off their initial bias and the information they are presented, rather than being swayed by the decisions of individuals around them.

Even with evidence and assuming perfect rationality, bias toward a particular decision caused the earliest deciders in the model to make the wrong conclusion 50% of the time. The more information actors gathered, the more likely they were to behave as if they weren’t biased and to arrive at a correct conclusion.

Of course, in the real world, people are swayed by all sorts of inputs, such as their emotions, the decisions their friends made and other variables. This research offers a metric showing how individuals within a group should make decisions if they are acting rationally. Future research could compare real-world data against this metric to see where people are diverting from optimally rational choices and consider what might have caused their divergence.

The researchers’ model is known as a drift diffusion model, so called because it combines two concepts: individual actor’s tendency to “drift,” or move toward an outcome based on evidence, and the random “diffusion,” or variability of the information presented.

The work could be used, for example, to understand when people are being unduly swayed by early decisions or falling victim to groupthink. It even helps describe other complex scenarios with many individual actors, such as the immune system or the behavior of neurons.

“There is still a lot of work to do to understand decision making in more complicated situations, such as cases where more than two alternatives are presented as choices, but this is a good starting point,” Karamched said.

This research was a multi-institution collaboration involving doctoral candidate Samantha Linn and Associate Professor Sean D. Lawley of the University of Utah, Associate Professor Zachary P. Kilpatrick of the University of Colorado, and Professor Krešimir Josic of the University of Houston.

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

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