Room 6 Schedule
Ford 102
Wednesday, April 15th, 2026
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You’ve heard of cannibalism, but have you heard of Catabolism? In this talk, we explore a mathematical process called Catabolism that acts on patterned arrangements of numbers called Standard Young Tableaux. By running computer experiments and drawing tree-like diagrams of these processes, we uncovered patterns that hinted at deeper mathematical truths. Using these clues, we were able to prove several theorems on the nature of Catabolism. True to its rhyme-sake, the process has a habit of “gobbling up” rows of standard Young tableaux. Join us for a glimpse of how mathematicians use experimentation, visualization, and proof to reveal new knowledge.
Faculty Sponsor: Kathryn Nyman & Erin McNicholas
Discipline: Mathematics -
Our research is on the mathematical object called Dyck paths. The Cyclic Sieving Phenomenon applies to properties that are connected to symmetric Dyck paths. We focus on finding the Cyclic Sieving phenomenon in Dyck paths under a transformation called the Reverse Map. We use the FindStat database to find potential instances of cyclic sieving, and formally prove several of these conjectures using a variety of proof techniques.
Faculty Sponsor: Kathryn Nyman & Erin McNicholas
Discipline: Mathematics -
This project studies patterns that appear when certain tree-like structures, called binary trees, are repeatedly rearranged using “rotations.” By combining computer programs with mathematical proofs, I explored when these rotations produce the same result as reflecting the tree like a mirror. The results reveal new patterns in how these structures behave and strengthen their connection to the well-known Catalan numbers, which appear in many counting problems. These findings may also relate to geometric ideas like triangulations and have potential applications in computer science.
Faculty Sponsor: Kathryn Nyman & Erin McNicholas
Discipline: Mathematics -
Alternating sign matrices (ASMs) are a unique type of matrix, found in fields such as statistical mechanics and combinatorics. In this presentation we study a map between ASMs called gyration, and look at the different representations of ASMs used to calculate this mapping. Using Python, we look for properties of ASMs, and patterns that appear as ASMs are transformed under gyration. These matrices have connections to other important mathematical objects, such as partially ordered sets.
Faculty Sponsor: Kathryn Nyman & Erin McNicholas
Discipline: Mathematics -
Graph coloring is one of the most well known problems in graph theory. Many variations on the standard coloring rules have caught the eyes of mathematicians over the years. One of these variations is equitable coloring, in which each color is used as close to the same number of times as possible. I further constrained equitable coloring with an additional rule, which I call pretty coloring.
In this project, I prettily color a family of graphs called Goldberg graphs. I proved that all type I Goldberg graphs can be prettily colored, and conjecture that this is true of all Goldberg graphs.
Faculty Sponsor: Josh Laison & Peter Otto
Discipline: Mathematics -
The Steele Polynomial is a graph polynomial that arises in the study of minimal spanning trees and gives insights about the connectedness of the graph. In this talk, we present our research on the behavior of the limits of zeroes in the complex plane of the Steele polynomial for various infinite sequences of graphs. Our results use a recent generalization of the Beraha-Kahane-Weiss theorem that extends to the case of repeated roots of the characteristic polynomial of the recursion relationship satisfied by the Steele Polynomials.
Faculty Sponsor: Peter Otto
Discipline: Mathematics -
The weighted spanning tree enumerator (WSTE) is the sum of weights of all spanning trees of a graph. A recent result expressed the WSTE of multi-partite graphs in terms of the WSTE of its partition graph, which greatly simplifies the computation of the WSTE of the original graph. The proof to this result is algebraic, using the Weighted Matrix Tree Theorem. In this talk, we will present the new result and the work we have done in deriving a graph theoretic justification for the result.
Faculty Sponsor: Peter Otto
Discipline: Mathematics -
This presentation discusses Willamette’s early history, researched from the writings of the missionaries during their Willamette and governmental involvement. This will result in a proposal to create a proper dedication and acknowledgement of the Indian Manual Labor Training School, which will take the form of a sign outside of Walton Hall, and will shine a light on the history that exists right under our feet. I will also discuss the de-naming of a campus location in relation to early Willamette history, with a list highlighting some incredible people in Willamette’s history that would be worthy of a named spot.
Faculty Sponsor: Ellen Eisenberg
Discipline: History -
The 1990s was a period of significant social change involving LGBTQ rights, and here at Willamette University things were no different. Despite increasing hostilities against queerness on a national political level with the 1992 Oregon Ballot Measure 9 and the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, here at Willamette University, the queer community was supported more strongly than ever before, with the organization of the Women’s Center and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance. This presentation will examine and share the roots of the queer expression and community here at Willamette University during the 1990s.
Faculty Sponsor: Ellen Eisenberg
Discipline: History -
Harry Lane was an early 20th century progressive physician and politician who fought against corrupt monied interests, supported women’s rights, and contributed to the advancement of indigenous sovereignty. In the context of considering WU’s history and impact, I wanted to delve into the life and career of Harry Lane, himself a WU alumnus, and assess the extent to which he emulates Willamette University’s values and goals, and in doing so to examine him as an intriguing figure in WU alumni history.
Faculty Sponsor: Ellen Eisenberg
Discipline: History -
This project serves to preserve the memory and legacy of the events of the morning of September 11th, 2001 as experienced by both faculty and students from a wide variety of backgrounds at Willamette University, while it remains within common living memory. Through a series of both in-person and online interviews, supplemented by articles from The Collegian and photos from the Wallulah, this project constructs a minute-by-minute timeline including oral histories of the events on campus starting from the immediate aftermath of the attacks in Manhattan and Washington D.C. and going through the following week.
Faculty Sponsor: Ellen Eisenberg
Discipline: History