BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:researchseminars.org CALSCALE:GREGORIAN X-WR-CALNAME:researchseminars.org BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Kris Tapp (Saint Joseph’s University) DTSTART:20260814T153000Z DTEND:20260814T170000Z DTSTAMP:20260824T083132Z UID:CompMath/35 DESCRIPTION:Title: Spanning Trees and Fair Voting Maps\nby Kris Tapp (Saint Joseph’s University) as part of Relatorium seminar\n\n\nAbstract\nIn the past decad e\, mathematicians have played an increasingly important role in evaluatin g the fairness of legislative district maps. We have contributed to legal challenges against gerrymandered maps and assisted commissions in drawing fair maps from the outset. Modern methods rely on MCMC algorithms that g enerate large ensembles of random maps. A central ingredient in these algo rithms is a random spanning tree of a graph. After explaining this connec tion\, I will describe some new results on spanning trees and graph partit ions that were motivated by this application. \n\nSpeaker's bio: Dr. Kris topher Tapp is a mathematics professor at Saint Joseph's University. He i s the author of 3 books and over 30 research papers ranging from Different ial Geometry to Graph Theory applied to elections. \n\n\nModerator's bio: Matt Insall is a mathematician\, father of four (two sons and two daughter s)\, and grandfather of four boys and two girls. He’s written poems and a song\, and performs occasionally at open mic events. Matt retired in Sep tember 2024 from his position in the faculty of the Missouri University of Science and Technology Department of Mathematics and Statistics after 35 years in that position.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/CompMath/35/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR