Undergraduate Math Colloquium

This venue is an opportunity for undergraduates to give talks --- either expository or about their research at REUs or similar venues. We will also have some talks by professors or graduate students aimed at undergraduates, and panels on professional development activities relevant to undergraduate students.

Mailing List:

If you wish to receive emails about the undergraduate colloquium at Brown University, you should subscribe to the mailing list by sending a blank email to: undergrad-math-colloq-subscribe-request@listserv.brown.edu

Sign Up to Give a Talk:

If you would like to give a talk this spring, please let me know (you can email me at elarson3@gmail.com)

Tips for Giving a Talk:

• Your goal is to make your talk accessible to the largest possible fraction of undergraduate math concentrators at Brown. This does not mean that you should start your talk with a long string of definitions: The number of definitions that people can absorb in a talk is fairly small (although it will be more if each definition is presented alongside motiviation and examples). Giving a talk is an opportunity to reflect on how to communicate difficult ideas in as elementary of a manner as possible. For example, you might focus on a special case.
• For research talks: Having completed a research project, you might imagine that the parts you understand best are the most understable to other students. This is not true! You probably understand the details of your proof better than you understand the motivation and context. But this is only because you came up with the proof! Your audience will be better able to appreciate the motivation and context than the details of your arguments, and so this motivation and context should be the focus of your talk. Giving a research talk is an opportunity to learn more about the motivation and context surrounding your research.
• You might find this article on mathematical storytelling helpful: The Value of Mathematical Storytelling: Our Perspective on Giving Talks

Schedule for Spring 2025:

The undergraduate math colloquium will be held on Mondays at 6 PM in Foxboro Auditorium.