Mountain-climbing and mathematics may not seem to have much in common, but New Mexico State University graduate student Aaron Stewart made the connection thanks to his mentor NMSU mathematical sciences professor Prasit Bhattacharya.
“Dr. Bhattacharya has compared mathematics with my favorite pursuit outside of school, alpinism, also known as mountain climbing,” Stewart said. “It's an apt analogy in a lot of ways. To climb a route no one has climbed before involves more failure than success, more struggle than ease and more restless nights than easy years. When you hear about the achievement, however, you only hear about the story of success. I think being effective at mathematics requires understanding that.”
Bhattacharya received two National Science Foundation grants of more than $350,000 combined to help prepare students like Stewart for careers in mathematics.
Their research is focused on topology.
“Topology is an abstract notion of shapes,” Bhattacharya said. “In ordinary geometry, shapes do not have a lot of flexibility but in topology, they can. We can take a shape and pull it, squish it, and really study it in unique ways.”
One of the NSF grants for $319,020 is funding research in topology, leading to advances in equivariant homotopy theory and new applications in equivariant geometry, subfields of topology research exhibiting symmetry in geometry. Bhattacharya’s second grant funded the South-Central Topology Conference at NMSU for the first time. The SCTC brings together researchers in the field of topology from the South-Central region.
The second grant, totaling $33,874, was a joint effort by Bhattacharya and Co-PIs Irina Bobkova, Christine Ruey Shan Lee and Hiro Lee Tanaka.
Stewart was among the almost 100 mathematicians who attended the event, the largest number to date.
“The networking aspect was key,” Stewart said. “Having lunch with other mathematicians and picking their brains about jobs and how to do research was a great opportunity. On the mathematics front, it was nice to see what ideas stuck with me. It gave me some ideas for future directions to explore.”
“The conference was a big success,” Bhattacharya said. “It was great to see so many young people involved and to see graduate students and young faculty being supported. We had six speakers, five of whom were women, and I think it’s important for these young researchers to experience that diversity.”
Bhattacharya’s research in topology is funded jointly through the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). NSF EPSCoR works through a state committee in each of its eligible jurisdictions to support science and technology research and development at colleges and universities. New Mexico is among 28 states and U.S. territories eligible for this funding.
“In a very real sense, Dr. Bhattacharya has been my point of entry into the world of topology,” Stewart said. “He also organizes the “Topology Seminar,” which has led to exciting opportunities to network and hear cutting-edge research in the same subject.”
In addition to topology research, the grant supports post-doctoral researchers and graduate students like Stewart with their own work. Bhattacharya also works closely with graduate student Mason Adams and Yang Hu, an NMSU post-doctoral researcher.
Bhattacharya plans to continue organizing activities for students to encourage participation and foster a sense of belonging in the program. He would like to expand the number of student opportunities and continue to host conferences, organize a summer program and fund travel opportunities for postdocs and graduate students like Stewart and Adams.
“I think one of the curious things about mathematics is that, since we only really ever see the finished product, we often forget that part of the beauty of mathematics is being wrong and struggling,” Stewart said.
Following the mountain climbing analogy, Bhattacharya is using his NSF grant funds to provide the research tools and professional contacts that will guide his students in developing the skills and perseverance to master that difficult climb and achieve a successful career.
“I want to be around, and I want to take part,” Bhattacharya said. “I want to see in what ways I can contribute and work with undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs. Working with students and fellow researchers keeps me active and I pay more attention to all aspects of mathematics. I hope to influence my students, but I also hope to be influenced by them.”
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CUTLINE 1: From left: Graduate student Aaron Stewart, professor Prasit Bhattacharya, postdoctoral researcher Yang Hu and graduate student Mason Adams discussing topology in Bhattacharya’s office. Bhattacharya has worked closely with Hu and the graduate students this year as he strives to create more research and travel opportunities within the mathematical sciences department at NMSU. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)
CUTLINE: New Mexico State University mathematical sciences professor Prasit Bhattacharya received two National Science Foundation grants of more than $350,000 combined to help prepare students for careers in mathematics. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)