2015 Hamilton Day

The annual event included a masterclass for early-career researchers; a public conversation on the topic of networks; a prize-giving ceremony recognising the most gifted mathematics students in the penultimate year of their undergraduate studies; and the Hamilton lecture given by Professor Daniel Spielman of Yale University. The event was kindly sponsored by Arup and the Irish Times.

The 2015 Hamilton Speaker, Daniel Spielman, is co-director of the Theoretical Computer Science Department at Yale Institute for Network Science and has been a professor of computer science, mathematics and applied mathematics at Yale University since 2006. He is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, Gödel Prize, Fulkerson Prize, Nevanlinna Prize and the Polya Prize. Professor Spielman’s main research interests include the design and analysis of algorithms, network science, machine learning, digital communications and scientific computing. For the Hamilton Lecture, Professor Spielman spoke about ‘Understanding networks through physical metaphors’.

Professor Spielman hosted a masterclass at Arup for 17 early-career researchers. The masterclass was an opportunity for researchers to talk with an expert in an informal environment and to network with other researchers participating in the masterclass. The Academy has been running the Masterclass Series since 2012.

A public conversation on the topic of networks took place. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin and covered mathematics, engineering, statistics, ICT and genetics. The panel explored how they use networks to model connections within their individual disciplines.

Speakers included:

• Daniel Spielman, Yale University
• Robert Shorten, University College Dublin
• Kevin Mitchell, Trinity College Dublin
• Padraig Kenny, Arup
• Nial Friel, University College Dublin

Public conversation on networks 

Following the Public Conversation, ten of Ireland’s top mathematics students were awarded the Hamilton Prize in recognition of their achievements.

Prize recipients with Professor Daniel Spielman