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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe Sampson Lecture series was established in 1990 to honor Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Richard Sampson, both for his 38 years of teaching at Bates and his deep involvement and commitment to the Outing Club. Students and alumni raised funds to make the lectures an annual event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The talks are a yearly celebration for the Department of Mathematics, but also for the broader community. Meredith Greer, professor of mathematics, said that community members and trustees have had long engagement with the series and look forward to gathering to hear from a scholar in the field and also to see one another. In its three decades, she said, the lecture has always been about more than math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Sampson Lecture arose from an outpouring of support when Sampson retired. In addition to his enthusiasm for math, and his unique teaching style, Sampson built strong connections with students through his decades as an Outing Club advisor who regularly joined in the club’s outdoorsy events with students,\u201d said Greer. \u201cThe Sampson Lecture captures all of this, with an afternoon lecture featuring more detailed or advanced mathematics, and an evening talk that is meant to be enjoyed by all audiences.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n
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Schumacher\u2019s first talk will be the more-math-intense “Zeroing in on the Implicit Function Theorem” at 4:15 p.m. in Pettengill G65. According to her abstract, the talk \u201ctraces the path from the elegant contraction mapping principle to the rather inscrutable implicit function theorem \u2014 a path that passes through Newton\u2019s method for finding roots, linear algebra and linear approximation, and the geometry of multidimensional surfaces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her second talk, \u201cAll Tangled Up,\u201d at 7:30 p.m., also in Pettengill G65, is targeted to a broader audience, and draws on the connection between some classic toys, including a midcentury classic, the SpirographTM, which first hit the marketplace in 1965 and is still readily available, as well as the TangleTM. Schumacher will invite the audience to \u201clook at many pretty pictures and animations of these curves and discuss some of their interesting properties.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upcoming lectures<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAs always, the Fall semester includes many lectures on campus. Here are some of the upcoming talks scheduled, being given by both Bates faculty members and speakers from other organizations and institutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sept. 23, 11 a.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nBiology hosts Danielle Ward as the William Sawyer Memorial Lecturer<\/a>. Ward, a PhD candidate at the University of California Berkeley, will give a presentation titled \u201c$10,000 and a Good Idea,\u201daddressing ways that students can get involved in research in biology. Location: Pettengill Hall, Room G52<\/p>\n\n\n\nSept. 29, noon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nKroepsch Award for Excellence in Teaching<\/a>: Professor of Politics and Latin American Studies Clarisa P\u00e9rez-Armend\u00e1riz, the 2025 Kroepsch Award for Excellence in Teaching awardee, will share thoughts and reflections on her teaching at Bates. P\u00e9rez-Armend\u00e1riz\u2019s research explores how international migration affects politics in migrants\u2019 origin countries, especially in Mexico. She also studies the political participation of migrants who return to their origin countries. Location: Commons 221\/222<\/p>\n\n\n\nOct. 8, noon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Department of English welcomes Professor D. Vance Smith of Yale English for this year\u2019s Carleton Lecture, titled \u201cKantorowicz\u2019s African Bodies: Anthropology, Sovereignty, Homophobia.\u201d <\/a>Smith\u2019s most recent book, Atlas\u2019s Bones,<\/em> explores the African impact on European Culture and the European impact on Africa through colonization. Location: Commons 221\/222<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biology hosts Danielle Ward as the William Sawyer Memorial Lecturer<\/a>. Ward, a PhD candidate at the University of California Berkeley, will give a presentation titled \u201c$10,000 and a Good Idea,\u201daddressing ways that students can get involved in research in biology. Location: Pettengill Hall, Room G52<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sept. 29, noon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kroepsch Award for Excellence in Teaching<\/a>: Professor of Politics and Latin American Studies Clarisa P\u00e9rez-Armend\u00e1riz, the 2025 Kroepsch Award for Excellence in Teaching awardee, will share thoughts and reflections on her teaching at Bates. P\u00e9rez-Armend\u00e1riz\u2019s research explores how international migration affects politics in migrants\u2019 origin countries, especially in Mexico. She also studies the political participation of migrants who return to their origin countries. Location: Commons 221\/222<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oct. 8, noon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Department of English welcomes Professor D. Vance Smith of Yale English for this year\u2019s Carleton Lecture, titled \u201cKantorowicz\u2019s African Bodies: Anthropology, Sovereignty, Homophobia.\u201d <\/a>Smith\u2019s most recent book, Atlas\u2019s Bones,<\/em> explores the African impact on European Culture and the European impact on Africa through colonization. Location: Commons 221\/222<\/p>\n\n\n\n