The Research Playground is designed to create low pressure opportunities for students to explore relevant research in analysis and PDE’s early in their careers. Each year, two affiliated faculty run a working group around an attainable problem with the first and second year graduate students who are possibly interested in doing research in PDEs. On a weekly basis, the faculty meet with the students and suggest readings and calculations whose completion will contribute to the project. The focus is on experimentation and exploration. Regular meetings with interested participants may continue beyond the designated semester in order to see the project to completion. However, at the beginning of each year, a new playground commences to allow those who did not have interest in the previous topic or were unable to contribute to engage again.
Casey Rodriguez and Yaiza Canzani are leading the 2024-2025 Research Playground for UNC graduate students interested in this research-based learning experience. The topic is in the mathematical theory of thin elastic shells and surface elasticity, a theory that integrates the differential geometry of curves and surfaces, analysis, and classical physics. If you are interested, please contact the organizers, and we look forward to seeing you!
Previous Research Playground:
- 2023-2024: Geometric control and observability for evolution equations (led by Hans Christianson and Jian Wang).
- 2022-2023: Stability theory for nonlinear equilibrium states, with an emphasis on equations from continuum mechanics (led by Jeremy Marzuola and Casey Rodriguez).