Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

The 2020 Frontiers Lecture with Moon Duchin, originally scheduled for March 26, 2020, has been postponed. Please visit cos.gatech.edu for further updates.

A Frontiers in Science Lecture and the 2020 Karlovitz Lecture by Moon Duchin, Tufts University

The theory of random walks has found a fruitful application in electoral redistricting, by allowing us to sample from the partitions of a state into districts.  By comparing a plan to neutral alternatives, we can measure the extent of gerrymandering—when one party takes advantage of the authority to draw the lines.  Moon Duchin will discuss some surprisingly simple questions about graphs and geometry that can help us make advances in policy and civil rights.

About the Speaker
Moon Duchin is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Senior Fellow in the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. Her research in pure mathematics focuses on geometric group theory, low-dimensional topology, and dynamics. She is also interested in the social studies of science, particularly the role of expertise, authority, intuition, and proof. 

She founded the Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group to use geometry and computation to study gerrymandering, believing it to be a fundamental threat to democracy.  The redistricting lab uses tools from math, geography, and computing to study politics and policy.

She is a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. In 2018, she was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship.

Duchin’s Frontiers in Science Lecture is co-sponsored by the 14^th Biennial Gathering for Gardener Conference.

About the Karlovitz Lecture Series
The lecture is made possible by an endowment in memory of College of Sciences Dean Les Karlovitz, who served as dean from 1982 until 1989. Seeking to broaden intellectual discourse on campus, the series focuses on speakers whose work has led them to stretch across disciplinary boundaries. 

About the Frontiers in Science Lecture Series
Lectures in this series are intended to inform, engage, and inspire students, faculty, staff, and the public on developments, breakthroughs, and topics of general interest in the sciences and mathematics. Lecturers tailor their talks for nonexpert audiences.