The Kieval Lecture Series is funded through a bequest of the late Dr. Harry S. Kieval ’36, a longtime professor of mathematics at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, who died in 1994. In addition to this lecture series, his estate provides funding to Cornell University for a similar lecture in physics, as well as annual prizes awarded to outstanding seniors in both mathematics and physics.

Title: Invisible Lattice Points.

Abstract: This talk is about the invisibility of points on the integer lattice \(\mathbb{Z}\times\mathbb{Z}\), where we think of these points as (infinitely thin) trees and we are viewing them from the origin. Our main goal will be to investigate the probability that an integer lattice point is visible from the origin when the lines of sight are straight lines (and other curves!) through the origin. Along this mathematical journey, I will also discuss ongoing work bringing visibility to the mathematical contributions of Latinx and Hispanic Mathematicians.

If you need accommodations to participate in this event, please contact Heather Peterson.