The Rowan Chess Club plays casual timed and untimed over the board games of chess. Don't know how to play and want to learn? No problem - we'll teach you! Learning how to play is fairly easy. Getting really good at it is the hard part!

Date: Every Monday

Time: 5:00 p.m.

Location: Robinson Hall, room 328U

Questions? Please contact Ira Fine at fine@rowan.edu - office located in James Hall, room 1125

Faculty & Students,

You are cordially invited to the next Mathematics Colloquium talk on October 29, 2025. The speaker is Dr. Pham Duy Khanh, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Vietnam.

Title: "Coderivative-Based Newton Methods and Applications".

Abstract: This talk presents new Newton-type methods to solve structured nonconvex and nonsmooth optimization problems with justifying their fast local and global convergence by means of advanced tools of variational analysis and generalized differentiation. The objective functions belong to a broad class of prox-regular functions with specification to constrained optimization of nonconvex structured sums. We also develop a novel line search method, which is an extension of the proximal gradient algorithm while allowing us to globalize the proposed coderivative-based Newton methods by incorporating the machinery of forward-backward envelopes. Applications and numerical experiments, which are provided for nonconvex least squares regression models, Student’s t-regression, and image restoration problems, demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithms.

About the speaker: Dr. Pham Duy Khanh earned his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the Institute of Mathematics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, in 2015, and later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM), University of Chile. He is now an Associate Professor at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Vietnam. His research focuses on variational analysis, optimization theory, and their applications to machine learning, with publications in top journals such as Mathematical Programming, SIAM Journal on Optimization, Mathematics of Operations Research. Since 2023, he has served as an Associate Editor of Optimization, a long-standing and prestigious journal in optimization and operations research. Dr. Khanh has advised over 20 undergraduate students, many of whom have gone on to Ph.D. programs at prestigious universities in the U.S., Europe, Australia, etc. and he has been co-advising four Ph.D. students in the U.S.

Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Time: 3:30 p.m.

Location: James Hall, room 2101 (or Zoom)

Questions? Please contact Dr. Thanh Nguyen at nguyent@rowan.edu

Save the date for the Mathematics Department's Student Research Workshop. This is a great opportunity for students to learn about current research from faculty as well as the benefits of becoming a research assistant. See flyer for details.

Date: October 22, 2025

Time: 3:30 p.m.

Location: James Hall, room 2101

Questions? Please contact Gina Magliocco at maglioccog@rowan.edu

Please join us for a guest speaker talk by Dr. Walter Kappeler, Superintendent and Principal of Creativity CoLaboratory Charter School. Dr. Kappeler will be speaking about teaching middle school-level math, life as a middle school teacher, and more. The talk will be held on Thursday, October 16 at 6:30pm in Robinson Hall, room 207 (or via Zoom - link is the QR code on the attached flyer).

Date: October 16, 2025

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Robinson Hall, room 207 (or via Zoom - link is the QR code on the attached flyer)

Questions? Please contact Christine Barden at bardenc@rowan.edu

Please join us for the third session of Dr. Freeman's Number Theory Seminar, this Friday October 10th at 11am in Robinson Hall, room 201B. The topic discussed will be "More on Proof Techniques and Examples - Part 2". See attached flyer for details.

Date: October 10, 2025

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Location: Robinson Hall, room 201B

Questions? Please contact Dr. Freeman at freeman@rowan.edu

Below is the tentative schedule for the series (we will see how far we get each week)

• 09.26.2025: Basic Logic and Proof Techniques
• 10.03.2025: More on Proof Techniques and Examples - Part 1
• 10.10.2025: More on Proof Techniques and Examples - Part 2
• 10.17.2025: Introduction to Number Theory
• 10.24.2025: Divisibility and Primes - Part 1
• 10.31.2025: Divisibility and Primes - Part 2
• 11.07.2025: Divisibility and Primes - Part 3
• 11.14.2025: Congruences - Part 1
• 11.21.2025: Congruences - Part 2

Please join us for the first practice session for the Putnam Mathematics Competition. These practices are student-led. Students will work together to review their mathematical knowledge and practice solving previous Putnam problems in order to prepare for the real competition (date coming soon).

Date: October 10, 2025

Time: 3:30 p.m.

Location: Robinson Hall, room 230-A2

Questions? Please contact Hieu Nguyen at nguyen@rowan.edu

Save the date for Math Team's meeting next Wednesday, October 8^th. The meeting's theme is Halloween! The fun will be held in James Hall, room 2102 at 6pm. See flyer for details.

Date: October 08, 2025

Time: 6:15 p.m.

Location: Chamberlain Student Center, room 144

Questions? Please contact Gina Magliocco at maglioccog@rowan.edu

Starting Friday, September 26th and each Friday for the entire semester, from 11:00-12:15, we will begin a series of lectures on how to prove statements in mathematics and building towards a foundation of how to attack proofs in number theory. The goal of the lecture series is to generate greater interest in mathematics at Rowan University that could potentially lead to undergraduate research. This lecture series is for anyone interested in learning proof structure in mathematics and exploring some of the concepts in number theory. We will meet in Robinson 201B

The topic of number theory was chosen because not much background information is necessary for one to grasp, understand, and prove ideas in the subject. ALL are welcome to join us and participate.

Below is the tentative schedule for the series (we will see how far we get each week)

• 09.26.2025: Basic Logic and Proof Techniques
• 10.03.2025: More on Proof Techniques and Examples - Part 1
• 10.10.2025: More on Proof Techniques and Examples - Part 2
• 10.17.2025: Introduction to Number Theory
• 10.24.2025: Divisibility and Primes - Part 1
• 10.31.2025: Divisibility and Primes - Part 2
• 11.07.2025: Divisibility and Primes - Part 3
• 11.14.2025: Congruences - Part 1
• 11.21.2025: Congruences - Part 2

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WISH TO SPEAK WITH ME, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME THROUGH MY EMAIL: freeman@rowan.edu

All Freshmen & Transfer students in Mathematics and Data Science are invited to attend our annual Mathematics Fall Meet & Greet! Those who attend can expect pizza, refreshments, math games/puzzles, club info, and chances to meet full-time faculty, and members of the Math Team and Assocation for Women in Mathematics (AWM).

Date: October 1, 2025

Time: 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Location: Robinson Circle

Questions? Please contact Gina Magliocco at maglioccog@rowan.edu

Starting Friday, September 26th and each Friday for the entire semester, from 11:00-12:15, we will begin a series of lectures on how to prove statements in mathematics and building towards a foundation of how to attack proofs in number theory. The goal of the lecture series is to generate greater interest in mathematics at Rowan University that could potentially lead to undergraduate research. This lecture series is for anyone interested in learning proof structure in mathematics and exploring some of the concepts in number theory. We will meet in Robinson 201B

The topic of number theory was chosen because not much background information is necessary for one to grasp, understand, and prove ideas in the subject. ALL are welcome to join us and participate.

Below is the tentative schedule for the series (we will see how far we get each week)

• 09.26.2025: Basic Logic and Proof Techniques
• 10.03.2025: More on Proof Techniques and Examples - Part 1
• 10.10.2025: More on Proof Techniques and Examples - Part 2
• 10.17.2025: Introduction to Number Theory
• 10.24.2025: Divisibility and Primes - Part 1
• 10.31.2025: Divisibility and Primes - Part 2
• 11.07.2025: Divisibility and Primes - Part 3
• 11.14.2025: Congruences - Part 1
• 11.21.2025: Congruences - Part 2

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WISH TO SPEAK WITH ME, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME THROUGH MY EMAIL: freeman@rowan.edu

You are cordially invited to the next Mathematics Colloquium talk given on Wednesday 09/24. Details of the talk are given below.

Date: September 24, 2025

Time: 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Location: James Hall, room 2101 (for remote attendees: Zoom link)

Speaker: Yong Chen, Ph.D., Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University.

Title: A Statistical Framework for Differential Expression Analysis in scRNA-seq via the Difference of Two Negative Binomial Distributions.

Abstract: High-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies, especially single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), produce count-based data often modeled by the negative binomial (NB) distribution. However, comparative analysis between two groups—such as identifying differentially expressed genes (DEGs)—requires assessing the statistical behavior of the difference between two NB-distributed variables. Despite the wide use of NB models, the theoretical properties of the Difference of Two Negative Binomials (DOTNB) distribution remain understudied. We derived key analytical results for DOTNB, including its probability mass function, moments, and asymptotic properties. Based on these results, we introduced DEGage, a statistical method for detecting DEGs in scRNA-seq data. DEGage uses sample-wise differences in gene expression as the test statistic and calculates P-values directly from the DOTNB distribution. Benchmarking on both simulated and real scRNA-seq datasets, DEGage outperforms five popular DEG detection tools: DESeq2, DEsingle, edgeR, Monocle3 and scDD. It shows particular strength under challenging conditions such as high dropout rates, unbalanced group sizes, and small sample sizes. Applied to prostate cancer scRNA-seq data, DEGage identifies robust marker genes across 17 cell types. In mouse neuron data, it reveals eight novel memory-associated genes not detected in prior studies. Overall, our work provides a theoretical foundation for DOTNB and demonstrates its practical utility in differential analysis of count data. The DEGage software is open-source and broadly applicable to HTS-based studies.

Spring 25 Alumni Career Panel

Rowan Math Department Colloquium

  

AI Tools for Agriculture Roundtable Conference

March 7, 2025, Atlantic Cape Community College

In support of New Jersey’s commitment to become a national leader in AI and establish an AI Hub, the New Jersey Big Data Alliance, Rutgers University, and Rowan University hosted its first annual roundtable conference that drew New Jersey farmers, researchers, and other stakeholders together to learn about emerging AI trends in agriculture.  With 44 people in attendance, this inaugural event featured a keynote presentation by Dr. Kristin Dana (Rutgers University), remarks by Edward Wengryn (NJ Secretary of Agriculture), and a series of lightning talks describing the latest advances in AgTech, including a joint talk by Dr. Thanh Nguyen (Rowan University) and Dr. Thierry Besancon (Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research) who spoke on using AI to detect and map weeds in cranberry bogs.   The conference ended with a breakout session where groups discussed important agricultural challenges facing New Jersey farmers that can be solved using AI and ways to create a new research community that will spearhead opportunities to advance the field.

Students are invited to attend an Actuary Talk given by Rowan Mathematics alum, Matthew Murgo. Matthew will share a presentation on his experiences as an Actuary as well as how well Rowan prepared him for the career. Pizza, snacks, refreshments, and news of the Actuary's Club revival will be provided to all students who attend.

Date: Feburary 5, 2025

Time: 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

Location: Business Hall, Room 104A

Questions? Please contact Gina Magliocco at maglioccog@rowan.edu

All students in the Data Science program are invited to our first-ever Data Science Network Social! This is a great way to network with faculty and peers, and learn about our latest program. There will be pizza, snacks, and refreshments for all attendees.

Date: December 4, 2024

Time: 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

Location: Robinson Hall, Room 315L

Questions? Please contact Gina Magliocco at maglioccog@rowan.edu

All Mathematics students are invited to attend the department’s annual Student Research Workshop, hosted by Dr. Thanh Nguyen. This is a perfect opportunity for students to learn about the research our faculty are currently working on, as well as how to become a future research assistant. 

Date: October 23, 2024

Time: 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Location: James Hall, Room 3117

Questions? Please contact Gina Magliocco at maglioccog@rowan.edu

Speaker: Dante Graves (Rowan Alum currently working as a data scientist)

Topic: Bayesian inference: what is the posterior, and why does it matter?

Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Location: James Hall 1115 and Zoom

Questions? Please contact Dr. Thanh Nguyen at Nguyent@rowan.edu

Abstract: Bayesian Inference is a topic that continues to gain popularity in machine learning. Undoubtedly, a large part of its appeal is due to its strong foundations in probability, which make it a powerful framework for addressing a wide range of applications.

In this talk we'll consider one of the key elements of Bayesian Inference that makes it such a useful paradigm - the posterior distribution. In particular we will emphasize how our understanding of the posterior as a random variable presents opportunities in data science that go beyond producing simple point estimates or confidence intervals. After providing the necessary background and theory behind this methodology, we'll walk through a number of real world examples that illustrate the advantages it affords.

The primary goal of this talk is to provide a fun and informative talk on an accessible topic that connects the dots between mathematical theory and practice. Additionally, students interested in careers outside of academia will get a glimpse into what a career in industry might look like for a math major.

The Department of Mathematics will host the NJ Big Data Alliance for a half-day conference called "Winning Strategies: Mastering Hackathons and Data Science Competitions." The session, which will be led by a variety of data science leaders, will talk about what it takes to compete and succeed in data hackathons, how to select a winning idea and execute it efficiently, how to use popular hackathon tools and design principles, and how to enhance their presentation skills to impress judges. 

Date: October 4, 2024

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Location: Business Hall, Room 104

Questions? Please contact Dr. Hieu Nguyen at Nguyen@rowan.edu

All Freshmen & Transfer students in Mathematics are invited to attend our annual Mathematics Fall Meet & Greet! Those who attend can expect pizza, refreshments, math games/puzzles, and chances to meet full-time faculty and members of the Math Team. 

Date: September 25, 2024

Time: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Robinson Circle

Questions? Please contact Gina Magliocco at maglioccog@rowan.edu