Speaker: Darij Grinberg (Drexel University)Title: Shuffles in the symmetric group algebraAbstract:Ever since the famous 1992 work of Bayer and Diaconis, it has been known that random shuffles of a deck of cards (with the back side up) can be modelled as elements of the group algebra R[S_n] of the symmetric group S_n. This viewpoint has spawned progress in both card shuffling and the representation theory of the symmetric group. In this talk, I will focus on two projects in the latter: one focusing on the "somewhere-to-below shuffles" t_i := (i) + (i,i+1) + (i,i+1,i+2) + ... + (i,i+1,...,n) in R[S_n] for 1 <= i <= n (where the parenthesized expressions mean cycles; the 1-cycle (i) is the identity), and one focusing on the "k-random-to-random shuffles" R_k := \sum_{1 <= i_1 < i_2 < ... < i_k <= n} \sum_{w in S_n such that w(i_1) < w(i_2) < ... < w(i_k)} w in R[S_n] for 0 <= k <= n. Both families have revealed a variety of unexpected properties. For instance, the R_0, R_1, ..., R_n commute, whereas the t_1, t_2,..., t_n are simultaneously triangularizable (i.e., there is an -- explicitly describable -- basis of R[S_n] on which right multiplication by each t_i acts as a triangular matrix). In both cases, all eigenvalues are integers and can be explicitly described and assigned to Specht modules (irreducible representations of S_n). Many of these properties furthermore generalize to the (type-A) Iwahori-Hecke algebra.Due to the amount of results, this talk will be an overview with no proofs.Some of the above is joint work with Nadia Lafrenière, Sarah Brauner, Patricia Commins and Franco Saliola.

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On Wednesday nights you are invited to come to The Table for peaceful Christian worship in the Chapel at 5:15 pm and dinner in the Main Dining Room of W11 at around 6:30 pm.We worship with beautiful songs, open conversation about the Scriptures, prayers and a simple sharing of communion around the altar. Then we enjoy dinner together and good company together. Whether you come every week or just drop by once in a while, there is a caring community for you at the Table.You are truly welcome to come as you are: undergrad, grad, or post-doc; sure of your faith or wondering what it is all about; gay, straight, bi, trans, questioning. Please join us for no-pressure worship and fellowship.Hosted by the Lutheran Epsicopal Ministry @ MIT. For more information, or to verify gathering times during holiday and vacation periods, please contact chaplains Andrew Heisen (heisen@mit.edu) and Kevin Vetiac (kvet246@mit.edu).Please note that we will not meet during the week of Thanksgiving nor between Christmas and New Year's Day. Please see our website (le-ministry.mit.edu) for updates on meeting times and locations as well as additional details.

Join us for an in-person conversation with four recent MIT graduates working on environmental issues, health care, and community development to discuss career paths in the public interest. Register at: https://mit.joinhandshake.com/events/1839133/share_previewModerator: Prof. Justin Steil, DUSPFeaturing:Willie Boag, Computer Science PhD, ‘22Willie earned a PhD at MIT focused on health, machine learning, and policy, and later served as technical lead for deploying a postpartum hemorrhage prediction model at Duke. Now a Senior Data Lead at MassHealth, he splits his time between analytics and innovation. On the analytics side, he connects policy questions to data to drive evidence-based decisions in maternal health, child immunizations, and population health. On the innovation side, he has led AI pilot teams across Massachusetts Health and Human Services, including efforts to modernize legacy mainframe systems.Kate Dineen, Urban Studies and Planning Masters, ‘11Kate Dineen is the President & CEO of A Better City, a multi-sector group of nearly 130 Boston business leaders united around a common vision: to create a more vibrant, competitive, sustainable, and equitable city and region for all. She served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from May 2019 to April 2023. Prior to joining A Better City, Kate worked for the New York State Governor's Office, serving as the Chief of Staff for State Operations, Assistant Secretary for the Environment, and Deputy Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery after Superstorm Sandy.She was previously U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Policy Director and has worked in the non-profit and media sectors. Kate serves on numerous commissions and boards and is an Advisory Council Member for the Tufts University Center for State Policy Analysis.Smriti Bhaya, Urban Studies and Planning Masters, ‘24Smriti has a background in architecture and has worked on private and public development projects in India, and with NYC's Department of City Planning. At MIT, she co-founded two social impact start-ups - Purifyx and Sakhi. Purifyx aimed to provide low-cost passive water filters for rural households in India. Sakhi supports menstrual hygiene management for girls in Bangladesh. It is a WhatsApp chatbot that generates responses to questions about menstrual hygiene that are grounded in accurate, verified knowledge from international health agencies. Ultimately, Sakhi aims to improve literacy among young girls across emerging countries who do not have access to this kind of information but would benefit from it.During her time at MIT, Smriti was a DesignX Fellow, a Legatum Fellow, a Harvard Venture Innovation Fellow, and an IDEAS Social Innovation Awardee.Chris Hunter, Management Bachelors, ‘18Chris is the Director of Advisory Services at LEAF - Local Enterprise Assistance Fund.LEAF is a nonprofit community loan fund for cooperatives and underserved small businesses. They provide culturally competent technical assistance and flexible financing in order to build community economic power.He leads a team of analysts who work collaboratively with small business owners to identify and resolve business challenges, provide robust financial analysis and planning services, and develop buyer and investor facing diligence materials to support access to capital and contracts. Chris began working with LEAF through a PKG Center program while an MIT undergraduate!Brought to you by DUSP, The PKG Center, CAPD, MIT Climate Project

Artist Janet Echelman will discuss her new book, Radical Softness: The Responsive Art of Janet Echelman, in a conversation with art historian Gloria Sutton and John Ochsendorf, MIT professor and structural engineer. Together, they'll explore the intersections of art, architecture, and responsive design in the urban landscape.The MIT Museum's newest exhibition Remembering the Future (coming soon), is the culmination of the book's narrative which spans the past twenty-five years of Janet Echelman's monumentally scaled public sculptures using unlikely materials, from atomized water particles to engineered fiber fifteen times stronger than steel. She weaves ancient craft and computational modeling software into an utterly unique art form.Radical Softness is a comprehensive sourcebook that unpacks Echelman's vital practice and her ongoing commitment to Taking Imagination Seriously, the title of her TED Talk which has been translated into thirty-five languages and has more than two million views. It features mesmerizing color photographs, a foreword by fellow creative Swizz Beatz, and contributions from a diverse range of internationally recognized scholars, engineers, designers, architects, and curators contextualizing the interdisciplinary impact of Echelman within the fields of global art history, architecture, computation, and landscape architecture.Copies of Radical Softness will be available for purchase and signing after the talk, courtesy of the MIT Press Bookstore.October 15, 2025 6-7pm, followed by a book signing $5

Free and open to all!Join us for an informal speed networking session and build your professional network. In this 45-minute activity, participants will make numerous contacts in a short period of time, with an opportunity to exchange contact information if desired.People of all ages, backgrounds, and industries are warmly welcomed. If you’re able, please download the LinkedIn app and have your QR code pulled up and ready to share when you arrive. If you prefer to keep it old-school, business cards are also welcomed!This event is presented in collaboration with our friends at The Foundry.The Foundry building provides space and programs for the visual and performing arts, entrepreneurship, technology, and workforce education within its historic, industrial setting. If you are especially interested in connecting with local artists and creators, or looking for accessible space in Cambridge to host programming and events, then this is a great opportunity!