Roots of Unity 2024

The applications for the 2024 Roots of Unity workshop, held June 10-14, 2024 at ICERM in Providence, RI are now open. Applications are due March 13 and can be submitted through ICERM’s CUBE page.

This is the second Roots of Unity workshop, organized by Christine Berkesch, Michelle Manes, Priyam Patel, Candice Price, and Bianca Viray and its goal is to support graduate students, particularly women and nonbinary students of color, in their transition to independent learning and research.  This transition is a crucial and often jarring point in every graduate student’s career and can be even more difficult for students from marginalized groups, who often have smaller support systems and may face an actively unsupportive environment at their institution. The goal of this workshop is to support, mentor, and guide students at this crucial stage in their career. During the workshop, mentors will guide the student participants through the (often very daunting!) experience of trying to read a paper without being an expert in the area. The participants will be broken into small working groups, each focused on a recent paper in their area of interest. Each group will be assisted throughout the week by mentors, both early career mathematicians (late stage graduate students or postdocs) and faculty members. The topics covered in this workshop will be Number Theory, Combinatorics, Commutative Algebra, and Geometry/Topology.

The professional development component of the Roots of Unity Workshop will focus on practical tools for navigating a research career, while building community and increasing access to professionals or near-peers. These will include in-person panels and activities during the workshop and follow-up (virtual) activities throughout the year to continue nurturing the community and connections.

The program is tailored to support women of color, and our strategies reflect this priority. However, any graduate student in their first three years of study who believes that this workshop will benefit them are invited to apply. We especially encourage applications from students of color who are women, nonbinary, and/or gender fluid.