# Women in computational topology

1–5 July 2019

Workshop for Women in Computational Topology (WinCompTop) is designed for women and gender diverse people at all career stages in mathematics, statistics, computer science, and application areas of computational topology.

The primary goal of the workshop is to facilitate the formation of new and lasting research collaborations between junior and senior researchers working in the field of computational topology. The majority of the time at the workshop will be spent tackling open problems in small working groups headed by established leaders in the field.

There will also be an open day (with no gender restrictions) containing colloquium style talks and a poster session. To attend the one day event, view the webpage by clicking here.

## Organising committee

• Ellen Gasparovic, Union College
• Katharine Turner, Australian National University
• Vanessa Robins, Australian National University

## Funding Support

### Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI)

This event is sponsored by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI). AMSI allocates a travel allowance annually to each of its member universities (for list of members, see www.amsi.org.au/members).

Students or early career researchers from AMSI member universities without access to a suitable research grant or other source of funding may apply (with approval of their Head of Mathematical Sciences) for subsidy of travel and accommodation out of their home departmental travel allowance.

We have applied for extra funds to help support researchers from the United States, and we will post more information about applying for this support at a later stage.

### National Science Foundation funding

This workshop is partially supported by NSF-CCF 1841455 - Second Workshop for Women in Computational Topology.
This workshop is also partially supported by NSF-HRD 1500481 - AWM ADVANCE grant.

## Code of conduct

The Mathematical Sciences Institute (MSI) special year is committed to ensuring all workshops, conferences and seminars are accessible to a diverse range of participants. We aim to create a safe, respectful and supportive environment to allow free flow of information, discussions and ideas. All staff and students have the right to be treated with courtesy, fairness and professionalism. Discriminatory or harassing behaviour will not be tolerated.

The essential part of maintaining a safe and respectful work environment is to ensure that individuals report any witnessed or experienced discrimination or harassment to the organiser’s attention, or a member of staff you feel comfortable talking to. If you would like to contact the department anonymously, please email admin.research.msi@anu.edu.au.

We ask all participants to review the ANU’s code of conduct and maintain the principles of the document for the duration of the workshop.

## Sessions

Time Session
Project 1
This project will apply topological methods to questions in neuroscience. Specifically, the team will study dynamics in neural networks used to model memory storage and rhythm generation in the nervous system. These dynamics are determined by topological properties of the underlying network architecture. Recent advances in the theory of recurrent neural networks have identified key structural features, including motifs, that play a role in shaping the emergent dynamics. However, these features are difficult to identify without more sophisticated tools for network analysis. The team members will thus adapt tools from topology in order to detect the relevant structures inside recurrent neural networks, and use these tools to make predictions about the set of attractors and other aspects of the network's dynamics.
Project 2
The Blue Brain neurotopology team discovered that applying the tools of algebraic topology to the directed graph underlying a network of neurons in the neocortex revealed an intricate topology of synaptic connectivity. The network of neurons comprises an abundance of cliques of neurons bound together into elaborate topological structures, which guide the emergence of neural activity. In response to stimuli, correlated activity, encoded as a sequence of subgraphs of the ambient directed graph, binds synaptically connected neurons into functional cliques and cavities that evolve in a stereotypical sequence towards peak complexity. The team is currently applying topological methods to analyzing the results of simulations of network plasticity, carried out on supercomputers at Argonne National Laboratory by members of the Blue Brain simulation group. Their goal is to elucidate a structure-property relation between the evolving topology of the microcircuit and the evolving dynamics of its response to stimuli, where the evolving network is represented mathematically as a discrete time series of weighted, directed graphs. The goal of this project is twofold. First, the team will develop appropriate probabilistic and statistical tools for the study of distributions on the space of subgraphs S(G) of a given directed graph G and on the space W(G) of all possible weightings on G. Second, the team will evaluate the relevance of various topological invariants of subgraphs of G (respectively, of possible weightings of G) as random variables on S(G) (respectively, W(G)). Invariants to be considered include the Betti numbers and Euler characteristic of the directed flag complex and the Betti and Euler curves of the filtered directed flag complex.
Project 3
This project focuses on connecting discrete Morse theory to multiparameter persistent homology or persistence. An efficient computation of multiparameter persistence is still not possible in general. Thus, one of the main challenges for topological data analysis is to make persistence a viable option for data filtered by multiple parameters. This team's project will be concerned with precisely this challenge. The plan is to study the preprocessing of data to feed the rank invariant and matching distance algorithms. The aim of the preprocessing is to reduce the data on which to perform the subsequent computations to a minimum. The project has three main objectives: to design an efficient algorithm to preprocess the data; to achieve optimality in terms of reduction amount; and to achieve the exact computation of the matching distance in reasonable time.
Project 4
Persistent homology data from micro-CT images of porous materials provides a useful summary of their geometrical and topological structure, and is correlated with physical properties such as permeability and trapping capacity. Three aspects of the analysis of this data have not yet been fully explored. First, how should persistent homology be normalized to enable one to compare persistence diagrams from related data sets of different sizes? Second, how does persistent homology change when an image filter (such as a local averaging operator) is applied? Third, the cost of acquiring a micro-CT image is proportional to the imaging resolution, so we want to understand how persistent homology changes with resolution, and what minimum resolution is required for extracting useable data. This group will investigate one or more of these questions with sample micro-CT images of porous materials provided by the ANU CTLab for context.

## Registration fees

• General registration $125 • AMSI institution members$100
• AMSI Student/ retired fellow $80 ## Apply for workshop accommodation For participants who do not have access to funding, you can apply for workshop accommodation. The accommodation will be for a room in a shared two bedroom apartment at Liversidge court apartments from Saturday 30th June to Saturday 6th July, 2019. Please note, spaces are limited. To apply for the grant, please specify 'yes' in the Register your interest webform. You will be notified via email if you have been success in obtaining a room. ## Funding Support ### AMSI funding This event is sponsored by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI). AMSI allocates a travel allowance annually to each of its member universities (for list of members, see www.amsi.org.au/members). Students or early career researchers from AMSI member universities without access to a suitable research grant or other source of funding may apply (with approval of their Head of Mathematical Sciences) for subsidy of travel and accommodation out of their home departmental travel allowance. ### USA funding support We have applied for extra funds to help support researchers from the United States, and we will post more information about applying for this support at a later stage. Seminar Room 1.33 & 1.37, Building #145, Science Road, The Australian National University ## Map ## About Canberra Canberra is located in the Australian Capital Territory, on the ancient lands of the Ngunnawal people, who have lived here for over 20,000 years. Canberra’s name is thought to mean ‘meeting place’, derived from the Aboriginal word Kamberra. European settlers arrived in the 1830s, and the area won selection by ballot for the federal capital in 1908. Since then the ‘Bush Capital’ has grown to become the proud home of the Australian story, with a growing population of around 390,000. Canberra hosts a wide range of tourist attractions, including various national museums, galleries and Parliament House, as well as beautiful parks and walking trails. Several attractions are within walking distance of the ANU campus, including the National Museum of Australia and the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Canberra is also a fantastic base from which to explore the many treasures of the surrounding region, including historic townships, beautiful coastlines and the famous Snowy Mountains. Learn more about what to do and see during your stay in Canberra here. ## Accommodation Below are some accommodation options for your visit to Canberra. Visit Canberra accommodation page ## Visas International visitors to Australia require a visa or an electronic travel authority (ETA) prior to arrival. It is your responsibility to ensure documentation is correct and complete before you commence your journey. Information on obtaining visas and ETAs can be found here. ## Transportation There are many ways to get around Canberra. Below is some useful information about Bus & Taxi transport around the ANU, the Airport and surrounding areas. ### Taxi If you are catching a taxi or Uber to the ANU Mathematical Sciences Institute, ask to be taken to Building #145, Science Road, ANU. We are located close to the Ian Ross Building and the ANU gym. A Taxi from the airport will usually cost around$40 and will take roughly 15 minutes. Pricing and time may vary depending on traffic.

Taxi bookings can be made through Canberra Elite Taxis - 13 22 27.

### Airport Shuttle

The ACT government has implemented a public bus service from the CBD via the Canberra Airport via bus Route 11 and 11A, seven days a week. Services run approximately every half hour, and better during peak times (weekdays) and every hour (weekends).

To travel just use your MyWay card or pay a cash fare to the driver when boarding. A single adult trip when paying cash will cost \$4.80 with cheaper fares for students and children. Significant savings can be made when travelling with MyWay.