The Math and Physics Colloquium is an unofficial gathering of students and teachers at Bellevue College. It occurs once a week, typically on Tuesday afternoons, while classes are in session. This event had been occurring since before 1990 on the BC campus. The website, hosted by Larry Susanka, humorously states, “(Only rumors and hints about this mysterious period remain, before the birth date of many of our current faculty. If you have additional information or corrections please contact the Colloquium organizer.)”, in regards to the pre 1990 meetings.
This event is an important part of Bellevue College’s math history. It was started by many now-retired math department faculty members, who still attend the meetings despite not being instructors at BC. Currently, Trevor Gamble from the physics department and Luke Rawlings from the math department are in charge of organizing quarterly operations.
There are a variety of topics that are discussed at the colloquium, so you are sure to find something you enjoy. Last quarter’s roster boasts presentations on set theory, the math of infinity, quantum computing, and advanced integration techniques, to name a few. A full list of past talk topics can be found on the webpage dedicated to upcoming talk announcements and cataloging previous talks.
This year, the colloquium will resume meeting at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8th in room L-210. Trevor Gamble will be speaking. His talk is titled “The Hale-Bopp Comet, and the Mathematics of Orbits”. The talk will start at 2:30 and go on until 3:25, with the last 5 minutes dedicated to questions and comments. Attendees are welcome to come by at 2 p.m. to “eat, drink, and be merry.”
