Auburn hosts 34th Cumberland Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Computing

Auburn University welcomed mathematicians, researchers and students from across the region May 16-17 for the 34th Cumberland Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Computing.

Held in Auburn’s Academic Classroom and Laboratory Complex, the conference brought together internationally recognized researchers, faculty members, industry scientists and students for two days of research presentations, discussion and collaboration. The annual conference rotates among universities in the Southeast and is traditionally held shortly after the spring semester.

This year’s meeting was supported by the National Science Foundation, Auburn’s College of Sciences and Mathematics and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The program featured four plenary presentations along with a series of contributed talks highlighting current work in combinatorics, graph theory and computing.

For Auburn faculty member Songling Shan, who served on the local organizing committee, the conference offered an important opportunity for scholars in the region to connect.

“The Cumberland Conference provides a wonderful venue for regional peers to come together and share their work,” Shan said.

Auburn’s local organizing committee included Shan, Joe Briggs, Jessica McDonald and Zach Walsh. In addition to the formal program, attendees connected during coffee breaks, catered lunches and a group dinner at K-Pot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot.

The conference also provided a welcoming environment for students, including undergraduate researchers, to present their work alongside faculty members, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students.

Garret Farrel, a PhD student at Clemson University, described the conference as an invaluable “semi-local resource” for discussing related research with others in the field.

Invited speaker Zi-Xia Song of the University of Central Florida said the meeting created opportunities for new collaborations and meaningful scholarly exchange.

Mark Ellingham, a member of the Cumberland Scientific Committee who has attended 30 Cumberland Conferences, said Auburn’s meeting continued the tradition of a strong regional conference.

“It was definitely a good one,” Ellingham said.