NSF-CBMS Regional Research Conference

Mathematical Control Theory of Coupled Systems of Partial Differential Equations

August 5–9, 1999, Lincoln, NE

Principal Lecturer: Irena Lasiecka, Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Virginia

Organizer: Richard Rebarber , Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Nebraska

Conference Description

Professor Irena Lasiecka will be the Principal Lecturer for an NSF-CBMS Regional Research Conference on "Mathematical Control Theory of Coupled Systems of Partial Differential Equations." The aim of this lecture series is to provide a self-contained, comprehensive exposition leading up to state-of-the-art results. The motivation for the study of coupled systems of PDE's comes from a variety of technological advancements in engineering involving interactive structures such as structure/acoustic interactions, large scale flexible structures, fluid/structure interactions, etc. These systems are described by strongly coupled PDEs, often coupled on the boundary, with mixed types of dynamics. The effect of the coupling prevents the direct application of results and techniques for uncoupled equations, so new techniques need to be developed, often based on microlocal analysis and propagation of singularities.

In order to effectively focus attention and convey the main ideas of the topic, the lectures will concentrate on specific benchmark models of interactive systems: structural acoustics interactions; thermal/structure interactions; composite plates; dynamic shells; and combinations of the above. The lectures will provide a complete analysis of these systems in the context of mathematical control theory, focusing on three types of control problems which are the cornerstones of classical control theory: optimal control, controllability, and stabilization. The first four lectures will deal with those aspects of the theory of uncoupled PDE's which are required for the analysis of interactive structures. The remaining six lectures will deal directly with interactive structures. The lecture topics are: Theory of linear and nonlinear semigroups with unbounded forcing terms and boundary inputs; Abstract control theory with unbounded controls and observations; PDE methods in control theory; PDE models of interactive structures; Optimal control and optimization problems for interactive structures; and Controllability and stabilization of interactive structures.

Click here for a postscript file for detailed lecture notes . This file is 193 pages.

Preliminary Program

Click here for the the preliminary program for the conference. The program includes a schedule, abstracts for the half-hour talks, and a list of participants.

Maps

Here's the City Campus Map which will be most useful to conference participants. In red it shows Bessey Hall (where the lectures will be held), Selleck Hall (which contains the dining hall), Neihardt Center (for people staying in the dorms), and the Sheldon Art Gallery (where we'll have the conference banquet). In yellow there are parking lots for participants; for those with cars see the section below on parking.

Here are some other useful maps: Click here to get a map which gives an overview of the downtown Lincoln and the University. You can click on city campus to get an picture of the city campus. Click around C6 to see the area which inludes Bessey Hall, which contains the lecture hall.

Most or all of you will be staying downtown, which is laid out in a grid, with numbered streets going north-south and lettered streets going east-west. Here's a (not very useful) map of that grid and you can click this map to get further detail. To get from your hotel to campus by foot, walk to 12th and R on the grid, then continue walking north (12th St. will be pointed due south) until you get to Bessey hall

Driving in Lincoln

If you're driving into Lincoln, you will most likely be coming in from I-80. It will be easiest to take the Downtown Lincoln exit, which gets you onto I-180. I-180 becomes 9th street, and you're on the grid. If you're in a hotel it will be easy to find with the address. If you're in the dormitory you need to get onto 16th Street to get to Neihardt hall; the challenge is that 16th is one-way south, so you need to go north to Vine Street on 17th Street, and then go down 16th.

Parking on Campus

Even if you have a car, you might not need to park on campus. All of the hotels are 10 to 20 minutes walk from the lecture hall, and the dormitory (which has parking for people staying there) is about 5 minutes away. If you need to park on campus, you'll get an Area 10 parking tag when you register. Here's a parking map. If you need to park before you register, print out this map to take with you. (If you get a parking ticket before you get the parking tag, let me know, and I'll use my considerable influence to get it fixed. ) You can park in any Area 10 lot. The loop just north of Bessey Hall is good on Saturday and Sunday, but it's likely to be full on weekdays, and it's really difficult to get from the loop to the other lots. The lots which are furthest west are very likely to have spaces any time, especially the northwest lot. On weekends the parking garage (in brown on the parking map) is open and free. To get to the Area 10 lots which are northwest on the maps, go north on 10th Street, and get in the rightmost lane (otherwise you'll wind up leaving Lincoln). If you follow the dotted lines on the parking map, you'll have your choice of Area 10 lots to try.

Registration

There is no registration fee for the conference. All you have to do to register is to notify us by e-mail any time before the conference. If you wish to attend the conference banquet on Saturday, August 7, please register by July 26.

If you register and your plans change, please notify us as soon as possible.

Financial Support

The conference has funds to assist participants with the costs of lodging and transportation. To request financial support, please e-mail the following information to us by May 24, 1999:

Name; Institution and Department; Location; Year your Ph.D. was granted (or you anticipate it will be granted), how many days of the conference you intend to attend.

By June 7, 1999 we will let you know how much support we can offer, and you should let us know by July 2 whether you intend to use this support. (If you need an estimate before June 7 of the amount of financial support we can offer, we can give you a conservative lower bound.)

Note: Requests for financial support made after May 24 will be given lower priority than requests made on or before May 24.

Additional Lectures

Additional lectures: In addition to the two hour-long lectures per day by Dr. Lasiecka, we will also have some half-hour lectures by participants. If you are interested in giving a talk on a topic related to the conference subject, please send a brief description (one or two paragraphs) of your proposed talk to us by May 24. In case we have more requests to give lectures than we have slots, decisions will be made according to the following two criteria: relevance of the proposed talk to the conference; and our desire to have a mix of established and beginning researchers in the field. To access relevance, you might find it useful to look at the conference description on our web site, listed below. Decisions will be made by June 7. The amount of financial support we offer you is not tied to whether or not you give a talk.

Lodging

We have contracted blocks of rooms in two hotels, and rooms are available in the University dormitories and other Lincoln hotels. Hotel availability is on a first-come first-serve basis. The lodgings listed below are all within walking distance of the conference lecture hall on campus.

  • The Town House:1744 M Street. $40 to $44 per night for a single, $45 to $49 for a double. For reservations e-mail townhousemotel@navix.net, call 800–279–1744 in the U.S., or 402–475–3000 from in or out of the U.S. All rooms have a small kitchen and free parking. A small block of rooms will be held until July 2, although rooms might still be available after that date. When booking identify yourself as being with the "CBMS Conference".
  • The Holiday Inn Downtown:141 N. 9th Street. $79 per night for a single or a double. For reservations call 1–800–465–4329 in the U.S., or 402–475–4011 from in or out of the U.S. A small block of rooms will be held until July 2; rooms might be available after that date, but the above price is not guaranteed after that date. When booking identify yourself as being with the "CBMS Conference".
  • University of Nebraska Dormitories:$27 for a single, or $13.50 per person for a double or triple. If you want the dormitory option, you will need to contact Richard Rebarber by July 20, and I will make the arrangements.
  • The Cornhusker Hotel:333 South 13th Street. We do not have a block reserved at this hotel, but it is conveniently located, and government rates might apply, based upon availablilty at the time you book. For reservations you can e-mail reservations@thecornhusker.com , or call 800–793–7474 in the U.S. or (402) 474–7474 from in or out of the U.S. When booking indicate that you are attending a University of Nebraska conference. Parking is available for $4.95 per day, and the hotel can pick you up from the airport for free. The web site for the Cornhusker is http://www.thecornhusker.com.
  • Other Hotels:If you go to the web site http://www.lincoln.org/cvb/visitor/lodge/select.htm you will have access to information about hotels in Lincoln, NE. For hotels closest to the University, under "Desired Area" click "Downtown".

Transportation

To fly into Lincoln, Nebraska's airport, flights are available from TWA (via St. Louis), United (via Chicago or Denver), Northwest (via Minneapolis on Northwest Airlink), or U.S. Air Express (via Kansas City). The taxi ride from the airport to downtown is approximately $14. There are also many flights available in and out of Omaha, which is about an hour's drive from Lincoln. Occasionally you can find flights into Omaha which are significantly less expensive than flights into Lincoln. If you arrive or leave from Omaha, you will either need to rent a car, or use the shuttle service between the Omaha airport and Lincoln. This service, called the Eppley Express, has three connections each direction every weekday, and fewer on weekends. For details about the shuttle go to the web site http://www.eppleyexpress.com.

If you're driving, Lincoln is right off of Interstate 80. See below for links to maps on the web, and we can mail a map to you if you request one.

Rental cars can be reserved at the Lincoln airport, through most major rental companies. There are many restaurants within walking distance of campus, so if you are in accomodations near the University you might not find a car useful.

Conference Banquet

The banquet on Friday, August 6 will be free to participants and their guests, with a cash bar. If you intend to bring a guest, let me know by July 26.

Relevant dates

  1. May 24: deadline for requesting financial support and for proposing a talk.
  2. June 7: decisions made about support and talks.
  3. July 2: last day to let us know whether you intend to use the financial support. Also, the last day blocks of rooms at the Town House and the Holiday Inn are held.
  4. July 20: last day to contact me about dormitory accomodations.
  5. July 26: last day to reserve space at the conference banquet.
  6. August 5–9: Conference.

Contact Information

  • If you have any questions, feel free to contact Richard Rebarber
  • phone - (402) 472–7235;
  • fax (402) 472–8466.

Maps and Weather information:

Here are campus maps.

Here is a map of the area near the Math/Stat Department, and links to MAPBLAST (for maps of other areas and driving directions.)

Here is the weather report for Lincoln: Click for Lincoln, Nebraska Forecast

Last changed: Tuesday, 9-February-99 2:30:12 CST>