On April 18, 2026, Ohio State University hosted the Cycle Conference. The academic event brought together a total of 54 mentees and 31 mentors, featuring 8 graduate student talks and 38 poster presentations.
Conference Schedule
The one-day conference began in the EA lobby with check-ins, poster set-up, and technology checks. The conference alternated between poster sessions and presentations. The last presentation session concluded with a plenary address by Dr. John Johnson. Following the academic sessions was a dinner in the Math Tower, followed by some official closing remarks by the organizers.
The conference featured a plenary address delivered by Dr. John Johnson.
Title: The Pigeonhole Principle: Dispatches from the past, present, and (maybe) future
Abstract Summary: The talk traced the deep history of the Pigeonhole Principle from its origins to its present use and future outlook. It covered its foundational role in discrete proofs as well as its application in sophisticated dynamical arguments where the interplay between uniformity and structure is crucial.
The contributed sessions and poster presentations covered various areas of mathematics, statistics, and medicine. Notable outcomes from this year's cycle include one project that has culminated in a paper (https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.23381), with an additional project working toward a publication for next year.
The plenary address, delivered by Dr. John Johnson, concerned The Pigeonhole Principle: Dispatches from the past, present, and (maybe) future. In the address, Dr. Johnson traced the deep history of the Pigeonhole Principle from its origins to its present use and future outlook. The talk covered its foundational role in discrete proofs as well as its application in sophisticated dynamical arguments, where the interplay between uniformity and structure is crucial.
Awards and Recognition
The conference concluded with the presentation of awards recognizing outstanding contributions from both student mentees and academic mentors.
Mentee Awards
Outstanding Poster Design (Joint): Yujia Feng, Michelle Huang, and Wanning Rong; Zachary Frager and Ethan Yuwono; Vyom Goel and Xingji Tao.
Outstanding Poster Design (Individual): Sean Lipton , Xiaocheng Zhu.
Outstanding Presentation (Joint): Bessie Cui, Aiden Gavin, Nishal Nepal, and Nathan Shaner.
Outstanding Presentation (Individual): Julia Circele , Nathen Hale , Cory Shields , Ryland Smoot , Samuel Younkin , Julie Zhu.
Mentor Awards
Outstanding Project Design: Dr. Tyler Genao , Andrew Gothard , Xiaoting Han , Hunter Handley , Levi Keck , Luci Krnic , Dr. Anjun Ma , Dr. Michael Tychonievich , and the joint team of Jacob Scherzer and Nathan Willey.
Outstanding Presentation: Kacey Aurum , Killian Davis , Gradmar Maldonado Marti , and Santiago Rodríguez Sierra.