2016 Invited Speaker - Professor Lea Jenkins
Clemson University
Biography: Dr. Lea Jenkins graduated from NCSU with a Ph.D. in mathematics. Her interests center on mathematical applications; she is particularly motivated by problems which allow her to work in an interdisciplinary environment. She is a member of a research team whose work on mathematics, used to help drought-stricken farmers in California, was featured in a PBS NewsHour Science Friday segment "How Math Is Growing More Strawberries in California", and an NSF Discovery article "Strawberries With a Thirst". Her other projects include modeling and simulation for membranes used in the pharmaceutical industry and efforts to better understand the dispersal mechanisms governing invasive species.Title: Headline Hunting: Finding the Mathematics in Events Every DayAbstract: A January 2014 headline in the New York Times read "$28,000 a Night: Hotels Race to Cater to the Superrich". These types of headlines make me wonder not "Who can afford that?" but "Where is the mathematics in here?". Mathematics problems are ubiquitous, and, if you know how to look for them, can frequently be found inside headlines or front-page stories. In this talk, we will examine some recently documented events and look for the mathematics in each of them. Audience members will be asked to participate and suggest problems "hidden in the headlines". |
Funding for the Undergraduate Math Conference is provided by the
University of Tennessee Mathematics Department.